punk.cat: SKATALÀ

Monday 3 January 2022

SKATALÀ

"fent d'aqui"

Year: 1987

Country: Spain

City: Barcelona

Label: B-Core

Format: CD, LP

Tracks: 11

Time: 36 min.

Genre: rock

Style: Ska

In the summer of 85, six friends gather in a rehearsal to recall the sounds that made London tremble in the late 70's and early 80's, punk music at its most authentic (Oi! Music) and Jamaican ska groups rose for the label Two Tone (Specials, Madness, The Beat ,...). Skatalà Thus was born the legendary band that would become a mythical reference to the Spanish ska scene. The choice of name was the result of the application of complex mathematical formulas: ska + català = Skatalà.

His music was from the beginning a combination made from switch and fuse ska and Oi!, Explosive mix that characterizes them, though in the course of time was becoming more important ska, among other things due to the consolidation of section saxophones and occupied by tenured undisputed keyboardist.

Like most bands with an extensive background Skatalà underwent several changes since its initial formation, but beyond the reasons that could have caused these changes, it is noteworthy that proved fruitful as some of these divisions, as founding members of Skatalà were the germ of other bands from Barcelona Tension Friends, Front Pilsen, or Dr.Calypso Knockouts.

In 1987 they recorded their first demo titled Fent D'Aqui and was a success for the band, both by welcoming the audience and the level of sales. That model, which represented the birth of ska sung in Catalan, was reissued on vinyl in 1991 by the label Sock It skazine FBI Records and distributed by Semaphore, becoming the first official length of the band. Fifteen after its first edition, still selling pirated copies of the original tape.

That band was three years offering numerous concerts throughout Catalonia and Euskadi and visiting France. This led them to be selected by the British label Unicorn Records to appear on the album Planet Ska, the first global gathering of groups of ska, with bands from USA, Europe and Australia.

After a period (1989-90) of impasse, where the band breaks up in different formations with the subsequent consolidation phase of a new group begins its journey back to the stage with a vengeance. This arises from the publication of the first collection of ska groups of the State, Latin Ska Festival, which is included as a precursor to ska Skatalà in Spain and as undisputed father of the other participating bands.

Working-class style that characterizes them in the beginning, the new line goes into a power-ska sound of much higher quality but without losing its roots jovial tavern or the powerful strength of their live performances. This is starting to pique the interest of the record Catalan and finally, in March 1993 signed a contract with Al.leluia Captain Swing Records, whose first product was the publication of which would be the second album and first official CD of the band Borinot Borinot.

Thus begins a relentless climb that leads them to be requested by the most prestigious festivals of state: Reggus Reus U-Zona Reggae Torello, BAM Barcelona, Mercat de la Música Viva de Vic, Asparagus Rock of Granada, the Fall Festival Pop-Rock Non-Stop in Barcelona or the Doctor Music Festival of the Pyrenees, having participated in more than one occasion in one of them. Similarly, his television appearances pass local emissions of its principles to regional channels and state participation in the C33 Sputnik, the Zone 2 or the Marathon of TV3.

This will rise to the top of the scene Skatalites, which continued until 1997, after the publication in 1994 of his second CD, Un de Nou, going on tour in Italy (Padua, Milan and Bologna), acting Paris and seeing their songs in various published global compilations edited by Moon Records (USA), Heatwave (Germany) or Gridalo Forte (Italy), becoming the band's most international Spanish ska that time, even to distribute their albums Japanese market himself.

On July 97, Quique leaves his post as second singer of the band. After the tour this summer, keyboardist Joan Diaz and sax Jordi Prats & Guim Garcia (who had replaced Nacho Romero same year) also decide to move on. Finally, in early 1998 the rest of the band leaves the trials and cancels all its actions. Since then, Skatalà did not reappear on the stage, finally confirming the rumors of their breakup.

In the middle of that year, the seal Baobab Music Records Al.leluia edited In Concerto, the fourth official album of the band. It was a recording "pirate" made four years before in Padua during his tour of Italy. In late 2001, the label reissued the model Subway Fent D'Aqui, this time on CD and adding four songs recorded live in one of the first performances of the band. Later Whiplash Records acquired the rights in Concert, reissued in 2002.

In 2005, reunited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its formation with a mini tour of Catalunya. At the same time you edit Llunàtics, a CD containing the themes "Borinot Borinot" and "Uno de Nou" and also appear in the compilation official FC Barcelona Més Que un Club with its iconic "Fem D'Aquí".

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