TedKelly first heard Los Desterrados – ‘The Exiles’ in mid 2005 and for the past two years looked to secure the London sextet for The WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road. Their latest release ‘Tu’ has enabled Los Desterrrados to create their own radical, rousing and rootsy take on the ancient folk music of the Sephardic Jews. Their Abbey Road performance was mesmerizing and forever memorable. "It was amazing to play somewhere so iconic and it meant so much to all of us. We grew up driving past these studios with their wall constanly covered with graffiti. Many thanks to Ted Kelly and Tania Shillam and everyone at Worldspace Satellite Radio for inviting us down and giving us such a good time."
As the Gipsy Kings reinvigorated flamenco and the Gotan Project revitalised tango so Los Desterrados have brought vibrant new life to the ancient music of the Sephardic Jews. Fusing Spanish Flamenco and the fiery Gypsy melodies of the Balkans and Greece with the rhythms of Morocco and Turkey, Los Desterrados have created a rootsy Mediterranean sound that is wholly their own. Featuring traditional instruments such as the cajón and ‘oud with vocals in Ladino, the language of the Sephardic Jews, or Hebrew, the unconventional arrangements and rousing rhythms Los Des wield are heavily influenced by the music they’ve all grown up on as native North Londoners - rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, folk, flamenco, funk and soul.