Bilinda Butcher’s 10 favourite Flamenco albums
As the 1980s drew to a close, a new genre began to emerge out of excessive distortion and guitar pedal obsession. Those who pioneered it spent most of their time looking downwards at their pedalboards, and so shoegaze was born.
Termed the scene that celebrated itself, it was a fairly insular genre that would never rival the commercial success of Britpop or grunge, but several seminal bands did forge enduring legacies in the alternative scene, though none more than My Bloody Valentine.
The now-iconic band delivered their most important release in 1991 with Loveless, a record that took several years to record and set Creation Records back by £250,000. With noisy, warping guitars and a layered sound, the album became the defining release of the genre.
Decades after its release, limited pressings would go for hundreds as the budding shoegaze revival looked backwards for inspiration. Kevin Shields remains a reference point for upcoming pedal enthusiasts, and fans are still clamouring for the band’s long-awaited return to release.
My Bloody Valentine have practically become synonymous with the genre they pioneered, but their own musical interests are not limited to screeching strums and walls of sound. Vocalist and guitarist Bilinda Butcher’s musical explorations have ventured far beyond the realm of shoegaze and dreampop and into the world of Flamenco.
Speaking with Louder Than War about her love for the softer form of guitar music, she shared, “I’ve been dancing Flamenco and Spanish dance since 1995, mostly with The Spanish Dance Society with my lovely teacher Conchita del Campo, but also with La Escuela de Baile and visiting artists.”
“As My Bloody Valentine have become busier I’ve danced less, and given up teaching for now,” she noted, but that didn’t stop her love for the art form, as she went on to divulge ten of her favourite Flamenco albums. “I have mostly used magic from The Spanish Dance Society’s syllabus,” she explained, “which ranges from Flamenco to regional and classical, but these are my personal choices which I’ve used for teaching and just listening to.”
The list that follows includes classic Spanish Flamenco artists, such as Camarón de la Isla, alongside compilation albums for beginners to the genre. The brighter, lighter form of guitar music seems a far cry from the heavy distortion Butcher once supplied, but no less beautiful.
Find the full list of albums below.
Bilinda Butcher’s favourite Flamenco albums:
- Sabicas – Guitarra Flamenca
- Camarón de la Isla – Alma Y Corazón Flamencos
- Guitarra Paco De Lucía – Selección Antológica del Cante Flamenco
- Maria Esther Guzmán – Rincones de España
- Olé! – Festival Flamenco Gitano
- Various Artists – Flamenco for Beginners
- El Arte Inolvidable De Fernanda Romero
- Todos Los Compases – Ritmos Flamencos Con Palmas y Cajón
- Soleá – Solo Compás
- Nuevo Flamenco – 18 Hot New Sounds From The Streets Of Spain
