Exactly how one or two Cuban women in Canada designed the newest honor-profitable ring, OKAN


Exactly how one or two Cuban women in Canada designed the newest honor-profitable ring, OKAN

Elizabeth Rodriguez jokes, pleased it is really not a video interviews. Half of your Afro-Cuban, genre-agnostic, and you will Juno award-winning duo OKAN, she jokes that they’re maybe not constantly upwards this early. Loving for her own, the latest active changes whenever the girl companion (in every significance of the term) Magdelys Savigne matches. Both women riff on each most other without difficulty, picking right on up for each and every other people’s sentences and you will creeping into the little laughs and you will smirks.

Magdelys hails from Santiago de- Cuba, when you find yourself Age was born in the main city town, Havana. One another municipalities has actually different remedies for music, with Santiago becoming more conventional. In addition, these are typically one another typically trained, and this produces specific Eu preferences. Today both situated in Canada, they’ve bonded their island heritage and Eu techniques on sonic hot-pot that is Toronto’s songs scene.

The fresh new name tune and opener for the record album guides with an Afro-Cuban chant. It loosely means the story out-of a beneficial goddess to arrive within the a new property and you may carrying out a special life. The parallel is obvious. But over which centers the tradition, that is inseparable out-of OKAN.

After that, Espiral bleeds on many genres – cha cha cha, pilon and you will bolero, whilst incorporating the newest appearance on players doing him or her… Everything from Brazilian swings, to Turkish rhythms. This is actually the definition behind Espiral. The fresh voice spirals, it goes up to Cuba and greater, picking mature dating in the Canada right on up other genres.

Despite each other are produced in the Cuba, they actually found for the Canada. E got heard of Magdelys from inside the Cuba… it actually was impossible for her to not.

Even with a very clear reverence to have Cuba, their link to the latest island are challenging – to make use of their keyword

The ladies satisfied when E auditioned to possess Magdelys’ band. “We called for a singer so you can concert tour with our company, and it was greatest once they can enjoy an instrument. She arrived to the fresh new bend instantaneously. She you will definitely sing wondrously and you may play the violin. She could do it all,” Magdelys gushes. The two struck it well instantly, “Something contributed to other, along with date…,” she le on the rehearsal.”

“Mags recommended me to build personal songs. I thought that I was not ready to develop musical and get an author, and you can she try the person who passionate myself,” E waxes.

“It’s (OKAN) all of our kids. Our very first kids we written together and you may that which we would for OKAN try pouring our hearts into it.”

This love is actually main to OKAN, and therefore by itself setting center regarding the Afro-Cuban dialect

It’s easier having Magdelys. For example Elizabeth, she misses her nearest and dearest, “My personal mother – We have not viewed the girl in the extended. Which is generally everything i miss.” She shows you. “Anywhere having an ocean, I could go. There are a lot Cubans in the world…basically skip Cubans, I will go truth be told there.” She continues to help you liken it in order to an adverse ex boyfriend. “You look back and you merely remember the tough minutes off the connection in fact it is variety of sad.”

But that’s prior to now, today they truly are each other excited getting what is actually next, specifically concert events, which have released Espiral throughout the a great pandemic. “OKAN are a complete different sense real time!” Rodriguez beams. Once you pay attention to the album you feel particularly you are in the a performance. You could pick out each device with good quality – the guitar, Elizabeth’s violin, Magdelys’ percussions, castanets, an such like.

Its song Baila Canada is a talked about that is everything about delivering some one swinging. It’s busy and features both female towards the sound, and you can a really lively violin solamente of Elizabeth. It’s an inside-joke… Within their nearly a decade when you look at the Canada, obtained discovered that people you should never dancing. They produced this new track in order to relax them upwards. OKAN is not worried about one anymore immediately after becoming cooped right up getting such a long time, they’ve been sure everybody’s itching to go…. and perhaps they are ready to gamble.