Basque Music - Basque Musical Revival

Basque Musical Revival

In the wake of the Civil War (1936-1937 in the Basque territory), headway made in the Basque culture in the pre-war period ground to a halt: Fear grew amidst harsh repression, famine became an overriding concern, and former cultural figures died or ran for their lives to exile. As an individual singing figure of the 40s, 50s and 60s, Luis Mariano and his powerful tenor voice should be highlighted. Born in Irun and moving in his 20s to Bordeaux, he jumped onto the Spanish and international scene with lighthearted songs in Spanish and French (and, occasionally, in Basque). After the hardest post-war years had gone by, the younger generation set about putting together duos and small musical groups in Gipuzkoa and Biscay, who gradually began singing original tunes in Basque. Notable bands from the 60s include Urretxindorrak, Enarak, Soroak and Estitxu (female singer born to fleeing parents near Bayonne). These new bands sought to take advantage of the regime's increasing liberalization, despite the fact that major obstacles that still hindered cultural activity associated with anything Basque. Cultural and political awareness, social rebelliousness and an urge for action cropped up in succeeding generations, resulting in a new left-leaning Basque nationalist movement.

Some people from the southern Basque Country fled the territory to the Northern Basque Country and sought refuge. They left their imprint in the traditional Basque society from the Northern Basque Country, contributing to giving rise to cultural and political awareness. In this category is Mixel Labeguerie, who worked and lived in Kanbo, its mayor for more than a decade (1965–1980), Councillor General of the department and a founder of Basque nationalist movement Enbata (he walked out later). He had a musical education, soaked up the new European musical trends, e.g. Brassens, folk music from England and France, and released an album in 1961 with songs that struck a chord, such as Gu gira Euskadiko, Primaderako liliak, etc. He was to have influence on the new artistic Basque group "Ez dok amairu" put together in 1965, largely made up of folk singer-songwriters concerned with Basque culture: Benito Lertxundi, Mikel Laboa (popular song "Txoriak txori"), Xabier Lete, Lourdes Iriondo, etc. Lourdes Iriondo took to singing accompanied on a guitar for the first time in Basque music, a fact that came in for much criticism on the grounds that the instrument was alien to the own culture. "Ez dok amairu" broke up in 1972 and its members took up separate paths that eventually have confirmed some of them as acclaimed and key folk Basque singers up to the 2000s. Along the lines of singer-songwriter style, in a context of social and political unrest, it is worth mentioning Guk, Larralde eta Etxamendi or the beloved duo Pantxoa eta Peio from the Northern Basque Country, who provide the musical background for the 70s period of struggle, repression and turmoil. Especially in the provinces of Álava and Navarre, Enrike Zelaia (Altsasu) and Gorka Knörr struck a chord with a more folkloric and nuanced approach.

Meanwhile, new and more urban style musical ensembles and bands sprang up in the 70s, performing first to other's songs of the time at summer local festivities. Yet they gradually developed their own repertoire fashioned in line with the Basque revival and activism (special focus on the lyrics) and ongoing Western musical trends, e.g. folk (Gwendal for one), progressive rock (Pink Floyd,...). As regards choral bands, Mocedades from Bilbao should be highlighted, founded in 1967 initially by Amaya Uranga and two sisters of her. They soon gained public notability by ranking second at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest. That very year in the same city the prolific Oskorri band (see above) got together featuring folk music, launching first album in 1976, where they paid homage to poet Gabriel Aresti, while in the Northern Basque Country Michel Ducau and Anje Duhalde teamed up and put together the first Basque rock band: The celebrated and politically engagé Errobi, releasing album Errobi (1975) to critic and public acclaim, Bizi bizian ensued. The group disbanded (not definitely) in 1979.

Beginning at the mid-60s, Imanol Larzabal led a solo career as a singer/songwriter, featuring a deep voice as well as a socially committed and poetic subjects, with the collaboration of domestic and foreign poets and singers. He went through a short period in prison and came back from exile in 1977. Friend of his and son of emigrant Souletin parents, Niko Etxart came back to the Basque Country from Paris with brand-new ideas about music in 1972, so turning into a forerunner of Basque rock music (Euskal Rock&Roll released in 1979) alongside the band Errobi, while especially in the traditional Northern Basque Country some lashed out at his looks, manners and music. He alternately performed onstage in "verbenas" (dancing music in local festivities) with the band Minxoriak up to the late 80s. In the area of Mutriku, Itoiz, a milestone in Basque folk-pop music, was formed in 1978, with Juan Carlos Perez as its lead vocalist and frontman, releasing that very year the critically acclaimed album Itoiz, which contained such poignant tracks as Hilzori, Lau teilatu etc. Akin ensemble Haizea delivered a couple of good LPs in this period.

Up to that point, Basque music bands from the Southern Basque Country resorted to labels from Spain to record and release their works. Yet at the end of the 70s and notably early in the 80s new regional labels arose (Xoxoa, Soñua...), providing a springboard for small bands that previously found it difficult to see their works published. At the same time, a whole network of youth squats, the gaztetxes, sprang up all over the Basque Country, so furnishing small bands with premises to rehearse and a venue to stage concerts, in a way that a younger disaffected and unruly generation stemming from urban sprawls and towns could find an outlet to voice its protest along the lines of a punk outlook ("do it yourself"). 1984 is the year for the outbreak of punk rock or so-called Basque Radical Rock or Rock Radical Vasco in Spanish.

Some popular bands jumping into the rock scene of the time were Zarama and Eskorbuto from Santurtzi, rocky Barricada and whimsical Tijuana in Blue from Pamplona, La Polla Records from Agurain, Kortatu and Baldin Bada from Irun, Hertzainak, Cicatriz and Potato from Vitoria-Gasteiz, Jotakie, RIP, Naste Borraste, MCD, BAP, Zer Bizio, Delirium Tremens, etc. Most of the times Spanish language was used, sometimes Basque, while other times bands were bilingual. This new musical trend clashed with the previous singer-songwriter tradition (generation gap), so much so that both were linked to different degrees to the leftist and Basque nationalist movement. Meanwhile, Itoiz kept its low-profile musical path switching to pop in the accomplished album Musikaz blai (three more LP albums followed), featuring internationally acclaimed songs like To Alice, As Noites da Radio Lisboa or the catchy Marea gora.

Other bands of the late 80s stack to a different path, gentle and even naïve, using Spanish-language lyrics and along the lines of a pop tradition, take for instance, Duncan Dhu (with leading figure Mikel Erentxun), 21 Japonesas or Sanchis y Jocano, bands from the area of Donostia. Duncan Dhu especially attained big levels of popularity on the Spanish and international pop scene, giving rise to a tradition in ensuing years that was to be called "Donosti Sound" (Le Mans, La Oreja de Van Gogh,...).