Since medieval times, pilgrims have flocked to the city of Santiago in Compostela in northwestern Spain to visit the shrine of St. James the Apostle. In October, Santiago welcomed thousands of a different kind of seeker as more than two thousand delegates from 90 countries came to the 20th edition of Womex 2014 – (World Music Expo) – to experience 60 concerts on seven stages and take the pulse of the international music industry.

And we were there to take it all in! This first part of our recap spends some time with artist-producer Rafa Kotcherha to find out about the amazing eco-musical Wapapura project that uses solar energy to record music in spectacularly beautiful settings, as well as stream those concerts and DJ parties. Power from and to the sun! We also chatted with official showcase selection artist Santiago de Compostela’s Davide Salvado about his indie neo-folk take on Galician music, and Calima, another official showcasing ensemble from Barcelona, on the evolution of their nuevo flamenco sound.

Come take a trip to Santiago de Compostela with me!