EURIDIA – Reggae Lovers – CD

Label: Brixton Records (Silver Bullets)
Code: SB-002-CD
Format: compact disc, album
Release: 2006

EURIDIA is the musical project of Ibon Larruzea, a musician and producer working across various musical genres, with a particular focus on roots reggae. Currently dividing his time between northern Italy (Bergamo) and his native Bilbao, he has been working in music non-stop since 1992, the year in which he co-founded the Bilbao-based reggae-ska band, AKATZ. Numerous concerts, festivals and even awards attest to the success of this large group of musicians, in which Ibon sang and played the guitar. He has also been involved in various bands and recordings, many of them in his own recording studio, with his extensive collaborations with Roberto Sanchez – now known as Lone Ark – being particularly noteworthy.

*Reggae Lovers* (2006) is his first album under the name Euridia, and it presents 45 minutes of reggae that simulates a continuous recording session involving several musicians, although in reality the entire album was recorded by him alone. Particularly noteworthy is the importance of the vocal harmonies, where at times we find echoes of old-school reggae-soul, reggae-lovers, or even Arabic-Oriental atmospheres, taking us on a fantastic journey of harmonies which nevertheless remain grounded in reality at all times thanks to the steady tempo and the consistent key across all the tracks. The only collaboration on the entire album comes from the Additions, Akatz’s brass section, who provide brief touches throughout the record.

Euridia’s current stage set-up is very simple yet direct, as Ibon takes to the stage accompanied only by a microphone, his guitar and a pre-recorded backing track. This allows him to create an atmosphere of close rapport with the audience and to perform in venues where a large band cannot fit.