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FERMIN MUGURUZA (Musician and filmmaker)

Fermín Muguruza is an unquestionable figure on the international music scene. Originally from Irún, in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the early 80s he founded one of the most influential Basque groups: Kortatu. This band, strongly politically and socially committed, started singing in Spanish, switching to Euskera as Muguruza learned the language, while adding touches of ska, punk and reggae.

In the late 80s, Fermín Muguruza entered a new stage during which he combined his work as a radio host, directing the musical magazine Igo Bolumena (Pump Up the Volume) for the defunct Radio Egin, with the creation of his new group, Negu Gorriak, going on to tour Europe and America together. Meanwhile, he created the Esan Ozenki label, which published his records and helped several bands to take their first steps. Having made 6 records, the members of the group went their own ways and Muguruza launched a solo career packed with collaborations and different musical styles including reggae, funk, jazz and electronic.

In 2003, he set out on the Jai Alai Katumbi Express world tour with Manu Chao, one of his best friends from the Kortatu period, playing a medley of numbers from their long careers. Following the 2004 international tour with his own band, Fermin Muguruza Kontrabanda, in 2006 his new TALKA label signed the work Euskal Herria Jamaika Clash, recorded in Jamaica and featuring many of the country’s big music names. This experience led to his first documentary, "Bass-que Culture", describing how the record was made at the Marley family studios.

In 2008, he published his last studio work to date, Asmathic Lion Sound Systema, recorded in over 20 different cities the world over, and directed the documentary "Checkpoint Rock. Canciones desde Palestina", a film which went on to become a reference at San Sebastian Festival in 2009. He also wrote the soundtrack for the short El salto de Beamon, composed the songs for the play Xomorroak (Bizitza Lorontzian)/Bichitos (La vida en el tiesto) and created the soundtrack for Jesús Garay’s movie Mirant al Cel.

The last work by Muguruza has been the direction of a documentary series called NEXT MUSIC STATION, about music in Arab world, covering Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen and Sudan, for Al Jazeera Documentary Channel and Al Jazeera English, which is broadcasting this 2011.

When Arrate Rodriguez, a multidisciplinary artist finds out that two girls students of fine arts at the University of Bilbao are planning to start a riot grrrl rock band together, she shows up on the scene, eager to make various suggestions. Not just about artistic vision and aesthetics as a whole, but also about ways to increase public concern and build hype. She quickly becomes a key element within the band. Always armed with her camera, Arrate records their every move, every step of the way, as they bring their project to life.

Arrate will present conversations that band members have amongst themselves regarding various topics that are relevant to them, and shed some light on how they intend to weave such topics into their songs. As such, we will witness talks about sex, the current world situation, urban tribes and worldwide styles, the choice of a particular language to sing their songs in, as well as the fundamental pilars of a society they despise, such as family and other structures of social control.

All these different themes will resonate in the songs the band creates together, which they intend to perform live at different venues, also through the creation of video clips and other little film documentaries designed for internet, in addition to the set up of shows and their respective choreographies.

The band - whose name is Zuloak, meaning “Holes” in the Basque language - will play small venues at first, until they start catching up with fame and become more and more successful with time.  Such success will evidently bring, along with recognition, serious issues that they won’t be able to cope with.