The Cavern
Rock & Words
EXTREMODURO
"Concreté la fecha de mi muerte con Satán.
Le engañé y ahora no hay quien me pare ya los pies"
“D+”
Main Decade: 90’s, 00’s
Main Eras:
90s Rock En Ñ: The Golden Age
00s Rock En Ñ: The Dispersion
Key Members:
Roberto Iniesta, Robe: Vocals, Guitar
Iñaki Antón: Guitar
Miguel Colino: Bass
José Ignacio Cantera: Drums
Key Songs:
Jesucristo García, So Payaso, Prometeo, Buscando Una Luna, La Hoguera, Pedrá, El Día De La Bestia, Extremaydura, De Acero, Si Te Vas..., Standby, Tu Corazón, Tango Suicida,Bribriblibli, Sucede, Decidí, Desidia, Quemando Tu Recuerdo, Puta, La Ley Innata, Golfa, Otra Inútil Canción Para La Paz, Dulce Introducción Al Caos
If you live in Spain, you'll surely Extremoduro doesn't need much of an introduction. I'm sure you'll mention Jesucristo García, So Payaso, El Día de la Bestia, and other such rough-edged passions. But if you don't live in Spain, their name might mean nothing to you, and you might need someone to guide you through this strange and sinister landscape. Paradoxically, Extremoduro derived the key to their national success from marginality and confrontation with the system, but that same aversion to established channels and record promotion—combined with their unconventional and unsettling artistic approach—hindered their international reach.
The first thing to know is that, basically, and to put it very simply, Extremoduro is Roberto Iniesta, whom we all know as Robe. He is the band's founder, vocalist, guitarist, composer, lyricist, and soul. And for a long time, the only permanent member. The second thing to know is that their style is rather peculiar. When describing them, the easy and common approach is to use the term "Transgressive Rock," which they themselves coined. But if we're going to use vocabulary common to all bands, things get complicated. It would have to be said that Extremoduro takes very specific elements from various genres. There we find the power of Hard Rock, the anger of Punk against the system and everything that moves, the honest and worldly poetry of Urban Rock... and we also see Jazz, Symphonic Rock, Progressive Rock, and even touches of what's known as Andalusian Rock...
Except for a few specific songs, their music isn't immediately appealing; it requires several listens for the ear to adjust to Robe's raspy voice and swagger, his roguish humor, his vocabulary overflowing with outrageous profanity, and his constant references to drugs and sex. References to sex and drugs are sometimes disguised with a poetic undertone, but other times (most often, especially on the early albums) are presented without any subtlety, ruthlessly explicit and vulgar.
Robe founded Extremoduro back in 1987, and the beginnings were truly difficult. Without financial resources or future prospects, they had to be resourceful to get by, resorting to a primitive form of crowdfunding, selling vouchers redeemable for the band's first album to bar patrons. The sales of those vouchers were enough to finance the recording of a demo they titled Rock Transgresivo, which fell into the right hands and led to their first record deal with a very modest label called Avispa Music. It was a predatory contract that forced the band to cover all recording costs, leaving Avispa only responsible for distribution, but the urgency of the moment forced them to sign whatever came their way. Extremoduro's first album, Tú En Tu Casa, Nosotros En La Hoguera (You at Home, We at the Bonfire), arrived in 1989 with very poor production and truly terrible sound. Despite featuring a good number of what are now considered classics of the band, such as La Hoguera (The Bonfire), Romperás (You Will Break), Decidí (I Decided), Extremaydura, and especially Jesucristo García (Jesus Christ Garcia), this album was only destined to achieve some local success. And that's exactly what happened.
Ultimately, disagreements at all levels with Avispa Records—especially financial ones—led Robe to break his contract and seek his fortune elsewhere. He immediately signed with another independent label, Área Recreativa, with whom he released Somos Unos Animales (We Are Animals). While better produced than its predecessor, it was a mere 10,000 copies, falling far short of demand. This infuriated Robe, who once again broke with the label.
But Extremoduro continued to grow, and their third record deal came from none other than DRO, the country's most important independent label, which at the time was in the midst of being acquired by the all-powerful Warner. They were now, by default, on the payroll of a multinational corporation! This moment of artistic triumph coincided with Robe's separation from his wife and children and with a period of excess and great lack of control as they finally found themselves with plenty of money. It was the beginning of a chaotic period perfectly reflected in the darkness of Deltoya and the extreme alienation of ¿Dónde Están Mis Amigos?, the band's third and fourth albums, respectively. During this time, they took advantage of the resources now available to them to re-release their debut album, which had left them so dissatisfied. The recordings from that early demo, which they had financed with vouchers, were remixed, some tracks were re-recorded, several acoustic songs were added, and finally, the record was renamed with the original and now definitive title, Rock Transgresivo (Transgressive Rock). They also re-released Somos Unos Animales (We Are Animals), but no changes were needed for this one.
Their next vinyl, the difficult Pedrá, had actually been recorded almost two years earlier for a side project of Robe's, but DRO wouldn't release it unless it was under the name Extremoduro. This record would be a prime example of how unwilling they were to make concessions to the industry. Needing to get a song played on the main radio stations—an essential step to enter the sales charts in a country accustomed to blindly following trends—they released a completely anti-commercial album, with a single song of more than 30 minutes that is pure fusion. Even so, Warner insisted that the song be played on Los 40 Principales (a popular Spanish radio station). I see Mr. Ian Anderson wants to say something... Right?... Well, then, let's continue.
Finally, Robe's ideas and life settled. In 1995, a certain Alex de la Iglesia triumphed in cinemas with his first feature film: The Day of the Beast, whose soundtrack included a song of the same name by Extremoduro from their upcoming sixth LP: Agila. Agila was the turning point. Suddenly, topping the sales charts was a band that had refused to promote their work through the usual channels and that the media had ignored. The triumph of the marginal. The beginning of triumph, in reality, since from then on, each of Extremoduro's five albums after Agila has always been at the top, and they have gone from a cult band to a successful band that has inspired countless offshoots throughout the country.
And once they reached the top, what changed? To begin with, the way they were treated by the media changed. The praise kept pouring in from places that had previously ignored them, and Robe's already inflated ego continued to grow. The band also gained stability in its lineup, gradually approaching its definitive formation (which it reached in 2001 and which remains to this day). The band's style also changed, becoming more experimental and increasingly flirting with Symphonic Rock and Progressive Rock. Their music may have lost some of its freshness along the way, but it gained nuance. However, despite this evident and intentional evolution, they have strived to maintain their marginal and anti-establishment image, which might sound less convincing with overflowing pockets. But whether their attitude is genuine or feigned, there's no doubt that Extremoduro and their improbable success are now a part of Spanish Rock history. Like it or not.
by marlaior
Mar/23/2016
