Amorante, Hofe X 4:40, Merina Gris y Maren en el próximo ciclo de Artistas en Ruta

Artistas en ruta circuit, organised by AIE (Music Performers´ Management Entity), has already announced the Basque groups that will give concerts in different venues throughout Spain during the first half of 2024: Amorante, Hofe x 4:40, Merina Gris and Maren.

AIEnRUTa- Artistas is a programme aimed at promoting live music and bringing rising talent to the public. It achieves its goal by establishing a series of live music performances at various venues in Spain throughout the year. Many well-known artists have performed on the circuit, including Neomak, Airu, Kulto Kultibo, Verde Prato, Amak, Lukiek, Ezpalak, Bulego, Idoia, Dupla, Olatz Salvador, Zetak, Xabi Aburruzaga and Liher.

Each year AIEnRuta offers two seasons: the first runs from January to June and the second from September to December. The groups are selected by a committee made up of journalists, theatre programmers and cultural managers across Spain. In the last quarter of 2023, Ødei, Parabellum, MICE and Olaia Inziarte will give concerts at various venues under the auspices of AIEnRuta.

The Etxepare Basque Institute collaborates with AIEnRUTa-Artistas to guarantee the participation of Basque musicians in the two annual music circuit calls (January-June and September-December).

Amorante is a project and stage name of Iban Urizar (Elgoibar 1975). Urizar has been performing and creating music since 2014. He defines his music as ‘folk’, and plays with improvisation in his songs. He crafts compositions that take listeners on a voyage through both traditional and cutting-edge music, embracing versatility and experimentation as fundamental elements.

HOFE x 4:40 is the name of the project formed by vocalist Igotz Mendez (Hofe) and producers Xabier Lafuente and Marcos Galech (4:40). While the solid musical alliance among the three young musicians is fairly recent, the trio has been making a significant impact on the Iruña music scene for over five years. Previously their music formed part of the collective Nibbass, with which they achieved a considerable reputation in the underground scene of the Basque Country. 

Founded in Donostia in 2020, Merina Gris is a three-member Basque band: Sara, Julen and Paskal. The group creates pop music with a powerful synthesizer presence. Their lyrics contemplate the inner conflict of embracing one’s true self within the fabric of our modern society.  In terms of aesthetics, they meticulously curate their stage presence, integrating audiovisual elements into their artistic vision.

Maren began writing her first songs at the age of eleven. At 14, she released her first EP "Alguien Sin Vergüenza", recorded in the 48 Volts studio in Barcelona, together with Catalan producer John Caballés, mixing songs in Basque, Spanish and English. In 2021, now an adult, she released her latest EPs: "Margaritas y Lavanda" and "Begixetan", the latter entirely in Basque.