Buenos Aires, early 2010. Coplas. Found throughout the Spanish-speaking world, the set up is a call and response format accompanied by a bombo, or drum. The coplas I recorded by folk music activist Pablo Martinez are Andean in origin. The instrument that sounds like an elephant is called an “erke.” I played the erke in Pablo’s folk music band, and play the erke part between the vocal parts on the track.
Think Spanish gospel.
Pablo Coplas
Aquí estoy porque he vendio
Porque he venido aquí estoy
Si no les gusta mi modo
Como he venido me voy
Una sola mujer tengo
Dos hijas quiero tener
Una pa de vez en cuando
Otra pa permanecer
Jujeño yo soy señores
Yo no niego a mi región
Jujeñito lengua dura
Canta cuando hay ocasión
Here I am because I have arrived
Because I have arrived I am here
If you don’t like my way
As I have arrived I’ll go
I have only woman
I want to have two girls
One for every now and then
The other for always
Gentlemen I am Jujeño
I do not forget (negate) my home
Young Jujeño of hard tongue
Sing when there is an occasion||
I then did a remix of Pablo’s track and added some drums, piano, bass, and chopped up his vocal sample. This remix was a fun way to collaborate with a kind of music that I had never heard before.
Coplas Remix
Reflection and Response
-P
the LIFESTYLE 