Concert by Niño de Elche and Xisco Rojo as part of the exhibition popular, held on 16 February 2024 at the IVAM Centre Julio González.
As part of the activities celebrating the 35th anniversary of the IVAM, Niño de Elche, together with Xisco Rojo—featured in the exhibition popular, with an adjacent songbook—performed a concert open to the public.
Song repertoire:
00:00 La gent
09:20 Corderet de Déu
16:18 Los diez mandamientos
23:33 El piano
27:25 ¡Viva Octubre!
35:50 Peteneras de Paul Strand
40:53 El luchador
45:15 Valie Export
49:30 Klein Grosz Mappe
53:38 No sex
As part of the activities celebrating the 35th anniversary of the IVAM, Niño de Elche, together with Xisco Rojo—featured in the exhibition popular, with an accompanying songbook—performed a concert open to all audiences.
Niño de Elche, in collaboration with Xisco Rojo, created a series of songs inspired by the popular exhibition, exploring the often-blurred boundaries between sound, music, and the popular character of song. Agustín García Calvo suggested that the “popular” in a song can be measured by how easily it can be hummed while taking a shower. Whether drawing on electronic dance music, spoken word, Latin diaspora sounds, or flamenco, Niño de Elche sought to connect some pieces from the IVAM Collection—and some of their images—with ways they could be sung, that is, hummed in the shower. This includes a statement by Juan Hidalgo, the petenera performed by native Mexicans photographed by Paul Strand, a fandango dedicated to Helios Gómez, or the rhythmic imprint of Valie Export’s famous tattoo decades later echoed by Rosalía. In this context, an image can also be a song.
The performative qualities of Niño de Elche’s work relate to the popular nature of the material he engages with. This “apolitical” territory of the popular takes on different forms in his practice. On one hand, it is “hyper-political” due to his role as a poet (and we can imagine why Plato wanted to expel poets from the city). On the other, it is “hypo-political” because the sources of his lyrics lie in a racialized, degenerated lumpenproletariat—understood in all senses of “gender”—that, without achieving political representation, lingers on the margins of modern societies. It is an uncomfortable territory, indeed, at every level, sitting at the edge of multiple controversies.
Xisco Rojo is an eclectic multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer who, in his solo work, explores primitivism, chamber folk, and sound art, with a strong experimental component inherited from his previous experience in the noise and free improvisation scenes of Berlin, Philadelphia, and Madrid. By combining elements of Western and Eastern traditions, he creates a unique and personal style, rich in counterpoints, mysticism, and lyrical depth.
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