AKATZ – Rudo Bilbao – CD

Label: Brixton Records
Code: BR-028-CD
Format: compact disc, album
Release: 5/02/2009

For over 15 years, there has been a band in Bilbao that, with pride and dedication, has played one of the most important roles within the Basque Jamaican scene: AKATZ. Without resorting to imitations, they have forged their identity through countless battles, concerts and recordings, eventually creating a musical personality all of their own – a world brimming with good vibes and dancefloor music, around which numerous satellites of black music revolve: ska, soul, rocksteady, jazz, R&B, swing, roots… But perhaps what was missing from his career was ‘the definitive album’ – a record with which he could point to the heavens and clearly make his mark. What a famous band from the 1960s called a ‘Masterpiece’, and that work is, without a shadow of a doubt, RUDO BILBAO..

Expressing their ‘Bilbao-ness’ and good taste with humour but without a trace of embarrassment, the 10 tracks that make up this album clearly showcase AKATZ in their purest form. All the power of their live performances has been faithfully reproduced at ‘A-Lone Muzik Studio’ and produced in collaboration with Roberto Sánchez, aka LONE ARK. The instrumental tracks are performed with passion in the purest Jamaican ‘big band’ style, and there is no doubt that the lyrics by their singer, songwriter and frontman Unai Quecedo (aka Bita) on the tracks ‘Rudo Bilbao’, ‘Luces’, ‘Na de na’, and by their guitarist Josu Santamaría on ‘Así eres tu’ and ‘Predispuesto a ska’ give this album a distinctly urban, nocturnal feel. Scenes of the city at night, in the clubs, on the streets. Stories of impossible loves, drunken nights or late-night encounters at the back of the bar. Songs that are sure to bring back more than one of your own experiences in your city. And especially if you’re from Bilbao, as this album is Unamuno, La Esperanza, Bilbi, Casco Viejo and, without a doubt, the Gran Vía of Jamaican Bilbao – a “Rudo Bilbao”.