Gecko Turner - Soniquete: The Sensational Sound Of Gecko Turner '2018

Tracks list

 Soniquete: The Sensational Sound Of Gecko Turner features 13 classic cuts
selected from his previous four long-players on Spanish label Lovemonk, plus a
brand new track. The record includes heavyweight guests like the mighty UK
vocalist Eska, Brazilian and flamenco percussionist Rubem Dantas and Cuban
pianist Javier Caramelo Masso.

Geckos artistry as vocalist, multi instrumentalist and arranger shines through a
global melange of styles from West African disco to hot-stepping Caribbean
descargas. There are sounds and textures of all persuasions – mini-moog,
clavinet and mbira sit alongside the cajon and other Latin and Brazilian
percussions, yet its the use of Geckos language that truly sets his songs apart;
the way he twists words and sentences that they become one with the melodies.

Singing in English, Spanish and a tongue only Gecko is privvy to, where local
slang, foreign lingo and made up words poetically combine, his songs always come
with a nudge and a wink. The way he records, writes, composes and produces
everything results in something he calls “soniquete”, a word often
used in flamenco to refer to the rhythm and sound. A case in point is the debut
single and signature Gecko tune Un Limón En La Cabeza, originally released in
2003. Each verse suggests to put a little lemon on your head, promoting a
certain ‘mental acidity’, or critical thinking, as Gecko recalls.
The horns weave around the words, leaving the listener repeating the interplay
way after the track has finished.

Born and bred in 1966 in Extremadura, little Gecko was the son of a local sports
journalist, and was soon exposed to the station’s music library, which
consisted of a large amount of vinyl LPs and 7” singles. After acquainting
himself with a set of new sounds, he soon learnt to play the guitar and songs
from his favourite artists of the time like Bowie, The Kinks, Talking Heads and
James Brown.

In 1984, the Afro-Cuban sounds of Dizzy Gillespie were stinking hot, and a
not-so-little Gecko hitched on dusty Iberian highways in search of the Vitoria
Jazz Festival, where Dizzy was billed alongside Freddie Hubbard. Travelling over
1,000 kilometres with paperbacks by Kerouac, Burroughs and Miller stuffed in his
rucksack, it was this period of jazz discovery that would turn out to be Geckos
defining moment.

In the winter of 1986, he moved to London and squatted in Camden, busking and
living a day-to-day existence with music. He soon returned to Spain, took a job
in a bank working in a data centre (to avoid the public and the need to cut his
hair). The years passed, and he quit his job in the bank to start working in a
recording studio, where he cut his teeth producing and tracking records and
formed a band called Perroflauta (the Spanish equivalent of
“crusty”) – he worked closely with Brazilian players playing
a mix of African rhythms, jazz, soul, reggae and samba.

In 2003 he released Guapapasea!, his debut album proper on the Madrid based
Lovemonk. It was the labels first ever album release and Geckos music perfectly
encapsulated the eclectic sound that became, and continues to be, the foundation
to the labels music philosophy summed up neatly by an oft-used by-line
“discos buenos” (good records).

Cortando Bajito is a brand new production on the record with percussion by Akin
Elegbede Onasanya, of highly rated Afrobeat outfit OGUN Afrobeat from Madrid. It
sounds like Stevie Wonder performing an Innervisions B-side in West Africa, with
DFA records sewn into the tapestry. Eskas intervention comes in the shape of
Monosabio Blues, a grooving down tempo number with Gecko rhyming and rapping in
her shadow. Afrobeatnik? and 45.000$ (Guapa Pasea) both feature Rubem Dantas on
percussion, a Brazilian player much revered for his pioneering work with
flamenco genius Paco de Lucía. Toda Mojaíta features the Rhodes and piano
of Javier “Caramelo” Massó, a Cuban who was part of an incredible
export of musicians to Madrid from Cuba over recent decades.

Soniquete is a snapshot of an artist who lives, works and plays with wild
abandon, caring little for music industry norms or the big city, much preferring
his Extremadura outpost by the Guadiana river. With a life philosophy learned
from his experiences on the road, he absorbs jazz, global music and literature.
With the help of a guitar or a piano, blistering sunshine, a wee dram and a puff
of smoke, Gecko is an expert at turning inspiration into expression, clever word
play and writing incredibly addictive songs.

The album release coincides with the vinyl represses of his previous albums
Guapapasea! (2003) and Chandalismo Ilustrado (2006). 
:: TRACKLIST ::

1. 45.000$ (Guapapasea)	5:49 
2. Toda Mojaita 3:42
3. Cortando Bajito 3:54
4. Amame Mimame 3:30
5. Monosabio Blues 4:28
6. Little Sonny 4:24
7. When I Woke Up 4:14
8. Pal Peru 4:14
9. Ill Do That 3:43
10. Afrobeatnick 4:59
11. Un Limon En La Cabeza 3:33
12. Here Comes Friday 4:10
13. Mbira, Bira 2:55
14. Fess It Girl 3:49

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