Saca la Lengua

Formed after the merger of Aristogatos and Los Dalton, Duncan Dhu made their appearance on the Gipuzkoan capital’s scene shortly after the decline of the Donosti Sound; and in the midst of a radical Basque rock scene with which they had very little to do either aesthetically or musically. Influenced by country, acoustic rockabilly and the literature of Robert Louis Stevenson—whose character in <i>Kidnapped</i> inspired their name—Mikel Erentxun, Diego Vasallo and Juanra Viles debuted in 1985 with the <i>Por tierras escocesas</i> mini-album. The band’s virtues were even more notable in the LP released the following year, <i>Canciones</i>. Surpassing the most optimistic expectations, the album elevated the group to Spanish pop aristocracy. Thanks to singles like “Cien Gaviotas”, “Jardín de Rosas” and “Esos Ojos Negros”, the somewhat more complex sonorities with which they would replace their early works’ naked acoustics were already visible.