M21 Electro Flamenco

A new musical idea. A new emotion. A bold new concept. With M21, flamenco guitarist Rafael Lloyd Iglesias launches a groundbreaking new chapter in his career. After four decades as a professional musician rooted in the flamenco tradition, he now returns to the spirit of his youth back when he was a New Romantic in the 1980s. This latest composition is more than a musical experiment. It is a deeply personal journey. In M21, Rafael fuses the intricate rhythms and harmonies of ethnic gypsy flamenco with the lush, textured sounds of '80s electronica. The result is a genre-defying innovation: ​Electro Flamenco. Inspired not only by the legendary maestro and innovator Paco de Lucia but also by ground breaking acts like Visage, Ultravox, Kraftwerk or Vince Clarke, Rafael has reimagined flamenco guitar, not through strings, but through synthesis. The complex arpeggios once played on nylon strings are now programmed into vintage synthesizers, giving the music a hauntingly modern yet familiar voice. But M21 Electro Flamenco is not just a showcase of virtuosic musicianship. It’s a story. A personal journey that takes him back to the times lived in the now legendary Rock Ola venue in Madrid. A "back to the future" moment that traces his teenage dreams and reimagines them through the lens of lived experience. Paying homage to New Order’s Blue Monday, the piece features the unmistakable pulse of the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an infectious groove that drives the music forward while rooting it in retro nostalgia.

Yet M21 Electro Flamenco is also a revival. It’s a fully reimagined version of Rafael's first-ever composition, Mezquita, written in the late 1980s. The harmonic structure remains almost identical, but the musical context has shifted dramatically and transformed it from classic flamenco into something entirely new. A genre crossover. A sonic reinvention. A world first.

Supporting Musicians
This song was also made possible thanks to the generous contributions of these exceptional musicians: Domingo Patricio on flute; Sergio di Finizio on fretless bass; Bandolero on flamenco percussion; and Curro Piñana, flamenco singer and Professor of Flamenco Singing at the Conservatory of Music in Murcia.
'Sinfonía del Mar' - A symphonic guitar classic of the future.
Reviews
​From the composer of two Harry Potter films,
'That was beautiful! Understated, without any clutter of unnecessary invention, it meant that every note you played with such beautiful tone had feeling and so the result was a very moving piece of music. More please!!!'
(Nicholas Hooper Composer - BAFTA awards, Ivor Novello award and Grammy nominated.
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'As a person who scores films all the time, that's a gorgeous piece of music.'
(​Nitin Sawhney - multiple international award winning musician and composer)
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​'Stunning!
It was my great good fortune to work with Rafael Lloyd Iglesias on a Grace Jones production I undertook a number of years ago. His playing and all round musicianship is of a very high level- it was a privilege to have him in the studio with us. Bravo.'
​(​Ivor Guest - Grammy and Emmy nominated award winning producer)
L​isten to / buy my music on Bandcamp below. Thank you for you support.
​Listen to my interview on BBC Radio Oxford with Alice Hopkins
Film Music | Sinfonía del Mar
​A very special work by Rafael Lloyd Iglesias
Inspired, composed and recorded entirely in northern Finistère, Brittany. Flamenco guitar with classical orchestral arrangements and electronic synthesizers. After a few years away from being a full time musician, Rafael Lloyd Iglesias is back with a piece that may define him. Rafael has the same disease as Beethoven, having gone deaf and forced to give up his career, Rafael now has implants in both ears. To relaunch his career he has composed a piece that came from the heart. Not a traditional flamenco style but a piece inspired by the sea and dedicated to his parents. The melody was an improvisation recorded on the guitar in one take late at night after a musician friend sent some images of an apnea diver dancing with hump back whales at the bottom of the sea. The remaining composition and arrangements were recorded later by Rafael in his studio. ​
More reviews
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'I love it Rafa!! You have made a magical improvisation. You've made the sea waves fill with aromas and flood with harmony the musical world of your guitar. Olé to you!'
Dr Francisco Javier Piñana Conesa 'Curro Piñana' - Professor of Flamenco at CSM Murcia Conservatoire and renowned flamenco singer

'An inspirational evocation of the sea, masterfully composed and played by Rafael Lloyd Iglesias who is at the top of his game in this touching dedication to his parents.'
Gerald Garcia - classical guitarist and composer

'Fantastico Rafael! Great video, playing and composition.'
William Lovelady - celebrated guitarist and composer

​Artistic Commission | multi instrumental composition
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​'Phenology - the study of patterns of events in nature, especially in the weather and in the behaviour of plants and animals'

Filmed in one take I am actually sitting there for the duration of the song, no tricks.
I wanted to see if it was possible to stay still for over seven minutes. Watch until the end and look carefully for any movement change big or small. All will be revealed.
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Background to the composition
'A few months ago Tina Olsson a textile artist, hand tufter, asked me whether I would like to write some music based on her work for her upcoming exhibitions in Sweden. I was excited and delighted to have the opportunity to try something creatively different and of course said yes immediately. It's been an interesting journey being inspired by her photos taken by her on her research travels, the beginnings of her pieces until their completion. I have tried to reflect the images and her work in my music. When Tina called me, she said yea, it's like the four seasons you know. I thought Vivaldi? How am I going to do that?!! So, I didn't. I chose to go in a completely different direction and have worked with samples of Tina actually using her tools from her yarn gun, mixing the glues, her cutting with scissors etc. It's all in the piece! It has four sections - Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter in that order.
L​isten to / buy my music on Bandcamp below. Thank you for you support.
Electro Flamenco

​Flamenco guitar combined with electronic music creating mood and emotion for dance, theatre and film.
​L​isten to / buy my music on Bandcamp below. Thank you for you support.
Below - a few more examples of Rafael's music. 
Visit my YouTube for more videos here
Rafael in a laid back programme for Spanish TV (some time ago!)
​on his life as a flamenco guitarist outside Spain.
Rafael and friends at The Oxford Playhouse.
​The first concert weeks after breaking his wrist in two places.


​See and listen to what I've done and what I'm up to next.

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Thank you for your support.
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Visit my Bandcamp and listen to my music. Thank you.