last saturday was one of my favorite days of the year. the annual holiday tapas party. 5.2 of my favorite people in the world, welcoming in the christmas season a la española: in a warm kitchen, surrounded by copious amounts of chorizo, queso manchego, olive oil and rioja. (we did add a little a lo americano to the evening. but it’s not really a christmas party without a flying polar plunge from the top of a garage into a 47 degree pool, is it?). since that night, everything feels different. it’s christmas. or hypothermia. probably a bit of both. either way, the christmas music came out in full force this morning. starting with this. -d

saw these guys at the troubadour w/ coach last night, and i gotta say, they have to be the happiest, grooviest gang of crazy basque separatists i’ve ever seen. seriously tho, it was the most, fun, carefree and upbeat [natch] show i’ve seen in ages. the crowd was incredible. totally flush with awesome spanish hipsters. (the encore chant quickly gave way to ‘otra! otra!’) basically a huge iberian dance party. i felt like i was back at kapital. -d

*and thanks to kcrw for the free tix. w00t!

another keeper from garth and kcrw. and no better way to say ‘feliz cumple KS’ than with a sweet spanish dance track. happy 30th majete. -d

the first spanish song i ever fell in love with. -d

to me, this song has always sounded like an exhale. a sweet, long & deep breath out that, while tenuous and premature, feels so good that who gives a crap. -d

a little indielectro dance music from some spanish newcomers for cinco de mayo. -d

speaking of hispano-swedes…a transplanted madrileña, a british castillian accent with an effortless crisp timbre, a track somewhere between a music box and a hi-fi, and a dark warm basement in the afterglow of almodovar’s “volver”…otra vez, please. -d (thanks lieu)