The project, led by Andrés Campuzano, celebrates its 20th anniversary, returning to live performances as a trio and working on their tenth album, Encantadas, set to be released in the coming months.
In 2004, a very young Andrés Campuzano began experimenting with MIDI on his computer and primitive samples, which gradually turned into songs for An Danzza, the project he had just launched to explore his musical ideas. Back then, there was no Spotify, Facebook, or even YouTube, where today An Danzza’s channel has 7 million views. It all started in a quiet, dark room with the eager noise of notes and chords becoming music. With no other intention than to enjoy composing, Andrés had started creating MIDI songs a few years earlier, compiling them into two cassette tapes shared only with family. These songs spanned various styles, influenced by the rock and metal he listened to, and new age music. But it was in 2004 that he decided to focus on a more folk-Celtic style and named it An Danzza.
Over Half a Million Annual Plays on Spotify
At that time, Andrés could never have imagined that the music he composed in the stillness of the night would achieve over half a million annual plays on Spotify. Nor that he would, in years to come, not only release 9 albums but also take the project live and perform alongside major bands in the genre. From that moment, and over the next six years leading to the release of his first album, Last Autumn Tears, An Danzza’s eclectic style began to form. A fantasy folk project inspired by artists like Mike Oldfield, Loreena McKennitt, and Enya, as well as Celtic and Nordic folklore, and even the epic nature of metal bands like Blind Guardian and fantasy works like The Lord of the Rings. What sets An Danzza apart, besides its variety of styles, is the magical, unique touch that distinguishes it from other projects.
After Last Autumn Tears (2010), which featured various vocalists, came the first live shows, the folk opera Canción de los Juncos (2011), entirely in Spanish and sung by Sevillian Macarena Martín, Tierra de Andanzas (2013), also with Macarena’s voice, and the instrumental Scintilla (2014).
International Press Recognition
It wasn’t until late 2015 that An Danzza found its current vocalist, Haydée Mariñoso. Whispers of the Forest (2016) was their first album with her as the singer. That same year, Andrés took his music live again, performing at various festivals, such as the Fantasy Festival in Fuenlabrada and the international Avalon Summer Faerie Fest, alongside notable groups like the German Corvus Corax, the Dutch Seed, and the Italian Emian. By this point, the project was recognized by specialized press in Spain and abroad: “Those who love the epic, medieval, or fantasy genres should take the time to discover An Danzza,” said Peek a Boo Magazine in their review of Whispers of the Forest, and Metalkorner praised one of their live shows, stating, “the authentic fantasy of literature was distilled through instruments, musicians, and voice. A voice that stood out for its strength, expressiveness, beauty, and versatility.”
At the end of 2018, Andrés released The Claws of Dawn, closing this second live stage to focus on continued experimentation and creation. Thus, the pandemic found him working on Song of the Rushes (2020), an English re-edition of Canción de los Juncos with new arrangements and Haydée Mariñoso’s vocals. This was followed by the ambitious ANCESTRANCE (2021), a double new age album exploring different textures, and Visions of a Volva (2023), their most recent work, transporting the listener to a wild Viking fantasy and marking their most pagan folk album to date.
Encantadas: New Album
Currently, An Danzza has returned to live performances as a trio, joined by the virtuoso violinist Roberto Rodríguez, debuting this past February. They are ready to bring their music to national and international stages. This new formation traverses the various fantasy worlds of their discography in a conceptual and multidisciplinary show with bouzouki, guitar, violin, voice, and percussion, accompanied by atmospheric bases that help immerse the audience in a dreamlike world.
Moreover, in just a few months, their tenth album, Encantadas, will be released. This work, filled with medieval sounds, is inspired by the fairies of the Iberian Peninsula: anjanas, mouras, xanas, among others, are the protagonists of this new project, whose first single will be released after the summer. The journey is just beginning.
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