Son De La Frontera

An inventive flamenco band with a deep respect for the style's historical roots, Son de la Frontera were highly touted by critics upon their 2004 recording debut, garnering significant attention with their use of the Cuban tres guitar and their impressive live spectacle as a touring act. Formed in 1998 in Morón de la Frontera, a town of approximately 30,000 in the Seville province of Andalusia, Spain, Son de la Frontera are comprised of Raúl Rodríguez (Cuban tres, flamenco guitar; born in Seville, 1974), Paco de Amparo (flamenco guitar; Morón de la Frontera, 1969), Manuel Flores (compás, flamenco dancing; Morón de la Frontera, 1969), Moi de Morón (singing, compás; Morón de la Frontera, 1977), and Pepe Torres (flamenco dancing, compás; Seville, 1978).

Inspired by and initially a tribute to Morón de la Frontera flamenco guitar legend Diego del Gastor (1908-1973), Son de la Frontera released their self-titled debut album in 2004 on Nuevos Medios. Championed by critics internationally, partly on account of their unorthodox use of the Cuban tres within a flamenco context, Son de la Frontera were awarded a Flamenco Hoy prize in 2004, along with awards for Album of the Year and Instrumental Album of the Year from the specialty website Deflamenco.com, which also awarded the band Best Live Show in 2005. Son de la Frontera's second album, Cal (2006), brought home additional critical recognition, including another Flamenco Hoy prize and an Instrumental Album of the Year nod from Deflamenco.com, plus a Latin Grammy Award nomination in the category of Best Flamenco Album in 2007 and a spot on PopMattters' Top Ten World Music Album list of 2007. The acclaim continued for Son de la Frontera in 2008 as they brought their live show overseas to New York, California, and London and were nominated for the honor of Best European Group at the annual BBC Music Awards.