Born out of a desire to shed light on experimental artists from the Basque Country in Northern Spain, London-based DJ and promoter Mikel Acosta has launched Hegoa Records as a space for the overlooked works of early and contemporary folk, leftfield and electronic artists.
The Basque Country has long been a region with a strong socio-political history, so it’s no surprise that rougher sounds like punk, classic rock and heavy metal have dominated the musical landscape, however, under the surface, there were (and still are) smaller pockets of artists exploring other musical terrain.
This includes Angel Katarain, a key figure in the region’s humble yet prolific folk and rock scene. Despite being one of the few sound engineers who recorded and produced most of the music that came out of the Basque Country in the 70s and 80s, at the time he never officially released any of his own music — it was never made with commercial purposes, only for himself.
It wasn’t until 2001 that these oddball folk albums—which were recorded after working hours during his time as an engineer between 1983-1993—were made available to the public digitally, and now, on Hegoa Records, a carefully-curated selection of these works are being pressed to vinyl for the first time.
Angel Katarain will be released on 5th March – grab your copy from Hegoa.
A Brief History Of Post-Franco Basque Music -
[…] Hegoa Diskak’s movements and listen to Angel Katarain’s ‘Hypatia II’, taken off the first release on the […]