Flamenco Festival Trocadero 2025

Flamenco Festival Trocadero Sotogrande 2025

Contemporary music and dance festivals in Andalucia

by Tony Bryant

The fifth edition of the Trocadero flamenco festival in Sotogrande takes place at the Trocadero Beach Club and Restaurant over four weekends in August (actually from 31st July to 23rd August 2025). The Trocadero 'mas que flamenco' festival presents celebrated names from the world of flamenco, and from the wider music scene in the intimate setting of the the Trocadero Beach Club and Restaurant.

The festival began in 2021 and the first two editions presented renowned flamenco singers such as José Mercé, María Terromoto, Racapino Chico, Remedios Amaya and Árcangle, along with dancers like Farrucuito and Antonio Canales, and guitar maestros Tomatito and Pepe Habichuela. However, along with a reduction in the number of artists/performances this festival presents, the organisers have begun adding popular rock and pop acts to attract a wider audience.

Seven events announced so far or the 2025 edition compared to six in the 2024 edition, some with double billing, compared to more than a dozen in previous years, and of these, only one or two can be categorised as flamenco in the true sense of the word. Another unusual element for a flamenco festival is the participation of DJs.

The festival takes place at the Trocadero Beach Club and Restaurant

 

About the artists

Gypsy Kings
Gipsy Kings bring Catalan flair to the Festival this summer with their blend of rumba, flamenco, salsa and pop. The group of travelling musicians formed in Arles, France, in 1979, born to gitano parents, Spanish Romanis who fled Spain in the 30s during the Civil War. They are known for adding a Catalin twist to their covers of popular English-language songs - including their 1987 track “A Mi Manera”, a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”. Other covers include Bob Marley’s “One Love” which they collaborated on with the famed reggae singer’s son Ziggy. Collectively, they have globalised rumba and flamenco music and found real success with their self titled 1987 album, which was one of few Spanish-language albums to spend 40 weeks in the US charts.

Massive in the USA, where their recordings often sell platinum, the Gypsy Kings are probably the most popular, and populist, nuevo flamenco band in the world. Famed for their 1987 hit, 'Bamboleo', they bring a distinctive French influence from their origins in the gypsy culture around Arles, Montpelier, where Spain's roma legacy overlaps the border of France. Recommended albums: Best Of, Gypsy Kings, Tierra Gitana

Bebe
Born in Valencia in 1978, María Nieves Rebolledo Vila – Bebe – is a Spanish singer and actress who achieved international fame in 2004 with the breakthrough album Pafuera Telarañas, which secured her the ‘Best New Artist’ award at the Latin Grammy Awards the following year. Strangely enough, Bebe announced in 2006 that she was taking a break for a few years to “recycle” herself, although she returned in 2009 with the album Y. Other albums followed, along with several television and movie roles. Her music is a combination of light flamenco, electronic and pop, and her lyrics move away from sexist connotations, consecrating her as a feminist icon. However, in 2021 she caused controversy when she expressed her desire to distance herself from feminism.

Miguel Poveda

Miguel Poveda is a young revelation that performs the more orthodox styles of cante flamenco. Although not born on Andalucian soil, he is one of the most promising and talented young singer around at the moment. Many people believe that you have to have been born in Andalucia to perform authentic flamenco. Many of these people also believe that you have to be of gypsy blood, another qualification in the list of musts for a genuine flamenco performer. But as the history of this art will show, every now and then some one appears and shows that these beliefs are unfounded. Even though it is a fact that the majority of good genuine artistes are of gypsy lineage who were born in the lower villages of Andalucia, names like Carmen Amaya and Paco de Lucía are a reminder that flamenco is not strictly only Andalucian or solely a sediment found only in gypsy blood.

One of these artistes is a young non-gypsy by the name of  Miguel Ängel Poveda León,  born in Badalona, Barcelona in 1973.
Miguel Poveda is one of the most talented young flamenco singers around at the moment and although he has no artistic predecessors in his family, he has become something of a revelation. He has knowledge and expertise with the more orthodox styles of singing, especially the styles connected to Jerez de la Frontera. More>

Carlos Jean
Born in La Coruña in 1973, Carlos Jean is a singer musician and producer who has recorded extensively as a solo artiste, while during the 1990s, he was part of the trip-hop duo Najwajene. His later music would see a change in direction from the Central European electronic sound he was known for and oriented towards more danceable music. Following the devasting earthquake in 2010, he composed a charity song (Ay Haiti) to help support the Haitian people, on which collaborated many of his friends from the Latin pop world, like Alexandro Sanz, Shakira and Estopa.

Un potaje con habichuelas
Un potaje con habichuelas (a stew with beans) is a flamenco ensemble made up of some of the most illustrious names connected to this predominantly Andalusian Gypsy artform. Some are considered masters from the ‘old school’ style flamenco performers, while others, who, although descend from the ranks of centuries-old flamenco dynasties, have carved their own identity into the genre. The following artist for the core of Un potaje con habichuelas;  Diego Carrasco, Antonio Carmona Amaya, Alba Molina, Josemi Carmona, Nazaret Reyes, Ané Carrasco, Julián Heredia, Pastora Andrade.

Diego Carrasco
Diego Carrasco, considered one of the true masters of the art, especially for his lively bulerías and fiesta styles, is a Gypsy singer, guitarist and composer who was born in the Santiago district of Jerez de la Frontera, one of the main cradles of flamenco song, in 1954. He descends from a flamenco dynasty that includes renowned singers like Tio Borrico, Terromoto de Jerez and El Lebrijano, and he is an integral component of the flamenco scene of Lebrija and Jerez de la Frontera. 

Originally known as Tate de Jerez, Diego Carrasco has collaborated with some of the most illustrious flamenco performers in history: Camarón de la Isla being just one. He began his career as a guitarist but later began composing and performing his own songs, all of which have flamenco roots, but with a unique and personal blend. He radically changed flamenco in the latter part of the 20^th century, experimenting with different rhythms, but always adhering to the purest cantes of Jerez. His undeniable artistic contribution to flamenco has influenced so many of today’s singers, including Miguel Poveda, who regularly performs with Carrasco. He has recorded extensively, both as a solo artist and composer, as well as collaborating on innumerable discs and productions with other established performers.

Antonio Carmona Amaya
Flamenco singer Antonio Carmona descends from a prominent Gypsy dynasty started by his great-grandfather, Habichuela el Viejo. He is the son of flamenco guitarist, Juan Habichuela and nephew of guitarist Pepe Habichuela. 

Born in Granada in 1965, Antonio was a founding member, along with his cousin El Camborio, of the flamenco-fusion group Ketama, a group that was at the forefront of ‘new flamenco’ scene during the 1980s. However, before embarking on this fusion journey, he was already a connoisseur of pure flamenco due to his origins. After break-up of the band in 2004, Antonio, who also has French nationality, embarked on a solo career, receiving considerable commercial success with his recordings and appearing at many festivals in Spain and further afield.

He wrote Spain’s entry for the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest (¡Ay qué deseo!), and has also worked with some of Spain’s top artistes, such as David Bisbal, Manuel Carrasco and Alejandro Sanz, among others.

Alba Molina
Daughter of the world-famous flamenco duo Lole Y Manuel (Lole Montoya and Manuel Molina), who changed the face of flamenco in the 1970s, Alba Molina began her career as a fashion model, and continued to model in various European countries until she until she was 19.

Born in Seville in 1978, Alba Molina switched to singing in 1997, releasing her first album (Despasito), which earned her the ‘Best New Artist’ award the same year. Although her voice possesses an uncanny resemblance to her mother, Alba Molina has carved her own path and has produced a unique flamenco style that bears traces of New Orleans blues and jazz.

She has recorded numerous discs, including Para Lole y Manul, a tribute to her parents that was recorded live at the Lope de Vega theatre in Seville in 2019; and Nuevo Día (2023), an album featuring Cuban pianist Pepe Rivero that offers a new take on the songs of Lole y Manuel. 

Josemi Carmona
Born in Madrid in 1971, guitarist José Miguel Carmona, known as ‘Josemi’, is the son of guitarist Pepe Habichuela and flamenco dancer Amparo Niño. He began playing guitar at the age of three, under the guidance of his father, and six years later he debuted at the Café Silverio in Madrid.

By the time he was 12, he was performing at coveted events, like the World Guitar Festival on the island of Martinique, and he also participated in Flamenco Puro show in the US, which featured important flamenco artists such as Farruco, Fernanda de Utrera and El Chocolate.

At the age of fourteen, he joined Ketama, considered one of the most influential and revolutionary groups to have existed in Spain.

He continues to fuse flamenco with other world music, like jazz, salsa and bossa nova. Aside from his career with Ketama, Josemi has collaborated on a multitude of albums with artistes like Paco de Lucia, Miguel Bose, Carlos Benavent and Jorge Pardo.

Nazaret Reyes
Daughter of flamenco dancers Cristóbal Reyes and Juana Amaya, Zazaret Reyes is a Gypsy dancer born the Santa Cruz district of Seville. Considered a revelation in flamenco dance, especially the bulerías, she has participated in numerous international festivals and tours with her mother, including the Marsan Festival in France and the Jerez Bulería Festival.

She has inherited her mother's explosive and sensitive style, and the traditional elegance of her father, although she has managed to create her own unique style that has seen her praised as one of the great dancers of the ever-changing face of today’s flamenco

Ané Carrasco
Son of flamenco singer and composer Diego Carrasco, Ané Carrasco is a flamenco percussionist who was born in Seville but who grew up in the very heart of the Gypsy flamenco community in Jerez de la Frontera. He made his debut at the bulería festival in Jerez at the age of 12 and has since gone on to work with the likes of Miguel Poveda, Diego el Cigala and Niña Pastori

Julián Heredia
Julián Heredia is a guitarist born in Granada whose first steps in music were with the flamenco cajon at just five years old. His Gypsy roots spring from flamenco, but he is another of the younger generation who has experimented with flamenco to find new directions. Today, he has become a much sought-after flamenco bassist.

Pastora Andrade
Pastora Andrade is a singer and bassist born into a family of flamenco musicians in Algeciras in 1989. She is best known as the bassist for the Madrid-based Labudú, a fusion group that performs flamenco fused with black roots music.

 

84
A trio of guitarists and singers from Madrid, 84 perform catchy, harmonised pop songs influenced by legendary bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Eagles. The band’s name is a reference to the movement known as Movida Madrileña, considered one of the most exciting times in Spanish pop music. 84 emerged from the Movistar music label and recorded their first CD in 2007. They have since released a string of CDs and singles, including their latest album, which consists of reworkings of their greatest hits from the beginning of the 21st century.

Ariel Rot
Born in Buenos Aires in 1960, Ariel Eduardo Rotenberg Gutkin, known artistically as Ariel Rot, is a musician best known as being a member of the Argentinian-Spanish rock band Tequila, active between 1976 and 1983. He came to live in Spain as a youngster and after the breakup of Tequila, he concentrated on his solo career, although in the 1990s, he joined Los Rodríguez, a rock band made up of Argentinian, Puerto Rican and Spanish musicians.

Tobalo and Friends
Tobalo and Friends is an ensemble of celebrated singers, dancers and guitarists who will demonstrate the true essence of a Gypsy family fiesta. Known as the king of the Catalan rumba, José Tobalo is a key figure on the percussion scene who quickly attracted the attention of many music professionals. He has performed with some of the most established musicians at many of the most important festivals and on stages around the world.  Always adhering to his roots (his father was a flamenco singer), Tobalo strives to find new directions for the ‘rumba flamenca’, fusing it with his passion for jazz and funk music. He has worked with numerous artistes over the years, and this year his flamenco cuadro includes La Fabi, a singer from Arcos de la Frontera (Cádiz); dancer Farruquito and his son, Juan El Moreno, also a dancer; and Diego del Morao, a legendary guitarist from the Santiago district of Jerez de la Frontera.

Pignoise
Pignoise is a punk/pop band that was founded in 2005 by the former Real Madrid footballer Álvaro Benito, who is also a composer, singer and guitarist. His musical career began after a serious knee injury ended his days at the premier division club. Benito began composing songs in English that were influenced by bands like The Ramones and Green Day, but the group received minimal success with their first few recordings. They eventually caught the attention of the music buying-public with the song Nothing to Lose, which became the theme tune for the television series Los Hombres de Paco, in which they regularly appeared. This brought them success and a recording contract with the Warner DRO company, with which they produced Anunciado en Television, an album of more complex songs with well-crafted melodies. The album earned them a Platinum Record, and sent them on a tour of Spain, performing 170 concerts in 18 months. They have since released a string of alternative pop rock albums and are currently in the middle of a tour taking in major cities and towns in Spain to mark their 20th anniversary.

Yerai Cortés
Born in Alicante in 1995, Yerai Cortés is considered a leading figure of contemporary flamenco guitar. He gained fame performing in the top flamenco tablaos of Madid and has since become a much- sought-after accompanist, working with numerous established flamenco artistes. The collaborations have allowed him to explore different facets of flamenco and fuse it with other musical genres. During the 2021 edition of the Jerez Festival de la Bulería, he was awarded the Guitarra con Alma trophy, a recognition that highlights his talent and contribution to the contemporary flamenco scene of today.

Practical Info

The festival offers several different zones, and ticket prices vary from 25€ (standing at back) to 200€ (per person at 50 four seated tables at front and sides). there are also 250 threatre style seating tickets available. All performances begin at 22.00 hrs. Doors open 20.00. Table seating can order dinner. Standing area has bar service throughout concert. In total, there will be 10 concerts with a capacity ranging from 250 to 500 people.
Tickets trocaderoflamencofestival.koobin.com

About the Fourth edition of the festival in 2024.
About the Third edition of the festival in 2023.
About the Second edition of the festival in 2022.
About the First edition of the festival in 2021.
Music and dance festivals in Andalucia
Trocadero Beach Club
Sotogrande