Kortatu

Kortatu were a ska and punk group from the Basque Country formed in Irun in the summer of 1984.

Although labeled from the beginning as a radical Basque rock, Kortatu tried to fight against any classification. They

Kortatu were a ska and punk group from the Basque Country formed in Irun in the summer of 1984.

Although labeled from the beginning as a radical Basque rock, Kortatu tried to fight against any classification. They also faced some censorship problems, especially when they tried to add a picture of Spanish monarch Juan Carlos I depicted as a robot. In the five year life span of the band they moved from ska to hip-hop, eventually disbanding the formation after seeing Public Enemy in Paris and creating Negu Gorriak. Although their lyrics also evolved from "party-ska" to "combat-rock" (in their last record all the songs were sang in Basque) the main tone stayed intact: police torture, oppression of the Basque people and the need for social justice are themes very present in their songs.