Chandalismo Ilustrado

Chandalismo Ilustrado (which translates literally as "illustrated tracksuitism", alluding to the fact that its creator at the time wore nothing but tracksuits) is Gecko turner's second album after the critically acclaimed Guapapasea! Released in 2006, the LP is a delicious album that explores the same roots that have always inspired Gecko: the "Afromeño soul" (Southwestern Afro-Spanish soul) that he created on his first album and that refers to his unique way of mixing, from his native Badajoz, a small town near Portugal, soul with music from every corner of the world: samba, Afrobeat, Cuban son, reggae, bossa, blues, Latin rhythms, and Dylanesque folk, always with tons of soul, jazz and funk.

With Chandalismo Ilustrado, Turner confirmed this truly unique sound. Himself a sonic craftsman, he handpicked his musicians, geographically speaking often many miles apart, with care and dedication, acting as a catalyst to achieve what he needed, what he heard in his head.

The album came together with the help of a string of collaborations, some deliberate, some happily coincidental. there are priceless contributions from people like tenor sax player Javier Vercher; master percussionist, regular Paco de Lucía collaborator and then member of Chick Corea's band Rubem Dantas; Brazilian trumpeter Irapoan Freire; the amazing British vocalist Eska Mtungwazi; several famous Madrid based Cuban jazz musicians like Javier Masó "Caramelo", Yelsy Heredia, Luis Barbería, and Oreste Nodas; Brazilian guitarist Edu Nascimento, American drummer Brannen Temple; the list goes on and on.

There's a bit of everything between songs. It's one of those albums that needs time to sink in, but once it does, it stays with you forever, taking you back and forth from the street to the club. It's a proper celebration of Afro-American music, spiced with a thousand other things… Our recommendation is that you spend some time with it – it's a slow burner.

Chandalismo Ilustrado was Gecko's definitive breakthrough, and now, 12 years after its original CD-only release, and along with Guapapasea!, it finally gets a release on glorious double 12" vinyl, to celebrate both these two albums and the release of Soniquete: The Sensational Sound Of Gecko Turner, a CD-only overview of his 15-year career as a solo artist.