Fermin Muguruza

Fermin Muguruza is a Basque rock musician, singer, songwriter, producer and record label manager. He's brother of musicians Iñigo Muguruza and Jabier Muguruza and is one of the personalities interviewed for the Julio Medem's documentary film The Basque Ball: Skin Against Stone (2003).

Music career and socio-political views
Muguruza has taken part in more than twenty albums, and is one of the most important artists from the Basque Country.

In 1983 he founded a fussion ska hardcore band called Kortatu, with his brother Iñigo and drummer Treku Armendariz, among the first to popularise ska in Spain. In 1988 the group disbanded, but Fermin and Iñigo would meet again in 1990 to create Negu Gorriak, along with Kaki Arkarazo, who had produced Kortatu's last records.

In 1997 collaborated with Dut in a record signed by Fermin Muguruza eta Dut.
Most recently he's developed a solo career, always defending the use of euskera and the need for social justice.

His socio-political views have created problems, especially in Spain outside the Basque Country, where he is continuously accused of being an apologist of ETA, the separatist terrorist organisation. He denies such accusations, expressing a desire towards a pacific process of independence, which he considers on abeyance until both parts would left behind their prejudices. This position, which Muguruza frequently argues for during interviews, contrast with his lyrics, which don't express criticism of ETA's violence — some of them, especially from his early career in the band Kortatu, show respect and estimation for ETA members: For instance, the song "Sarri, Sarri" (a Basque cover of Toots & the Maytals' "Chatty chatty") applauds the escape of two ETA members from prison. This contrasts with his persistent denunciation of the actions of the Basque, Spanish and French governments and police corps as well as of Spanish nationalist terrorist groups. In an international level, Fermin Muguruza holds acute left-wing views that lead him to criticize U.S. government, corporations and the globalization process, all of which he denounces as imperialistic and homogenizing apparatus.

Musically, he has diffused the situation in the Basque country (i.e. the oppression that, in his opinion, Spain has over Euskadi) and, although most of his lyrics are in Basque, his compositions are a melting pot of different cultures, with a big influence of Jamaican (Sisla, Anthony Bä) and electronic music (especially drum and bass), which he commonly mixes over Basque instruments.

Discography
Kortatu
Kortatu/Cicatriz/Jotakie/Kontuz Hi! (1985)
Kortatu (1985)
El estado de las cosas (1986)
Kolpez kolpe (1988)
Azken guda dantza (1988)

Negu Gorriak
Negu Gorriak (1990)
Gure Jarrera (1991)
Gora Herria (1991)
Borreroak Baditu Milaka Aurpegi (1993)
Hipokrisiari Stop! Bilbo 93-X-30 (1994)
Ideia Zabaldu (1995)
Ustelkeria (1996)
Salam, agur (1996)

Fermin Muguruza eta Dut
Ireki ateak (1997)

Fermin Muguruza
Amodio eta gorrotzko kantak (1984-1998) (1998)
Brigadistak Sound System (1999)
erREMIXak (1999)
FM 99.00 Dub Manifest (2000)
Korrika mundu bat euskarara bildu
In-komunikazioa
Irun Meets Bristol. Komunikazioa
Sala Apolo, Barcelona 21/01/04
99-04 DVD + CD
Xomorroak (Bizitza lorontzian)