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Calgary Folk Music Festival
Prince's Island Park
Thursday, July 26 - Sunday, July 29

More in: Folk / Country

Scorching the dancefloor with her fleet feet and passionate lyrics, the stunningly beautiful Alejandra Robles Suastegui venerates the cultural heritage of the Oaxaca coast, while casting her celestial net into an ocean of pan-Caribbean stars. Named for the legend of a Mixtec woman who escaped her pirate kidnappers, Suastegui’s scenic hometown, Puerto Escondido, Mexico was once known as Bahia de la Escondida, or Bay of Hidden Women. Concealing her considerable talents was never an option for Robles, who uses the traditional regional songs of her childhood as a stepping-off-point for exploring the indigenous music of other cultures. “I think there is a colour that unites us between the Caribbean music, Latin American and Africa.” Alejandra explains. “For example, the ‘Chilenas’ is the traditional music of my people who came from Chile to Mexico, but it is music that Afro-Mexicans have adapted to their style in a very festive and very brave way. I think the only thing that separates us from the countries are the borders, perhaps our leaders, but the music doesn’t separate us. All world music unites us as the brothers we are, there are no barriers, no limits. In that sense, we are universal.” While the relationship between African and Latin American percussion and dance has been well documented, the advent of an Afro-Mexican amalgamation is still a relatively untended blip on the world music radar. Suastegui chooses to illuminate her Afro-Mexican background with her dynamic interpretive choreography and soaring vocals. Designed to be both uplifting and evocative, her carefully crafted arrangements pulsate with authenticity and emotion. Her innovative melodies are familiar yet full of exotic twists as she pairs the sounds of Guerrero and Veracruz with those of Columbia and Peru. “My love of dance comes from my family, specifically my father, my grandfather and my brother,” she says. “For me, dance is always important. I can see marked difference between the mestizos and Afro-Mexicans. The Afro-Mexicans love to dance. I love a wide variety of artists like Concha Buika, Soledad Bravo, Angelique Kidjo, and now I’ve discovered the magic of Wazimbo and Amparo Ochoa. I also enjoy the ranchera music singers from the farms in my country and the Cuban son and salsa, Hector Lavoe and of course Ruben Blades. I admire all of them for the social content of their songs and the ways their music serves to raise awareness.” Gathering influential elements from bolero, rock, bachata, rap, cumbia, currulao and even waltz together into one formidable package, Suastegui has built a reputation for honouring the past while forging ahead into uncharted territory. Her experiences at the 12th Paris Conservatory of Music were the ideal complement to years of intensive studies at the School of Fine Arts in Oaxaca and the School of Music at the University of Veracruz. Cultivating her skills as a singer and dancer, she discovered the confidence to pursue the career path she had set upon as a wide-eyed 15-year-old. “It’s been a long, long time of study in musical fusions for me,” she says. “It’s difficult to respect the natural structure of music. I have devoted much of my time to learning Latin or African music, and have incorporated these sounds into my music. My best teachers are the people who support this project; people who believe in me and my music. My grandfather was a great artist — he certainly influenced me as a child and contributed many of the features that I discover in my own personality now.” The rural darling’s dreams of representing her roots became a reality when she debuted with La Malagueña, a collection of sultry sones and boleros, in 2005. Three years later, much to her growing fanbase’s delight, Suastegui released her second CD, La Morena. This was accompanied by the video “Documental La Morena “The material I do is quite experimental music,” Suastegui acknowledges. “Sometimes the beats and music fit together so perfectly in African rhythms that there is no doubt that we are twinned.”