Introduction

David Lagos is one of the voices of reference of today’s flamenco cante. In his universal throat from Jerez, full of nuances and now overflowing with maturity, echoes of the most deep-rooted cantaor tradition converge with an unusual capacity for creation. And coming from that dialogue between references and his own personality is his first album and solo concert ‘El espejo en que me miro’.

La Paquera, Chano Lobato, Camarón, Enrique Morente, Fernando de la Morena, Sernita, El Sevillano... are his muses in this project which materializes in diverse flamenco forms: bulería, soleá, malagueña, alegrías, tangos, fandangos, mineras, milonga. A complete repertoire which, enriched by the exact guitar of Alfredo Lagos, is endowed with scores, melodies and lyrics that he has authored.

And the thing is that this cantaor with a solid career, who has gained experience in baile companies such as those of Cristina Hoyos, Manuela Carrasco and Israel Galván, and who has even been capable of singing in Basque at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, is totally committed to the future of the jondo art: “If flamenco has evolved and keeps on evolving, it’s because of individual contributions”. And here’s his.

Photos

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Biography

David Lagos (Jerez 1973), cantaor

David Lagos was born in Jerez de la Frontera, in the heart of a family fond of cante, where he began to experience cante at parties and gatherings when he was just a little boy. At the age of ten, he set foot on stage for the first time accompanied on guitar by his brother Alfredo Lagos, singing some tangos by his cousin Aguilar de Vejer, which earned him first prize at a school contest. Thanks to his uncle, cantaor Aguilar de Jerez, he begins his career at private parties, gatherings for foreigners at wine bars and patron saint festivals of countless towns. But he soon decides to broaden his knowledge by attending baile academies, where he learns the trade of “background cante”.

It won’t be until 1993 when he travels abroad for the first time on a tour of Arab countries with the Carmen Mota Company. Back in Spain, he appears on several television stations: Canal Sur, Tele 5 and La 2. Two years later, he consolidates himself as a professional cantaor with a six-month contract at the Japanese tablao El Flamenco, together with his fellow countryman and head of the bill, Domingo Ortega. During that period, he broadened his knowledge of cantes, worked with Japanese bailaor Shoji Kojima and met Adrián Galia, whose company he worked in and together with whom he recorded the “Enciclopedia Audiovisual del Baile” (Audiovisual Baile Encyclopedia).

On his return from Japan, he moves to Madrid with Domingo Ortega, who makes him known in the capital. There, he worked with figures such as Alejandro Granados, Belén Maya and the Luisillo Company - who he also traveled with to China and the former Soviet Union -, besides doing numerous performances at Casa Patas. In that time he also recorded an album for the María Serrano Company, ‘Mi Carmen Flamenca’, together with artists like Cañizares, Guadiana and El Cigala.

It was in Japan where he heard Cristina Hoyos for the first time, who calls on him to join ‘Arsa y toma’, a show which he would tour Europe, North America and Latin America with. Later on, he also participated with her in ‘A compás del tiempo’ and for three years it continued to tour top theaters all over the world. Following this fruitful period, he focused wholly on his career, which will always be between baile and solo cante.

His work as a solo cantaor will be recognized at Bienal de Sevilla 2002 - the edition in which he worked in several shows - with the Prize for Best New Artist by the daily newspaper ‘El Correo de Andalucía’. Other shows which he takes part in include ‘De Noche’ by Joaquín Grilo, ‘Errante’ by Hiniesta Cortés (where, moreover, he takes care of the musical directing), ‘Dos hermanos’ by Israel and Pastora Galván, ‘Así baila Sevilla’ by Manuela Carrasco, ‘Trilogía’ with Andrés Marín, Rafael Campallo and El Torombo, ‘Medea’ by Pilar Távora…

Then solo, he has performed at countless flamenco peñas, summer festivals and theaters all over Spain. He has earned the praise of specialized critics for performances like the show with Chocolate in Santander, the Flamenco Fridays in Jerez together with Manuel Moneo, the show with Tomás de Perrate at the University of Seville, with José de la Tomasa at the El Monte Foundation in Seville, with Diego Amador in the Flamenco Viene del Sur series…

But he has never given up “background cante”. At present, he is taking part in shows such as ‘Arena’ by Israel Galván and ‘La Francesa’ by Pastora Galván, premiered at Bienal de Sevilla 2006, the edition whose closing gala he participated in with Merche Esmeralda, Manolo Marín and Manuela Carrasco. In the year 2007 he won another award from the critics at Festival de Jerez, as the Best Background Cantaor, for his participation in the show ‘Juncá’ by Mercedes Ruiz, which he also takes care of writing all the lyrics for. In the Flamenco World Music Gala at Festival de Jerez 2008, shared with Jesús Torres and Encarna Anillo, he offers a preview of what is going to be his first solo album. The experience is repeated some months later at the Forum Fnac Sevilla. ‘El espejo en que me miro’, created together with Alfredo Lagos, will come out in early 2009 with the label Flamenco World Music.

Videos

Press

AUDIO CLÁSICA
January, 2010
Recommended CD and review about David Lagos’ ‘El espejo en que me miro’, by Rocío Bernuz
“Aunque sea su álbum debut, no nos engañemos, este trabajo de David Lagos destila sabiduría en cada cante”
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EL MUNDO · EL CULTURAL
December 24th, 2009
David Lagos' 'El espejo en que me miro' review, by José María Velázquez-Gaztelu
"Espejo, pues, multicolor y poliédrico, donde el cantaor va trazando el perfil de los distintos cantes desde una mirada ecléctica en la que encontramos incesantes guiños a autores e intérpretes de distintos periodos"
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EL PAÍS · BABELIA
December 5th, 2009
David Lagos' 'El espejo en que me miro' review, by Fermín Lobatón
"Un artista que se distingue por su creatividad -firma casi la totalidad de las letras- y por dotar a los cantes de una personalidad propia"
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DIARIO DE SEVILLA
December 2nd, 2009
David Lagos' 'El espejo en que me miro' review, by Juan Vergillos
"Sabiduría y entusiasmo"
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EL CORREO DE ANDALUCÍA
November 13th, 2009
David Lagos' CD 'El espejo en que me miro' review, by Manuel Bohórquez
"Cuando parece que no sale nada nuevo, cuando la desesperanza se apodera de los aficionados, aparece una voz fresca que ilusiona"
"Hay que quitarse el sombrero, porque es una obra musical de una flamenquería indudable y una frescura poco común"
"Un disco que merece la pena escuchar y guardar para no perder el norte flamenco"

DIARIO DE JEREZ
November 23rd, 2009
David Lagos' 'El espejo en que me miro' review, by Manuel Ríos Ruiz
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ELPAIS.COM/ POR BLOGUERÍAS
November 22nd, 2009
David Lagos, de buena cepa
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DIARIO DE CÁDIZ
November 16th, 2009
· El jerezano David Lagos se rodea de todas sus fuentes
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· El respeto a la tradición junto a la creatividad
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EL MUNDO · METRÓPOLI
November 13th, 2009
David Lagos's 'El espejo en que me miro' CD review, by Alfredo Grimaldos
"Un trabajo esperanzador"
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CANAL SUR · CANALFLAMENCORADIO.COM
November 5th, 2009
"El cantaor David Lagos ha debutado con un disco titulado 'El espejo en que me miro'"
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RNE 3 · DUENDEANDO
October 31st, 2009
Premiere of 'El espejo en que me miro' by David Lagos in the radio program Duendeando
Listen:

LOS CAMINOS DEL CANTE
October 27th, 2009
“El espejo en que me miro”, debut discográfico de David Lagos
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YAHOO NOTICIAS
October 26th 2009
El cantaor David Lagos debuta en solitario con un homenaje a sus maestros
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AGENCIA FRANCE PRESS
October 26th, 2009
El cantaor David Lagos debuta en solitario con un homenaje a sus maestros
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ECODIARIO/ ELECONOMISTA.ES
October 26th, 2009
El cantaor David Lagos debuta en solitario con un homenaje a sus maestros
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CANAL SUR TV/ FLAMENKO.ES
October 2009
David Lagos se mira en los maestros
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DIARIO DE JEREZ
October 25th, 2009
David Lagos saca a la calle su primer disco, 'El espejo en que me miro'
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FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM
October 2009
Flamenco cantaor David Lagos combines creativity and deep roots on his début album ‘El espejo en que me miro’
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LA VOZ DIGITAL
October 2009
El cantaor jerezano David Lagos publica su primer disco, El espejo en que me miro’
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JEREZ JONDO
October 2009
El nuevo disco de David Lagos ya está en la calle
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DIARIO DE JEREZ
January 2009
"He intentado que el disco sea un reflejo de mí y lo más parecido a lo que hago en directo"
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FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM
October 2009
Listen to a sneak preview of cantaor David Lagos’s album ‘El espejo en que me miro’ at Flamenco-world.com

FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM
December 2008
Special feature. Flamenco World Music: Recording of the album ‘El espejo en que me miro’ by David Lagos

FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM
September 2008
David Lagos provides a preview of his album ‘El espejo en que me miro’ at Fnac Sevilla (+ online video)

DIARIO DE JEREZ
February 2008
“Pletórico, la voz limpia y poderosa, acompañado por su hermano Alfredo a la guitarra, el cantaor jerezano David Lagos cantó por bulerías como si le fuera la existencia en ello”
Read more

FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM
February 2008
“This Jerez-born cantaor has power, knowledge and conviction, besides that strange ‘Morente chip’ that pours creativity into this so motionless art form which is cante. But he never sets aside his references; rather, he takes them to his terrain, does versions of them, intertwines them. One cante mirrors itself in El Sevillano, another in Chano Lobato, the following in La Paquera… and the one which comes in itself. From his own crop, he emphasized a malagueña route between the serrano and the tangos del Piyayo which he dedicated to Miguel Poveda, whom the score was written for”.
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EL CORREO VASCO
December 2007
“«Baga, biga, higa, / laga, boga, sega,/ Zai, zoi, bele, harma, tiro, pun!...». La curiosa letanía suena estremecedora en la voz del cantaor David Lagos, escoltado a la guitarra española por su hermano Alfredo, en la inmensa capilla dedicada por el Guggenheim Bilbao a las colosales esculturas transitables de Richard Serra”.
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LA VOZ
August 2007

“Centrándonos en el terreno puramente artístico, la noche tuvo un nombre propio: David Lagos. Hay que ponerse en pie tanto por el magnífico recital ofrecido como por homenajear a la piedra angular del cante jerezano, Don Antonio Chacón”
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LA VOZ
March 2007

David Lagos se lleva el Premio al Mejor Cantaor de Atrás del Festival de Jerez
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