Flamenco dancing and singing have been recently declared part of the World Heritage by UNESCO, and it was about time! This alive and sensual dance -and especially this music- that vibrates with the sound of a guitar with perfect rhythm, the rhythm of the hands, the sound of the heels on the floor and the screech of the ‘castañuelas’ encompasses all the feelings of humanity. The mix of western and Middle Eastern sounds reminisces love, pain, solitude, joy, death, life. To summarise, flamenco is the mood of the human being and, therefore, it’s the same for everyone.

In Spain it’s considered the top traditional music, the maximum expression of gypsy and Andalucian culture: a warm, sensual land where on the beaches, in the summer, you can suddenly hear a flamenco guitar or see the beautiful dancers dressed with striking dresses. Not all of Spain claims this tradition but all the regions of Spain are subject to its charm and organize concerts, parties and festivals in its honour.

If you’re on holiday in beautiful Valencia -in February- you cannot miss the 16th Flamenco Festival in Valencia that, this year, will take place in a reduced way (only three days) but with the participation of very important artists and singers: Juan Valderrama (with his ‘Sonidos Blancos’), Grammy award winner Niña Pastori (with a premiere of her album ‘La Orilla de mi pelo’) and the dance company Compañía de Danza Joven Mediterráneo, together with other artists such as Belén Maya, Olga Pericet and Luis Ortega.

In the beautiful rooms of the impressive Palau, that “has exceptional accoustics” according to Montserrat Caballé, the performers will take turns in this fabulous contest dedicated to languid music and dance: 11th and 19th of February and 3rd of March.

The festival was in danger of being cancelled due to the grave economic crisis that is affecting the whole of Spain, especially in regions like Valencia- but, thankfully, it was saved. The fans of this music genre who are travelling to this beautiful port city in Spain will be able to attend the performances of the artists, who rarely leave Spain to play.

Juan Valderrama (singer of Tarantas y Malagueñas) will have the honour to inaugurate this event (11th of February). He is an excellent ‘cantaor’ who wasn’t artistically born with flamenco but who developed into it until he made it his own, performing it in a majestic way.

On the 19th of February it will be the turn of Compañía de Danza Joven Mediterráneo. The Mediterráneo show, performed by the recently formed dance company, includes titles such as ‘Siluet’, ’7 rosas’ and ‘Sonar’. All in all, 22 dancers will go on stage together with three other international artists: Belén Maya, Olga Pericet and Luis Ortega.

And, lastly, Niña Pastori will go on stage (March 3rd) to close the festival with the presentation of her latest album.

Here’s the website to download the programme: http://www.palaudevalencia.com/ver/50/XVI-Festival-Flamenco-de-Valencia.html

Paola Grieco

If you’re in Spain on these dates, this is another reason to prolong your stay and find apartments in Valencia just to attend this unforgettable show.

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Reggae lovers who are close to Valencia in early February are in luck. One of the most legendary bands of this music genre, if not the most important of all time, lands at Sala Rambleta to give us a night of dancing and rhythms that we won’t forget.

In case some doesn’t know, The Wailers are the band who played with Bob Marley throughout his illustrious career, diffusing reggae around the world. It’s essential to talk about a bit of the band’s history to understand and value the importance of this concert.

The band was founded in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, in 1963, and its original members were Junior Braithwaite, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Cherry Smith, Beverley Kelso and Bob Marley. In those times, music flowed and the bands were reinventing themselves all the time, the members changed bands and made new ones… nothing stopped. The names aren’t as important as the music, something that’s very different from European and American pop culture, that tries to generate idols, and that’s why The Wailers have changed so much in order to become what they are today.

In 1974, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the band and the Carlton borthers, together with Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, formed ‘Bob Marley and The Wailers’. The current formation includes the band leader, Family Man, on the bass, and Earl ‘Wire’ Lindo, on the keyboard. Al Anderson will be on guitar and Alvin ‘Seeco’ Patterson on drums. On vocals we will find the Cuban singer Koolant, who joined the band after his cameo in the film ‘Made in Jamaica’.

This year, The Wailers will play a World tour and, after their many concerts in North America, they arrive in Spain to offer four exclusive concerts in Madrid, Barcelona, Pamplona and Valencia. Funnily enough, such an important concert will only cost 20€ for a ticket. According to the band’s official website, it’s 13.49€ early bird and 16.49€ on the day. The concert will take place on Wednesday the 8th of February at 9pm at Sala Rambleta (Calle Pio XII).

http://wailers.com

Pedro Paterna

For those who want to attend the concert and don’t live close to the city, we recommend that they stay for longer than a day in the magnificent capital of the Comunitat Valenciana. A good option for accommodation is to rent apartments in Valencia because it’s a lot cheaper than hotels and hostels. It also has the advantage that we can find apartments that are close to really interesting places.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Mounted on a cylinder, the cone rises and widens crowned by the thought machine. Cabeza Pensante (Thinking Head), is an iron structure by the famous Valencian sculptor Miquel Navarro, who has put the art work at the service of the city, on a project orchestrated in conjunction with the Valencian City Hall, which aims to bring art to the community.

Thus, from late November and until the 28^th of February, this sculptural installation, done by one of the great Spanish art references, will be located in the Plaza del Patriarca.

Athena’s brain

Cabeza Pensante, is a sculptural installation of 6.5 meters that represents the understanding of the Greek goddess Athena. The iron structure painted red is composed of conical and cylindrical shapes that hold the head of the daughter of Zeus.

The artist from the Valencian city Mislata, sculpted the work eleven years ago. Since then, he kept it in the privacy of his cottage. The interest of the Department of Culture of the City of Valencia in the named sculpture and the generosity of Navarro, decided to display it in a prominent place of the streets of Valencia. The goal: to encourage the interest for arts among Valencians and contribute to the ornamental enrichment of the city.

The street art

This is not the first creation that Miquel Navarro has installed in Valencia. The prolific winner of the National Prize of Plastic Arts, with works in museums like the Reina Sofia, MOMA or the Pompidou, and a history of more than forty years, marked by a strong passion to build sculptural, sensual and totemic cities, erected and placed the public fountain popularly known as La Pantera Rosa at Plaza Manuel Sanchis Guarner in 1984, and did the same in 2003 with the Parotet, in the Plaza de Europa. Not to mention his sculptures spread over public spaces in cities such as Castellón, Bilbao, Vitoria, Madrid, Brussels and Murcia, among others.

Miquel Navarro is a prodigal artist who has works, awards and artistic presence in several museums and collections. Born in Mislata (Valencia) in 1946, a town in which he lived and created and where even a is street named after him. He studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Carlos de Valencia. There he began his career as a painter and from 1972 devoted exclusively to sculpture. From his study of the Moorish district, he has projected his art to the five continents, receiving in 1986 the already mentioned National Prize of Plastic Arts, in 1987 Alfonso Roig Award (Provincial Council of Valencia), in 1990 the Arts Award CEOE Award, the National Association of Art Critics (1995), the Award for the XXI Century Valencian (the Provinces, 2001), the Distinction of the Generalitat Valenciana of Cultural Merit Award 2002 and the Visual Arts World Valencians.

Ignacio Sanchez

The best way to get to know the exquisite world of Spanish contemporary art is to rent apartments in Valencia and visit some of the street works by sculptor Miquel Navarro.

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Translated by: Hans
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Russafa is a multicultural neighborhood, and in recent years, it has forged a reputation as a cultural quarter. Many artistic and leisure activities are performed here, as open editions of artists’ workshops, concerts in various halls, dramatized readings, etc. We also find many bars and restaurants offering different types of cuisine. A formula that has already begun to emerge for more than 3 years and has had great success is the café-bookstore, a combination of reading with bar. Although this strategy has been extended, there are 3 locations that were, and are pioneers in this Cosecha Roja, Ubik and Slaughterhouse. In general this is about some places that allow you to combine the passion of reading from their owners and attendees with a real source of income, the bar. It is clear that we live in a country with a bar culture, where many of the most important decisions and moments of our lives occur within the walls of these establishments. All three share not only their passion for books, but that they opened in times of crisis and are in a radius of 3 blocks with results that are still reasonably good.

Ubik was the first to open, takes its name from the book by Philip K. Dick. Apart from being able to borrow their books while we drink something, they also sell used books and offers concerts. Open until 1 am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It has an area for children to play and for three Euros we can have a beer, a tapa and a novel. It is located on the street Literato Azorin.

Cosecha Roja (by the author Dashiell Hamment) specializes in crime fiction.

It is defined as a book club where you can also drink and listen to concerts, mainly jazz. It is located on Sevilla street 20 and opens from 5 to 11 pm on the weekdays and Saturday mornings.

Slaughterhouse (by the author Kurt Vonnegut) is located on the street Denia, it is one of those places where you can have a drink and grab some of its books. Built in a former butcher shop, there are exhibitions, concerts and book presentations by their authors. Open until 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The bar provides the common denominator of the income of the café-bookstore, but it seems that the formula of the books attracts more customers. Something new that still fascinates and surprises us. To find in the same place music and books while drinking something, seems to have caught on among the Valencian society.

Apart of Russafa neighborhood, we can find other examples in Valencia as the Benimaclet neighborhood and the Kaf Café, located on the Arquitecto Arnau Street. Its beautiful bound books are not for sale but just to borrow. No wonder that the owners of this project are two romantic poets, a Uruguayan and Argentinean.

Ara

Rent apartments in Valencia you may have a café-bookstore nearby, and if not you can always approach to the Russafa neighborhood where you’ll find plenty of attractions and among them, go to one of these café-bookstore and have a drink surrounded by books that you can to borrow.

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Translated by: Hans
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Our bodies are our most important asset.  They are intricately developed machines, more complex and wonderful than the gadgets with which we surround ourselves every day. Yet many do not know how our  bodies work, why they move, what they need to survive, what destroys them, what stimulates them, what revives them. The Bodies Revealed exhibition, which has gone through major world capitals, makes this visit  possible through its galleries in which we can admire 10 full human bodies and 150 individual organs preserved using the technique of preservation of the polymers. We must point out that all these bodies have been legally obtained from donors of their bodies to science. The process of preservation of specimens through polymer preservation is a revolutionary technique, which initially removes water from tissues by immersing them in acetone. A vacuum chamber removes the acetone where the remaining tissues were previously filled it injected with silicone rubber. Finally the add a catalyst to harden the tissues. The final product of the preservation process of polymers is a dry, odorless specimen that resists natural decomposition for a indefinite period of time allowing it to be exposedthe public. This technique reveals the mysteries of the human anatomy.

Bodies Revealed, whose scientific director is Dr. Ray Glover,from the University of Michigan, allows visitors of all ages to explore inside a human body in an informative but not too intrusive way. As the visitor moves between gallery and gallery, he will learn the story of the miracle of the operating systems in each of us during every second of our existence. The study of anatomy is rooted in a historical precedent laid down by great anatomists such as Vesalius and da Vinci. Each specimen is dissected to reveal in the best way possible the function of a complete anatomical system and to show the relationship of the systems in the body as a whole. The specimens that show the full body is complemented by presentation cases of individual organs, both healthy and sick ones, and the effect of having a healthy lifestyle or not.

From previous editions, we know that visitors comment that the knowledge gained by experience of this exhibition has allowed them to have a new connection with their own bodies. Others call for a new reverence for life and a desire to have a more proactive approach to their health.

But there are detractors, something incomprehensible to those who are used to seeing bodies or agencies on a regular basis in our work, but perhaps this may hurt some sensibilities or else we can not explain how countries such as Venezuela have banned the exhibition branding it as macabre.

For more information visit the website;

www.bodiesvalencia.com

Ara

Understanding how the body works is to understand what you need and how to take care of it. Studying the body’s systems, you will leave with a new appreciation of life. Rent apartments in Valencia and do not miss this opportunity to observe the human body at the anatomy, physiology, biology and chemistry level

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Translated by: Marc
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Valencia and its paellas are one single concept, and we all dream, every so often, to fill ourselves with pleasure with a true Valencian paella. What is this wonder like and how is it cooked? I will tell you that there are thousands of ways: some have beans, some have artichokes, others have neither, but all of them have rice, pork, seafood, chorizo and saffron. For the rest, we leave it to the imagination. But if you want to eat a true Valencian paella, we’ll give you a few tips of where to find it.

La Riua is one of those places where one feels just like at home, for the good food and the pleasant service. Despite it being born in the most typical area of Valencia, the Barrio del Carmen, today it’s located on Calle del Mar, and it’s still being served by its owners Francisco Castro and Pilar Lozano. Its paellas are legendary, and you can be sure that it’s a true, legitimate Valencian paella. But, so that you’re not left behind on the subject, on its menu it has over six varieties of paellas ready to defy the most exquisite of palates. What you should do before thinking about sampling this culinary delight, is to book a table in advance. For more information: http://www.lariua.com/

But because there are insatiable paella eaters, here’s another piece of information which will make you shake with pleasure: Restaurant Casa Salvador. A beautiful place with a terrace dining area which hangs over L’Estany de Cullera (Cullera Pond), which hugs it with the maritime breeze. Its cuisine is typically Valencian, and their paella is a food of gods, and it has two varieties of paellas typical of the area. The singularity of this restaurant is that its recipes date from old references and the vegetable products are homegrown.

We follow this pleasant route of the true Valencian paella with Casa Roberto, a place which has a contemporary concept on what good living is and the sybarite pleasure of fine dining, and it has among its culinary delights, the Valencian paella. Among its awards is the 2nd International Paella Award in Sweden in the 37th of 40th editions, which says a lot about its experience on this dish. The truth is that trying this paella is a challenge to our taste buds and an honour of the land which created Spain’s most international food.

On Arenas Beach there’s a place which can’t miss out of your list of best Valencian Paellas, La Marcelina. Just as its advertising says, rice and Valencia are one, so the paella is the daughter of this union, and that’s why it offers us seven different varieties of paella for all tastes.

Nancy Guzman

With our mouth drooling, we recommend that you don’t doubt and take a few days of rest in apartments in Valencia and go on the Valencian Paella Route, you won’t regret it.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Mou Huan is one of the most famous and influential Chinese artists than currently exist and for that reason, the Institute of Modern Art in Valencia will exhibit his artworks from the 4th of October until December 4th. Huan had already exhibited at the IVAM along with 15 other artists from the Asian country but this is the first time he visits Spain for an exclusive exhibition.

Huan takes as a starting point what he sees as some of the worst things happening in the world today. That is why in his work terrorist attacks, society dominated by consumerism and manufacturing chains, natural disasters and other catastrophes can be seen

At the exhibition you will enjoy more than 20 of his most recent works . The most important part of his paintings is the person. According to what  Huan said, his last series revolves around people and scenarios that seem to wrap them up. In them they can feel the loneliness, the fragility and the isolation among other feelings of desolation.

One of the most exciting paintings that can be observed is one which illustrates the earthquake that struck China in 2007 or one that has to do with the attack on the Twin Towers in NYC years ago or much more actual events such as the death of the terrorist Bin Laden.

This collaboration is organized though an agreement that was made between the IVAM and the International Association of Culture of Shanghai that was created with the intention of bringing some of the most important Chinese artists to Valencia.

More information: http://www.ivam.es/exposiciones/2878-mou-huan

Institute of Modern Art in Valencia: Guillem de Castro, 118, 46003 Valencia, Spain

MiLK

For this reason if you want to enjoy one of the most important Asian artists today all you have to do is to rent apartments in Valencia and visit the IVAM.

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Translated by: Marc
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Fashion is making its way into contemporary culture as the center of new aesthetics and results in the synthesis of complex processes of creation and production. Fashion includes complex values ​​of how it fits today’s culture and the  aesthetic trends of clothing worldwide. to affirm that fashion is an elite operation is correct. But how fashion works is  to understand what  is cooking in the world’s major cities, for fashion does not only come from haute couture designing. The presence of urban natural elements and geographical and political spaces, define styles seasons after seasons. Believing that the utility of the gateway is only for parades, is not seeing that this exhibition of bodies is a voyage throughout societies and cultures in a complex operation.

An example from Valencia: Francisco Montesinos. He is one of those unique characters that culture produces, you really do not know how to classify them, but you just know they’re great, that his creations breaks trends and nothing is better than being carried away by his art. This well known designer has been  prized for his constant desire to create new trends and amaze with his parades that are more than just parades, but also show significant intelligence. With over thirty years in international fashion, Francis Montesinos plays an important and indisputable role in the Spanish and world design indusrty

Certainly, the style of Francis Montesinos is highly Mediterranean, colorful decorations which no longer present a particular refinement. Born in Valencia, he studied at the School of Arts and Crafts of this city. His collections have been presented in international fashion capitals, among them Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Barcelona. Montesino’s style delves in traditional trends as well as the riskier areas . His colors refer to the land and the sea, spring and autumn colors that are mixed in an elegant and bold combination at the same time.

But where doe the success of a fashion designer come from? Surely, these are times where the better you can synthesize a style in many facets and forms, the better the results will be later. Fashion is not a simple subject, nor easy to create. In fashion, dress patterns are set to reach dimensions that we do not notice at first glance. Sometimes we see patterns that are too risky or impossible to wear in everyday life. However, these designs are moments that are unattainable as the essence of clothing that is accessed by mainstream audiences. The parades function as conceptual shelves, boxes or precise moments in which the combination of color, fabric and movement create new options for other designers. For Montesinos work visit his website: http://www.francismontesinos.com/

Alexa Ray

Get apartments in Valencia and learn about the work of Francis Montesinos as well as the best of fashion in Spain. Valencia awaits you with its beautiful streets and very lively nightlife.

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Translated by: Marc
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What is happening on the streets? Well quite a lot, the streets, now more than ever, are making too much noise. With all the protest movements, camping, the economic system that it is collapsing, there is no better way to protest than with more noise, more music. Historically, musical trends have marked particular times, and have been just the soundtrack of many social and political movements. Think of the psychedelic 60′s, punk in the 70′s, the rap growing movement in major cities during the 80′s. What is the sound of this revolution? Is there sound for this revolution? Who is  the music market competing with nowadays?

We have to consider that all the color and chemical revolution of the 60′s was voraciously absorbed by the system at the same time of its displacement. For example in the television networks, special effects and psychedelic colors were adopted for the presentation of many bands the list is long. However, the coverage of these sounds did not respond to an urge or encourage disclosure of the social fire, but the setpoint was, above all, in something that countries like the United States has always taken advantage and which, without doubt, is part of the backbone of their ideological system: Entertainment.

Thus, entertainment and spectacle, with its breeding industry, advertising and movement of sounds and images, is responsible for quickly appropriating any creation, for more radical that this is or is intended to be. Punk quickly became a joke in television, in which guys like the Sex Pistols and the Clash, while giving interviews or inspired and lacerating presentations, did not stop being victims of an adult and ridiculous audience, that these young bands were nothing more than cannon fodder for new ideological wars and contentions.

Today, the intervention of bands, musicians, or sounds, it seems a little silly in the political environment. There are too many “Ipods” too many sounds, mp3′s and bands to give an address on what could be the ideal soundtrack for this new, revolution. And there’s so much variety, also there is a lot of bad. The problem is that all we are hearing is something that is not necessarily the same. The nature of the problem-generating unit is present, but today there is no ideology or politics, or music that sustains a serious problem exists. The enemy is the same. We are all against the same enemy. Our resources are multiple, and the solutions are not clear yet. The First Urban Music Festival in Valencia, is an attempt to capture the still youthful spirit that remains in this beautiful Spanish city. Juan Perro, Jorge Drexler, Russian Red, The Coronas, Arizona Baby, Pony Bravo, Jack Oblivian, The Limes, Harlant T. Bobo, Zahara and Javier Krane, are the protagonists of this new sound race against indifference, closed minds and parochial attitude that sometimes circulates throughout Spain. For more information, visit the festival is already underway: http://www.festivalurbano.org/

Alexa Ray

Get apartments in Valencia and be part of this young festival that promises a lot. Give your support to the First Urban Festival of Valencia. They deserve it.

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Translated by: Hans
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“Rider”, the third song on the latest album from exciting, up and coming American group Okkervil River, whose name derives from a story written by Russian writer Tatanya Tolstaya, appears to have been written during a trans-continental plane journey, by Will Sheff, the lead-singer, composer and driving force behind the band. You could say it was written in the heavens, in more than one sense, as for Sheff, the best songs are those whose melodies and words come together so seamlessly as if in a holy union – an idea of harmonious symphony in line with a Rimbaudian sensibility.

This at least was apparently the case with “Rider”, the third song on the list. It doesn’t however appear as number three in all editions of the release, in a nostalgic wink to the music imported from Japan for instance, where the song order is sometimes changed, and some editions of the same album are different to others. Sheff likes the idea that editions of his albums released in different continents play on this idea of variation. The singer had been trying to make himself go to sleep, without much success, for hours, as he was surrounded by sleeping bodies and lowered lights on the plane. This is how the song came about, and as the verses started to form, so too did the different musical parts and instrumentals.

Not all of Okkervill River’s songs have been born in this way of course, though they can all share a puzzle like quality, which the band then attempts to assemble. One of the compositional techniques of the lead singer is a penchant for ways of working which enable access to new and different parts of the brain, other than the ones we use habitually – and to be able to see where this takes him in terms of melodies and poetry. Or the idea of taking a song in a foreign language and trying to imagine what it is saying. Sheff, after all, is somebody whose previous experience of prose was a piece published in McSweeney’s about Norwegian Black Metal.

This is the world to be explored in their new album I Am Very Far, which will be performed on the 12th of November at Sala Mirror in Valencia http://www.discomirror.es/. Their powerful, awesome sound (around 40 musicians have contributed to the album, on songs which include up to two pianos, two drum kits, and seven guitars) has echoes of Bowie, Talking Heads and Jarvis Cocker to name but a few – a great step forward for contemporary rock music.

Paul Oilzum

If you rent apartments in Valencia don’t miss out on the gig. On the one hand, there doesn’t seem to be much exciting going on in rock today – but on the other, you’ve got bands like Okkervil River giving killer shows, each one like it was their last.

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Translated by: Poppy
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