What the audience says: Pascuala Ilabaca & Fauna

Pascuala Ilabaca & Miguel Razzouk at Rich Mix London. Photo by Ingrid Guyon.

an experience of pure happiness and elation!

Pascuala Ilabaca sings with her whole face, and makes music with her whole body

The best gig @GatesheadOTH @sage_gateshead this year with Pascuala Ilabaca & Faun.

Fantastic night in York!! Thank you so much - please come back next year ! :)

Absolutely brilliant gig tonight at Rich Mix, vibrant and full of joy, I loved it.

She really is incredible! A whirlwind of energy and one of the most engaging performers I have ever seen.

Fabulous concert in Cambridge last night! A lot of very happy people. Muchisimas gracias.

Pascuala and Fauna present a complete performance that is in itself a kind of art form. So slick in their synchronicity, and able to change the mood and style within the space of a beat, they are truly exciting to watch and hear.  

Pascuala Ilabaca y Fauna @RichMixLondon - absolutely adorable and brilliant - see them if you get a chance!

I love their energy and enthusiasm, brilliant musicians, and she has the star quality to take them further, great tracks, like the punky tracks as well, - chile punk  now that's a new new on me !

...  listening to her records did not prepare me in the slightest for the energy, talent and seduction that poured from the musicians when on stage.

A star in the making : I absolutely loved Pascuala Ilabaca at @RichMixLondon. Don't miss her @makingtracks_uk tour! 

Pascuala Ilabaca y Fauna created an experience of pure happiness and elation, and I very much urge all music-lovers to seek out future performances to encounter Pascuala’s remarkable music.

Pascuala Ilabaca: Amazing 1st half at @RichMixLondon, can't wait for part 2!! 

Just been to see Pascuala @RichMixLondon - amazing, jaw dropping Kate Bush like.

Escuchar a Pascuala Ilabaca en el @RichMixLondon no tiene precio! 

What a great concert!!!!

Live review: Pascuala Ilabaca at Rich Mix London (3)

By Najwa Abdullah

With contemporary twists on the rhythms and harmonies of rock, pop, jazz and indigenous traditional music, awe-inspiring Chilean songstress Pascuala Ilabaca and her deft band Fauna thrived to mesmerize their fervent London audience in her UK debut this week. She exercises her personal song-writing with the ambitious, rhythmically complex soundscape of her accordion and keyboard combined with the ultimate manifestation of her band’s sound-painting of guitar, strings, clarinet, saxophone and drum, creating surprise elements in every tune. At the heart of her stirring concert is her suave, soft yet sprightly vocal style seamlessly transitioning across different sounds, drawing the listeners to the sea of lush sounds and sophisticated ballads. Pascualla’s soulful voice delightfully ornaments the upbeat melody and rock elements and transforms every song into something you might hear in relaxing jazz performances.
Throughout her concert at Rich Mix, London, she shared her deep interest in traditional beats and Chilean folkloric roots along with her admiration of bohemian lifestyle and exhilarating travels to far-flung parts of the world such as India, making the messages behind her music as one of her utmost significances. The musical verve and delicate vocal were impeccably presented in the song Busco Paraiso –synonymous with their latest album title— and Pecado where she began the pleasingly-lyrical songs with slow-moving melody and took the audience by surprise with the upbeat Latin-American pitch that induce some serious audience toe-tapping and shoulder-swaying.
Given the multi-faceted natural grandeur and musical inventiveness, it is somewhat difficult to categorize their music into a particular genre. This engaging young artist and extraordinary band from Valparaiso, Chile, are clearly a breath of fresh air in the West music scene; inescapably ecstatic, personal, sensual and definitely well worth a listen. After London, Pascuala and her band Fauna are set to dazzle the British audience in other UK cities such as York, Bristol, Cambridge and Birmingham till the end of November.

Pascuala Ilabaca at Rich Mix London (18 Nov 14)

Pascuala Ilabaca at Rich Mix London (2)

By Kheira Tarif

The concert hall at Richmix had the nostalgic feel of a jazz café on Tuesday night; the small tables were arranged in front of the stage and the lights were dimmed. My eyes were instantly drawn to the whipala hanging behind the stage – a symbol of the unity of all Latin American indigenous peoples. This setting certainly describes Pascuala Ilabaca’s phenomenal combination of styles. The singer emerged onto the stage with her band, all dressed in the bohemian style that reflects the culture of Valparaiso, in northern Chile. With a winning smile that instantly charmed the audience, Pascuala began to sing a solo introduction with a clear and powerfully emotive voice. The sound of Pascuala’s accordion reminded this listener of other South American traditions including tango, prominent in Chile and Argentina. Her band members were on guitar, drums, bass guitar and a sensational saxophone-player, which brought other musical influences to the Latin American sounds of cumbia and cueca. Pascuala’s performance also drew on Indian musical traditions – as she explained to the audience that she lived in India with her parents at the age of 11. The results of these influences is very successful, the crowd at Richmix was dancing emphatically before very long!
Pascuala Ilabaca’s performance does not comprise such a variety of styles in sound by coincidence. This conscientious and talented young woman wants to bring Latin America to the rest of the world through her music, and cites personas like Frida Kahlo, the famous Mexican artist; Violeta Parra, the Chilean folk singer and Victor Jara, the Chilean folk singer, poet and activist. In her first European tour, she clearly wants to bring European audiences closer to the cultural history she is so clearly proud of.

Live at Rich Mix London. Photo by Kheira Tarif.

Introducing the Making Tracks podcast!

Check out our first Making Tracks podcast!
Featuring current favourites , new discoveries and future hot tips - this edition includes tracks by Pascuala Ilabaca (currently on tour!), Mariana Sadovska, Söndörgő and more!
Presented by Colin Bass. Watch this space for more podcasts coming soon!