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Canarian volcanic coast shaped like a timple, with strings becoming waves

ISLAND ROOTS · NEW VOICES · 25 SONGS

Gran Canaria & the Canaries

Begin in Gran Canaria with songs of belonging, old neighbourhoods and the sea, then let the timple lead you into a wider island conversation. This 25-track journey brings together folk ensembles, instrumentalists and songwriters from across the Canaries, keeping Gran Canaria at its centre while making room for Tenerife, La Palma, Lanzarote and the musical legacy of El Hierro.

Listen in order for a route from shared repertory to personal storytelling, pop, rock and contemporary urban collaborations. The final pairing of Quevedo and Los Gofiones brings the journey back to its opening voices, offering a reminder that island music keeps changing through the people who carry it forward. Each note gives a little cultural context and one thing to listen for.

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The stories in the grooves.

Read in playlist order. Listening cues are editorial guidance; references support cultural context.

  1. Gran Canaria

    Los Gofiones

    An opening dedication to Gran Canaria from Los Gofiones, placing island belonging at the heart of the journey.

    Listen for the way a shared melody turns a personal attachment to home into something a whole room could sing.

    Context 1

  2. Campanas de Vegueta

    Los Gofiones

    Vegueta, the old quarter of Las Palmas, becomes a place of memory in this song from Los Gofiones’ island repertory.

    Listen for Follow the vocal phrasing and recurring melody as you picture the neighbourhood’s streets, squares and bells.

    Context 1

  3. Sombra del Nublo

    Mary Sánchez

    Mary Sánchez brings the playlist into the Gran Canaria song tradition associated with composer Néstor Álamo.

    Listen for Listen to how she shapes the ends of phrases, giving the melody its sense of affection and gravity.

    Context 1

  4. Somos Costeros

    Mary Sánchez

    This coastal song from Mary Sánchez’s repertory keeps the sea close to the playlist’s opening portrait of island life.

    Listen for Pay attention to the shape of her storytelling and the returning phrases that make the song feel communal.

    Context 1

  5. Isa del Querer

    Los Gofiones

    A love song within Los Gofiones’ Canarian repertory, this selection introduces the isa through a direct, welcoming melody.

    Listen for the recurring rhythmic lift and how the ensemble carries the tune from one phrase into the next.

    Context 1

  6. Canela y Limón

    Germán López, Antonio Toledo

    Gran Canaria timplista Germán López meets Cádiz guitarist Antonio Toledo in a partnership that brings Canarian and flamenco traditions into conversation.

    Listen for Compare the timple’s bright, compact voice with the guitar, following how the two instruments share musical space.

    Context 1

  7. Nube de Hielo

    Benito Cabrera

    Benito Cabrera’s composition offers a clear introduction to the timple as a melodic solo instrument.

    Listen for Follow the main tune and the spaces between its phrases, giving its small changes room to register.

    Context 1

  8. La Rosa de los Vientos

    Mestisay

    Mestisay opens the route toward a wider musical horizon, reflecting a Gran Canaria group shaped by both local tradition and encounters across the Atlantic.

    Listen for the balance between the central vocal melody and the arrangement surrounding it.

    Context 1

  9. En Busca de Valentina

    Olga Cerpa y Mestisay, Taburiente

    This collaboration belongs to Mestisay and Taburiente’s tribute to Valentina Hernández of Sabinosa, an important voice in El Hierro’s singing tradition.

    Listen for Follow the different vocal colours and hear the shared song as a meeting between islands.

    Context 1

  10. Quinta Verde

    Taburiente

    Taburiente turns a garden into a musical setting, bringing nature and imaginative storytelling into the playlist’s view of the islands.

    Listen for the changing vocal emphasis as the song moves through its images of growth, light and longing.

    Context 1 Context 2

  11. Ach Guañac

    Taburiente

    A second stop with Taburiente gives more space to a band whose Canarian roots have grown alongside jazz and rock influences.

    Listen for Compare the rhythmic momentum and vocal delivery with Quinta Verde, noticing how much range one group brings to this journey.

    Context 1

  12. Isa de los Cantos Canarios

    Los Sabandeños

    Los Sabandeños extends the folk chapter to a group that grew from La Laguna’s university community and became a major interpreter of Canarian and Latin American song.

    Listen for Compare its ensemble sound with Los Gofiones’ earlier isa, keeping an ear on how individual phrases become a collective voice.

    Context 1

  13. Contamíname

    Pedro Guerra

    Pedro Guerra’s invitation to cultural exchange fits an island journey shaped by movement and encounters across borders.

    Listen for Follow how the verses build toward the returning refrain, letting the song’s welcoming idea guide your listening.

    Context 1

  14. Mararía

    Pedro Guerra

    This song connects the journey to Lanzarote through Mararía, the novel and film for which Pedro Guerra created music.

    Listen for Let the vocal line suggest a scene, then notice how the accompaniment gives that story room to unfold.

    Context 1

  15. El Talismán

    Rosana

    Rosana brings Lanzarote into the pop chapter with the song that helped introduce her to a much wider audience.

    Listen for the relationship between her vocal phrasing and the recurring hook, the part that invites another play.

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  16. la raíz

    Valeria Castro

    Valeria Castro wrote this song for her home island of La Palma after the volcanic eruption, giving the journey a moment of care and remembrance.

    Listen for Follow the rise and fall of her voice and leave space for the quieter phrases to land.

    Context 1

  17. La ceniza

    Ale Acosta, Valeria Castro

    Ale Acosta and Valeria Castro bring Canarian folk into an electronic setting, with percussion that includes the tambor herreño.

    Listen for how that drum-driven foundation interacts with the electronic pulse and Castro’s voice.

    Context 1

  18. Pan y Mantequilla

    Efecto Pasillo

    Efecto Pasillo brings the upbeat pop of Gran Canaria into the mix with one of the band’s best-known songs.

    Listen for Follow the hook and rhythmic bounce, noticing how the arrangement keeps the song moving toward its next refrain.

    Context 1

  19. Borracho hasta el amanecer

    Los Coquillos

    Los Coquillos supplies a rock detour from Las Palmas with a song that became a shared singalong well beyond the islands.

    Listen for the tension between the exuberant chorus and the heartache underneath its party atmosphere.

    Context 1

  20. Horcon Boys - En Vivo

    Aristides Moreno

    Aristides Moreno adds the humour and playful perspective of Canarian songwriting through a live version of one of his signature songs.

    Listen for Pay attention to his timing and delivery, hearing how the performance brings personality into each phrase.

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  21. Contando Lunares (feat. Cruzzi)

    Don Patricio, Cruzzi

    Don Patricio and Cruzzi move the route into the Canaries’ contemporary urban scene, opening a new chapter of voices and collaborations.

    Listen for Compare the two vocal deliveries and follow how each finds its place within the beat.

    Context 1 Context 2

  22. Mucho

    Bejo

    Bejo gives this contemporary chapter another perspective from the island rap scene, alongside the artists featured earlier in the journey.

    Listen for Treat the voice as rhythm, following the placement of syllables against the instrumental rather than only chasing the words.

    Context 1 Context 2

  23. Mami

    Ptazeta, Juacko

    Ptazeta and producer Juacko bring a Canarian collaboration to the playlist’s urban stretch with their breakthrough track Mami.

    Listen for how Ptazeta’s phrasing locks into the production, giving the vocal its forward momentum.

    Context 1

  24. PLAYA DEL INGLÉS

    Quevedo, Myke Towers

    Quevedo’s collaboration with Puerto Rican artist Myke Towers connects the island pop journey to the wider Spanish-language urban scene.

    Listen for Compare the two voices and the way their phrases ride the groove as the playlist approaches its final return home.

    Context 1

  25. HIJO DE VOLCÁN

    Quevedo, Los Gofiones

    Quevedo and Los Gofiones close the circle by bringing the opening ensemble into a contemporary collaboration across generations.

    Listen for the meeting of Quevedo’s lead voice, the group vocals and guitar, then recall how Los Gofiones sounded at the very start.

    Context 1

Follow the threads.