Techno Español

In Spanish girar means both to go on tour and to spin around. Currently on the road with the show Girados, Ana Torroja and Miguel Bosé have put a new spin on the comeback tour. Long the golden boy of Spanish pop, 47-year-old Bosé has released seventeen solo albums since 1977. A veteran of Spanish supergroup Mecano, the slightly younger Torroja lent her high-pitched whisper to eight of the band's techno-pop albums since 1982 before going solo in 1997. Working in tandem the pair injects new life into their greatest hits and introduces a fresh duet called “Corazones” (“Hearts”), which they composed for the tour.

“It was an idea that our management proposed to us,” says a weary Bosé, yawning over the phone from Mexico City. A perkier Torroja, on another line, explains the concept: “The idea is to have a good time, to do something different, something that's usually not done, because it's not easy to find two artists who have chemistry between them.” For Torroja and Bosé that chemistry bubbles up from a common poetic whimsy in their lyrics and a soothing, highly synthesized accompaniment.

Working with eleven musicians, the two have rearranged their most popular tunes. “The question is how you put together the songs of each one,” notes Torroja. “Which songs do you sing as a duo and which don't you? We meant to do something unforgettable.”

The playlist includes new versions of old favorites, such as Bosé's “Amante Bandido” (“Bandit Lover”) and “Nena” (“Little Girl”), as well as Mecano's “Jugar al Escondite” (“Playing Hide and Seek”) and “Mujer Contra Mujer” (“Woman Against Woman”). “The concert is like a party,” says the songstress. “For the people who know us, the songs are very emblematic. [The show] makes you feel different things. There are comic moments, moments that are more theatrical, more dramatic, more magical. Music is like life.”

The idea rouses Bosé, who agrees: “Music is one of the most generous arts; it brings in all the senses. Sight, smell all have notes. With the production you have lights and scents appealing to the senses. With new arrangements of the songs, you bring them to new worlds.”