From banker to programmer flamencoHis name is Antonio Muñoz Gómez and he is known in the world of flamenco as Antonio Benamargo. «The fact that I ended up dedicating myself to what I like most, which is music, seems to me to be privileged. When you have a passion for music, that passion is insatiable,» he says…
Antonio has always been a great fan of music in all its forms. When he was a child, he listened to a lot of music in his house. flamenco, but one day he met some “long-haired” guys from Liverpool, different from everything he had known until then, who made him move away a little from the flamenco to explore and fall in love with other styles.
Newly arrived in Madrid, he heard Fernando Terremoto at the Monumental and he reopened the artery that connects with the black sounds. It was then that the flamenco He went to look for him to offer him a fundamental mission. And it is that Benamargo has a great intuition to capture the young promises that later bring a brilliant career to the world of flamencoSince 2019, he is the director of the Suma Flamenco Festival in Madrid, a festival of great importance in the world of flamenco whose youth edition will be held on September 12, 13, 14 and 15.
- Who is Antonio Benamargo?
– Antonio Benamargo is a native of Malaga, a citizen of the world, who is dedicated to promoting flamenco.
- How did your relationship with him begin? flamenco?
– My relationship with him flamenco has two clear stages. First, as a child, when at home what was heard on the radio were melodic voices like Pepe Marchena, Pepe Pinto, Antonio Molina, la Niña de la Puebla… But when I was twelve, I saw in the supplement White and Black From the newspaper ABC a photo with the title The Liverpool Beetles. Just seeing the photo drove me crazy. And after about two months, my aunt brought a extendedplay of the Beatles, from the album A Hard Days Night and I asked him if I could play it. When I put on the first song and saw the guitar outro, I came to the conclusion that there was another world, another vibe that I didn't want to miss. What I knew up to that point seemed very old, very dark and lacking in color. In 74, when I had just arrived in Madrid, a friend told me that there was a festival of flamenco at the Monumental. It had been eight years since I was not in the world of flamenco. When Fernando Terremoto came out and opened his mouth, I said: but well, this sound is practically the same as the voices of North American blacks! It was a night that moved me completely and from then on I started buying records. Then I collaborated with the free radio movement, specifically with the program Flamenco on the Moon, and I met the artists flamencos because I invited them to interview them. And in 86, I started programming things flamencoSuddenly, Casa Patas came up and I dove headfirst into the pool.
- Do you feel that you have lost or won by getting involved and fighting to transmit the values of the flamenco?
– I worked in a bank for twenty years. Working in a bank is something that goes against artistic sensitivity. If you like art, you can hardly like banking. The fact that I ended up dedicating myself to what I like most, which is music, seems to me to be a privilege. When you have a love for music, that love is insatiable.
«Madrid is not creative in the cante, although yes in dance and guitar. But Madrid is above all welcoming. And has always had a fondness for cante extraordinary. Without Madrid, the flamenco It would have been something else. Artists know that, even the youngest ones.
- Is there respect for the flamenco? Including artists
– Enrique Morente was once told: “Enrique, you must be happy, they have declared the flamenco World Heritage Site.” And he said: “Yes, but it would be better if humanity were a World Heritage Site.” flamenco”. I want to tell you that respect is something that cannot be generalized. It depends on each person. All of us who dedicate ourselves to this have to be aware that this is not just another music. flamenco It is a music of the earth.
- Due to the change in lifestyles, the rise of new technologies and the influence they have on music, is the flamenco has lost freshness and spontaneity?
– The best way to learn from a singer is to be by his side and see how he puts his hand forward, how he positions his body, how he breathes… You can't learn that from a video. Nowadays, you have everything on YouTube and Spotify. Before, there weren't any singing academies either. canteIt was said in the environment that the cante We had to take it in the air. We are in a stage of expectation. The whole way of learning the craft of artists has changed and we don't know what will happen. flamenco It will not be lost, but it will be different. How? We do not know yet. We have to see what effect this different way of living, teaching and learning will have.
- What aspects should a programmer take into account? flamenco?
– You always have to look at the canteBecause cante is the marrow. The guitar plays the cante and the dance, dance to the cante. Poor the dancer who does not listen to the singer when he dances for him. cante is what has to define a cycle of flamencoAnd then there always has to be representation of the guitar and the dance. There always has to be avant-garde things and traditional things. Traditional things, where you can say to someone: go see this guy, who totally reproduces the patterns we have inherited. And then there is also the punky, which is based on the flamenco and has a revolutionary expression.
«It's not just about knowing how a soleá or a seguiriya works. You have to learn from the masters. You also have to know what respect is. And that can only be learned with passion and enthusiasm and by being with the artists, who are the ones who know. You can't learn that by being in an office.»
- What does Madrid mean to the flamenco?
– Madrid has always had one thing. Madrid is not creative in the cante, although yes in dance and guitar. But Madrid is above all welcoming. And has always had a fondness for cante extraordinary. Without Madrid, the flamenco It would have been something else. Artists know that, even the youngest ones.
- Was Enrique Morente misunderstood?
– Fortunately, what he lacked until then he finally achieved. In the 80s, the Seville critics were going to the death with him. The only one who supported him was Manolo Bohórquez. Later, in the atmosphere of the flamenco, among artists and that, was recognized. Even Mairena, shortly before dying, said that the only one who maintained the purity and the flamenco in conditions for the future was Enrique Morente. Then, from 95, when he recorded Omega, became popular at the public level. He did not die without having recognition from the general public.
- All things considered, is Rosalía also misunderstood?
– Criticizing Rosalía is the most absurd thing you can do. This girl is a great artist, she is a fan of flamenco which does not deceive because it never puts the word “ on the discsflamenco”. I was surprised that while working in Burgos on the Northern Tour on the second day, after the performance I asked the manager: “Hey, where is Rosalía?”. Rosalía was doing jogging At 12 o'clock at night in Burgos, it's freezing cold. She's a phenomenon who will get what she wants because with that attitude, everything can be achieved.
"The cante is what has to define a cycle of flamenco. And then, there always has to be representation of the guitar and the dance. There always has to be avant-garde things and traditional things. Traditional things, where you can say to someone: go see this guy, who totally reproduces the patterns we have inherited.
-What do you hope to find in the young talents you choose for your programming?
– I always try to ensure that all geographies, voice colours and ages are represented… Above all, I try not to make mistakes. I try to sense that they have the artistic poison and that they are going to make a career out of it. If not, it is a waste of time. And I am always suspicious of child prodigies with families that are not objective and that do not bring them down to earth.
- In the end, I think that what Suma Flamenca Joven does is try to support and give visibility to young people who have a promising future. Are there talents that fall by the wayside just because they don't have enough support?
– Always. But that happens in all music and in everything. There is everything. I, for example, have dedicated myself to flamenco because they have entangled me, I have not sought it out. But I have always taken the plunge, I have dived in head first.
-What life lesson has he given you? flamenco?
– That it is not just about knowing how a soleá or a seguiriya works. You have to learn from the masters. You also have to know what respect is. And that everything in the flamenco There are some key points, even when choosing the size of the letters to make a poster. And that can only be learned with enthusiasm and enthusiasm and by being with the artists, who are the ones who know. You can't learn that in an office.
