When it comes to blending traditional instruments from across the world with dancefloor friendly music that sounds nothing like the cliché, Hamza Rahimtula is no stranger and the repertoire that he has is a standing testament of his sonic genius. The ‘Banjara Series’ of albums documents his journey of traversing through global waveforms and after releasing ‘Turkey’ and ‘Mali’, Rahimtula brings in flavours from ‘Spain and South America’, regions and people he has had long time associations with.

On one hand, he spent his formative college years surrounded by friends from Latin America where he had the opportunity to experience the rich and lively culture surrounding dance and music, especially traditional Latin music; and life changed for him when he first experienced Latin House more than a decade ago. Then on the other hand, he has spent considerable time travelling through Spain over the last 15 years experiencing not only the Spanish country side but also Flamenco music and musicians. Then there is his long term association with Miami based House music label, Dutchie Music, through whom he got to work on remixes that featured real instruments instead of samples.

Over the years, Hamza has worked with the likes of Juan Mejia and J&M Brothers that has only taken his interest of Latin inspired dancefloor music further. On this release, Rahimtula’s remix of Sazon (Juan Mejia) as well as the Banjara Series Edit of J&M Brothers’ Sabrosura features sultry trumpets and guitar riffs complimented with an ethereal groove that is functional, fantastic, and effective enough to work any dancefloor.

The compilation kicks off with ‘Los Invisibles’, which drips of summertime flavors & musical notes inspired by the Latin sunshine. The track is playful, combining vocal stabs, organic rhythms & notes of the piano for a perfect opener. ‘Latina’ is playful, energetic & extremely bouncy with a funk-driven bassline powering the track, joining familiar accompanying instruments & elements, making this a secret recipe for dance debauchery.

With ‘Ritmo Del Amor’, Hamza delivers a soulful yet classically constructed house music tune that has moments of emotional suspension & sections of addictive rhythms. Cleverly layered percussions meet squelches of acid, uplifting vocals & gorgeous guitar strums, making for a proper dancefloor package. Juan Mejia teams up with Hamza once more on ‘Black Sugar’, a quirky track that’s fun & feisty that’s sure to transport anyone on an imaginary trip through the Spanish coastline. ‘Discotello’ brings us in to the second half of the compilation with those nu-disco feels that is intricately curated & masterfully executed.

Loopy Juice follow suit with ‘Namaste Rio’, collaborating with Hamza for and delivering a dubby, daytime destroyer that’s minimal, powerful & definitely rowdy. ‘Gitano’ once again helps one draw an aural picture, with effusive vocals & beautiful melodies. ‘Sky Song’, the final offering in this installment is an ode to the beautiful culture that has graced the world with its musical culture for centuries and is the perfect end to this series.

All in all, through ‘Spain and South America’, Rahimtula is able to offer his interpretation of Spanish and Latin American soundscapes that have made an impact on House music. In his own words, “As someone who has only had the opportunity to experience the regions, people, and culture, my view is an objective one and that of an outsider but I’ve always had an innate desire to pay homage to these amazing and rich in culture parts of the world. ”

Hamza Rahimtula’s ‘Banjara Series, Spain and South America’ releases via Wind Horse Records and will be available exclusively on Beatport and major streaming platforms on September 17th, 2021. The album can be pre-ordered on Beatport from September 10th, 2021.