The origins of Flamenco are unclear but it is generally considered that it originated in Andalucia and is a fusion of Gypsy, Moorish, Sephardic and Arabic music. Flamenco, however is more than the intricately formed musical patterns, it is an art form and the dancers, singers, guitarists and percussionists create a whole musical genre.

There are many different styles of this music, including “verdiales”, “malagueñas”, “rondeñas” and “jaberas”.

The variants of Flamenco are rich and diverse, however six artists stand out. Once you’ve heard all of these artists, you’ll have a good idea of what flamenco is all about !

Camaron de la Isla
Camaron de la Isla is the most important flamenco artist of all time. By the time of his death in 1992, he had released more than a dozen classic flamenco albums. His 1979 release La Leyenda del Tiempo is considered to be a masterpiece

Paco de Lucia
Paco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez  is a Spanish composer and guitarist. He is recognized as a skilled flamenco guitarist all over the world and sometimes called one of the greatest guitarists of all time, in any genre. He is a leading exponent of the Modern Flamenco style. He is the winner of the 2004 Prince of Asturias Awards in Arts.

Ojos de Brujo
Ojos de Brujo are the leading exponents of contemporary flamenco. Mixing flamenco rhythms with hip-hop, their music is highly accessible and modern. They have released two albums so far, Barí and Techarí.

Radio Tarifa
This group fuses flamenco with Arabic and Middle Eastern sounds. Radio Tarifa have created something that somehow sounds both traditional and original at the same time. Radio Tarifa have released three studio albums (Rumba Argelina, Temporal & Cruzando El Río) and one live album (Fiebre).

Carmen Linares
Carmen Linares born Carmen Pacheco Rodríguez has one of the most exceptional voices in flamenco, most of her music is flamenco at its most traditional.

Niña Pastori
Niña Pastori is an exceptionally talented flamenco artist, born in the same town as Camarón de la Isla (San Fernando, Cádiz) and was originally mentored by him. Her mother too was a flamenco singer and so hardly surprisingly Nina released her first album at just seventeen years of age. Her style is very slick and polished but very easy to listen to.