The music of Camaxe is firmly embedded in the Galician landscape and culture. The emblematic gaita is the key instrument, but new musical influences are apparent and mark a new era for the band. Airexa, the new album, shows the maturation of Camaxe and invites the listener to discover new horizons.
Camaxe came into being when Miguel Allo and bass player Marc de Martelaer met. The two musicians decided to form a band, which would take the culture of Galicia, an autonomous region in the north west of Spain, as a starting point. Miguel, player of the Galician bagpipe called gaita, is born in this area and started to study the instrument at a young age. Soon he began to compose his own music as well.
In 2005 the first album Imaxes was released, a joyous and melancholic album at the same time. The cd was well received and the band performed on Belgian, French and Spanish festivals. The band keeps growing and Baptiste Argouarc’h (violin), Filip Lambrechts (guitar) and Gauthier Lisein (drums, percussion, clarinet) put their own mark on the developing sound. This evolution has resulted into the new album Airexa (‘sea breeze’), where all members contribute to the final result, unlike the first album, which was conceived by Miguel and Marc only. It vastly enriched the diversity and versatility of the repertoire and the arrangements.
The gaita still is the central instrument, but new influences are apparent. The lyrics dwell upon various social themes. Despite the influences from other parts of the world, the music is still embedded in Galician culture. For this reason the album was recorded in Galicia on the small island ‘A Illa de Arousa’. The soft sea breeze on this island gave the album its name, but the poetic and meditative setting also helped the musicians to contemplate on things that were important to them.
A range of guest musicians from Belgium and abroad is proof of the spirit of openness that characterizes this album. Listen to it with ears wide open!