Duncan Dhu is a Spanish group created in

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in 1984. Its original members were

Mikel Erentxun Mikel Erentxun (born 23 February 1965) is a Venezuelan-born Spanish rock musician of Basque heritage. Formerly with the group Duncan Dhu, he started his solo career in 1992. He has released 16 albums as a solo artist and has covered The Smith ...

(former singer in "Aristogatos"), Diego Vasallo and Juan Ramón Viles (former members of "Los Dalton"). Nowadays, it mainly consists of Mikel and Diego. The group's style was based on an acoustic and simple pop-rock with a touch of rockabilly in great contrast with the more radical rock played in the area at the time. After being signed by

Grabaciones Accidentales Grabaciones Accidentales, SA ( en, Accidental Recordings; often abbreviated to GASA) is a Spanish independent record label founded in 1981 by Paco Trinidad with members of the bands Esclarecidos and Décima Víctima. In addition to publishing a ...

, S.A. they contributed with two songs (''Mi Amor'' and ''Bésame Mucho'') to the new bands compilation ''La única alternativa'' (''The Only Alternative''). In 1985 the group recorded its first album, ''Por Tierras Escocesas'' (''Around Scottish Lands''), and ''Canciones'' (''Songs'') a year later, both produced by Paco Trinidad. The songs were immediately successful and gave the group big popularity. After even more successful ''El Grito del Tiempo'' (''Cry for our Times'', 1987) and ''Grabaciones Olvidadas'' (''Forgotten Recordings'', a compilation of B-Sides, 1989) it became a duo and recorded the double album ''Autobiografía'' (''Autobiography''), with collaborations by

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

and Sam Brown among others. The album was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Latin Performance in 1991. The group later also had several hits such as ''Esos Ojos Negros'' ("Those Black Eyes"). The group finally ceased to exist as a band after the release of "Crepúsculo y Crudités" (''Sunset and

Crudités Crudités (, ) are French appetizers consisting of sliced or whole raw vegetables which are typically dipped in a vinaigrette or other dipping sauce. Examples of crudités include celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, bell pepper st ...

''), which was more orchestrated and softer than its older music. The group's most-known hit is ''En Algún Lugar'' ("In Some Place" / "Somewhere"). The song was initially featured in ''Canciones'', but it was the remix included on ''El Grito del Tiempo'' that became widely popular. The name Duncan Dhu comes from the book ''

Kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Ca ...

'' by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

, in which there is a character named Duncan Dhu, who is a lover of music. "I need not say if I was pleased to see him; Mrs. Maclaren, our hostess, thought nothing good enough for such a guest; and as Duncan Dhu (which was the name of our host) had a pair of pipes in his house, and was much of a lover of music, this time of my recovery was quite a festival, and we commonly turned night into day."

Discography

*''Por Tierras Escocesas'' (1984) *''Canciones'' (1986) *''El Grito del Tiempo'' (1987), Cry for our Times (1987, published on Les Disques du Crépuscule, TWI 876) *''Grabaciones Olvidadas'' (1989) *''Autobiografía'' (1989) *''Supernova'' (1991) *''Piedras'' (1994) *''Teatro Victoria Eugenia'' (1995) *''Colección 1985-1998'' (1998) *''Crepúsculo'' (2001) *''El Duelo'' (2013) *''1'' (2013)

References

Basque music bands Rock en Español music groups Sire Records artists Musical groups established in 1984 {{Spain-band-stub