Spain, 1974, Euskal Kantagintza Berria, singer-songwriter
Mikel Laboa – Bat-Hiru: Apparently this one some kind of experimental take on Basque music, and thus the second disc of this three-disc work was banned. Hence the name Bat-Hiru, meaning “one-three”, because the second disc was missing for a while. I really like the instrumentation—or rather lack thereof—on this album. There’s a bit here and there, like a lazy accordion, but mostly it’s just a single voice and a delicate acoustic guitar, not necessarily aiming for a strong melody but rather going for a more evocative expression. There are some avant-garde moments, however, not only with the manipulation of the electric guitar sounds but also the crazy vocals on the last track, a 12-minute meandering. About the genre: “Euskal Kantagintza Berria was a cultural movement born in the Basque Country during the 1960s inspired by Nova cançó and Chanson. At a time when the Basque culture was oppressed, traditional songs were disguised in new musical forms, and political and social issues were subtly introduced to wake up the Basque people” (RYM).
Museum Musica 