Tenerife's Socos Dúo and South Korea's YL Jazz Trío Unite for "Isla 자유 (Jayu, freedom)" Album

Tenerife's Socos Dúo is releasing their new album, "Isla 자유 (Jayu, freedom)," on all digital platforms this Friday. This project, recorded with South Korea's YL Jazz Trío, is the result of an artistic exchange that has brought together two different places and two unique approaches to musical freedom. A preview of the album's creation, showing the recording process and the connection between the musicians from the Canary Islands and Korea, was released on Wednesday on the official Vector de Ideas YouTube channel.

The collaboration began in May 2025 when Socos Dúo visited Seoul to record the song "Airport" for YL Jazz Trío's new album. A few months later, in September, the Korean trio visited the Canary Islands. They performed at the Noon Canarias festival and took part in an artistic residency, which led to the recording of this album at Arena Digital Estudios in Tenerife.

"Isla 자유 (Jayu, freedom)" is a musical conversation between cultures. It's a space where the marimba and cello blend with Korean jazz to create a sound that is unique, open, and full of emotion. The title reflects the project's origins: "isla" (island) represents their home, landscape, and Atlantic heritage, while "자유 / jayu," the Korean word for freedom, captures the boundless spirit of jazz.

Socos Dúo's compositions are designed as starting points. They use marimba, percussion, and electronics to create musical ideas and moods, which then form the basis for the dialogue with the Korean trio. The result is a kind of "structured improvisation," a balance between careful planning and spontaneous creativity. The entire album was recorded in one continuous take, without any edits or retakes, to maintain the natural feel and authenticity of the performance.

Each track on the album – "Camino (무지개 / Rainbow)," "Alma (바람 / Wind)," "Raíces (노래 / Song)," "Tiempo (꿈 / Dream)," and "Luz (마음 / Heart/Mind)" – takes listeners on a journey through personal feelings and shared experiences. In these songs, time seems to expand, melodies shift, and moments of silence are as important as the music itself. The album turns improvisation into storytelling and explores different sounds to find common ground.

The song titles themselves create a connection between Spanish and Korean words and meanings. "Camino" (Path) is paired with 무지개 (Rainbow), suggesting a colorful journey between the two cultures. "Alma" (Soul) becomes 바람 (Wind), symbolizing the breath that connects distant places. "Raíces" (Roots) connects with 노래 (Song), turning memory into music. "Tiempo" (Time) merges with 꿈 (Dream), blurring past and present. And "Luz" (Light) finds its counterpart in 마음 (Heart/Mind), a Korean word that covers both emotion and thought. This interplay of language and music creates an invisible link between the Canary Islands and Korea, uniting the two cultures through sound and meaning.

With nearly twenty years of experience, Socos Dúo, made up of César Martín (marimba, percussion, and electronics) and Ciro Hernández (cello), is known for its distinctive sound within the music scene of the Canary Islands. They have consistently explored the blend of tradition and modernity, incorporating contemporary music, jazz, and electronics, and collaborating with artists from various fields. Their previous albums, including "These Times We Are Living" (2014), "Mantra" (2017), "The Way" (2021), "Miniatures I" (2023), and "Miniatures II" (2025), showcase their ongoing artistic development. Their core belief remains that music, when shared, has the power to inspire change.

With "Isla 자유 (Jayu, freedom)," Socos Dúo begins a new chapter in their musical journey. This album is a project that crosses borders, celebrating freedom as a universal language that connects people across the globe.