Find yourself in your community, says Galician artist Baiuca

Photo via Instagram @baiucamusic

Alejandro Guillán wants his listeners to find wonder in Galician myths and music that, until recently, have largely been forgotten about in mainstream Spanish culture. The name of Guillán’s musical project, ‘Baiuca’, comes from the Galician term for a tavern or pub, and, like one of these establishments, Baiuca holds a space for us to reconvene and find community by listening to his music.  

Baiuca craftily combines traditional Galician songs with electronic music in his work. This fusion is bewitching, as the two genres belonging to separate eras are a surprising match made in heaven. The spotlighting of percussion in both types of music plays a huge part in this, as when the genres are blended, they create an original, rhythmic masterclass; it could equally soundtrack a muiñeira or a club.  

The message of Baiuca’s futuristic-sounding melodies from the past is clear: traditional customs are not incompatible with the future. Especially when it comes to so-called ‘minority’ cultures that in the past have been neglected in the national cultural landscape. In this way, Guillán’s music reminds us that it is not always necessary to travel to the other side of the world to find something exciting and new.  

He tells Mondo Sonoro: ‘We think that we need to get on a plane and travel the world, whilst knowing nothing of what we have closest to us.’ Baiuca’s project counters this trend, as his artistic exploration is based around the culture that he grew up with. This is a refreshing outlook on creativity in the contemporary world, as our insatiable desire to be forward-looking and in a constant state of modernisation becomes exhausting.  

It is this philosophy that makes Baiuca stand out to me. He serves as a much-needed reminder for me and my beloved MML cohort that self-growth, or ‘finding yourself’, is not necessarily the product of a year spent abroad in Buenos Aires. Instead, it often comes from reflecting on ourselves, which can be done, as Guillán shows us, by engaging with our own communities and customs.  

Ultimately, while I might recommend some C. Tangana over Baiuca’s Solpor to someone wanting to start listening to Spanish music, Guillán’s folktrónica will always be something I come back to. My favourite track of his: ‘Solaina’. Though admittedly one of his least engaging songs, I find it to be very soothing, and even, dare I say, a great track to work to. Goodbye lo-fi hip hop study beats and hello Baiuca!