Piotr, UnitedTruth.eu: As you mention many times, flamenco music has been with you since childhood. You imbibed it with mother’s milk. You must have been discouraged, too. What motivates you to keep going this way? Any specific situations, specific people?

Miguel: Yes, it’s true, I’ve listened to this music already in prenatal life. However, I know this music from the inside out and I can’t hide that there happen periods when I am simply bored. Especially with the traditional flamenco. That’s how it works, if you know something very well, then there are no elements of surprise that I have been looking for all my life. Anyway, flamenco music is for me the greatest music I discovered. I reach for it most often, although there was a period in my life when I rarely listened to it. What motivates me to go this way is mostly the energy I feel in this music, the energy that awakens great emotions in me. And all the musicians who perform flamenco music are also wonderful and sensitive people, and being in their company you cannot think differently about flamenco and live in a flamenco way. 

The phenomenon of flamenco, as we cannot talk here about the music itself, because of its origin, it has a lot of influence, it draws from various cultures, especially Arabic and Hindu. It fuses music, dance and singing, but also costumes and the whole way of being. How do you find yourself in it privately? Is your life fully soaked in this “atmosphere”? 

Music is my whole life. It is my main source of income, I listen when I drive a car, I listen when I cook dinner, when I clean up, when I fall asleep and when I wake up. This multiculturalism, which is contained in flamenco music, exists from the beginning, it is the quintessence of the best. Flamenco was created as a result of the interpenetration of cultures of many ethnic groups, who lived together in southern Spain for hundreds of years. It’s like evolving genes, the best of every donor. The more diverse the parents are, the healthier and delightful the children will be. This illustration on different cultures and beliefs makes the final result more interesting than the source cultures themselves. This music is so deeply rooted in me that it is impossible to live apart from it. So, my visual, culinary and musical aesthetics somehow corresponds all the time with what I listen to, where I go, how I live and even what I eat. Although, I admit that my favorite cuisine comes from India and not from Spain. 

I read that flamenco has its roots in oriental dances and religion practises. I wonder what beliefs are going on here. Since it has the roots in Arab and Hindu cultures. Now, it is also present at Christian celebrations and religious rites. Have you maybe explored this topic? 

Flamenco is principally none spiritual music, although there are many elements associated with Christian, Arabic or Jewish tradition. This mainly applies to some song’s lyrics and Spanish tradition, for which religiosity was an indispensable element. When it comes to dance – it has nothing to do with religiosity. It is a pure form of body expression through dance communicating enormous and diverse emotions. If we are talking here about Indian dance, then yes, there are more religious elements, because this was the character of the classical Indian dance, and the dance expressed the content sung by the performers. Of course, in Spain there are today some forms of flamenco performed during Christian rites. For example, a Saeta is a form of singing that is performed during Easter processions or in churches. 

Where did the idea come from to place Flamenco even more intensely in Hindu culture and music and create the album “Indialucia”? 

The idea for the album and the whole Indialucia project was born from my musical fascinations and musical researches. When I was still a teenager, I was in love with the music of The Beatles, who discovered Indian music for me. Since then, I’ve always wanted to learn to play the sitar and learn about the culture and philosophy of India. In 1999, I went to India for the first time and it was a milestone for me in terms of music and spirituality. I learned to play the sitar from the master of this instrument from India and studied the secrets of Sahaja Yoga meditation. After two months in India, the idea was born to compose a song based on Indian and Spanish themes. It was easy because I had musicians on the spot. The band included me with a guitar, my teacher playing the sitar, a Spanish friend with Cajon and his teacher playing the Tabla. Two string instruments and two percussion ones, one from each culture. A year later the album was recorded, but it had to wait several years for release. 

The various prizes and awards you have received testify to the phenomenon of the idea. Why such a good reception everywhere you appear? 

I think the phenomenon of both cultures is that they attract attention, and to all this, the fact that both of these cultures play together increases interest. The fire of flamenco music and the virtuosity of Indian instruments together give an explosive mixture and hence such energy. In addition, we are the only band of this type that plays music basing on these two distant cultures. I think it is music that touches emotions. Our records have a lot of positive reviews and the fact that we have already visited 30 countries on 5 continents with the Indialucia project proves that this is something extraordinary. 

You have visited half of the world giving concerts, living often among people of different religions and cultures. How do you understand this diverse world from the perspective of music? 

Travelling really gives a great insight into who a person is. Music is a universal language striking people as a real being. Whether the listener is mentally touched, does not depend on religion, language, opinions, sexual orientation or political visions. It strikes directly at the heart of who we are. We are a spirit with emotions, a heart and the fact that everyone with the intent is good. The rest are only social, geographical and cultural and family conditions that we acquire with time. People approach to us very often after concerts being grateful for emotions and they often say how positively our music influenced them. This is for us a great compliment that only makes us realizing how sacred the music is. How important the spiritual development and the searching for truth and not running for wealth and economic development. This diversity in the world is wonderful and it really allows us to see that all world religions come from the same source of Truth and only our imperfection creates disagreements. I hope that our humankind will go into this direction, because we are facing a huge not only climate but also social crisis. 

What plans for the future? 

In the near future I would like to focus on composing songs for the next album. Once I collect the music material for the CD, the recording process will start, which will not be easy due to the fact that each of us lives in a different country. We give a lot of concerts, so we will have to do it in the intervals between tours or arrange a joint two-week recording session. 

Miguel, why do you dedicate this song to our audience to build peace in the world? 

I think that for people with an open heart it will stimulate good emotions and build something new. This is a peaceful ballad in which you can enjoy the hue of guitar and sitar. In addition, the orchestra gives a warm climate and of course a melody that touches the heart. While recording this song I had tears in my eyes several times. I know that some people will definitely explore themselves in this song. 

With the song, it’s worth to think about what is really important, and where we are going. Thank you for the interesting conversation. I wish you all the success in business and in your private life.

Piotr Kolasa talking with Miguel Czachowski