“Solatge“ is a poetic catalan word that describes what is left after something has gone and could be translated with “sediment”. The catalan saying “als solatges hi ha la flor“ (on the sediment grows the flower) expresses even better the poetry behind this word. "Solatge“ is the flower that has grown after the definite end of L´Ham de Foc, but it is much more than a delicate plant. The first album "Dèria“ is a strong statement of Mara Aranda who was the voice and, together with her companion Efrén López, also leader of the internationally acclaimed band L´Ham de Foc from Valencia. Her latest projects were the sephardic music band Aman Aman and the Al Andaluz Project that was founded together with the German medieval band Estampie.
The musicians of Solatge come mainly from Mara´s musical past: Eduard Navarro (dolzaine, nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy) who was member of L´Ham de Foc from the beginning to the end. Josep-Maria Ribelles (celtic harp) can be heard as guest on L´Ham de Foc´s last album “Cor de Porc” and joined the band in several concerts. Manolo López (double bass) played some gigs with Aman Aman and only Jota Martinez (bouzouki, hurdy gurdy, tambourin mallorqui, renaissance guitar) came in as a member until then unknown in the L´Ham de Foc universe.
The title “Dèria” is also a catalan word and means the idea or obsession that serves us as stimulation and motivation. The conceptual idea behind “Dèria” were the traditional tunes of the times of the Crown of Aragon (Aragón, Catalunya, València, Balears, Serdegna, etc.) as a basis for new and contemporary compositions. Mara´s voice sounds more “in front of the band” than on recordings of L´Ham de Foc and achieves to tinge the music with her very special emotional, spirited and Mediterranean character. The experienced band chooses for every song the right colours to accompany her voice and understands perfectly in which moments to enrich the music with instrumental accents. The edition contains an extensive booklet (52 pages) with poetic landscapes and explanations of the songs, written by Josep Vicent Frechina (in Catalan, Spanish and translated into English). If you take your time and are ready to spent 46 minutes exclusively on this album, switching between reading and listening, you might find yourself immersed in a Mediterranean journey, crossing imagined countries and ages, finishing with Mara Aranda singing close to your ear the beautiful Dansa del Vetlatori. From: https://www.galileomusic.de/artikel/3407/Mara_Aranda___Solatge_Deria
