Maletak represents a return to the concept of the travelling album, bringing together more than one hundred artists from different musical traditions across the Iberian Peninsula. In this project, popular sounds are not presented as separate blocks but instead intertwine, generating sonic landscapes in which borders disappear and musical territories expand.

The visual concept of the album combines suitcases with Kepa and different members of Sorginak featuring animal heads, inspired by photographs by Igotz Ziarreta. All the images of the musicians were taken at Kepa’s home in Busturia, and the animal heads were later added through photomontage using images by Tambako The Jaguar, a Swiss photographer who generously granted the rights. Kepa defines the aesthetic as “surrealist, yet highly visual”, adding: “Suitcases are our heads; they hold what is essential inside them. They are extensions, balance and an appreciation of what’s humble, of the origin of everything.”

Throughout the album, Kepa is the only constant musician, performing on trikitixa and percussion. Depending on the track, he is joined by Ibon Koteron, Oreka Tx, Daniel do Pando (Galician horn), José Luis Montón and Josete Ordóñez (Spanish guitars), Antonio Serrano (harmonica), Diego Galaz (violin and mandolin), Germán Díez (hurdy-gurdy) and Pedro Lamas (saxophones and bagpipes). The voices of Sorginak, Ion Elustondo, Beloki and Xabi Solano are added to this ensemble, creating a musical journey through the Basque Country, Castile and León (Eliseo Parra, Gritsanda), Catalonia, Aragon, Cantabria, Galicia (Xabier Díaz and Adufeiras de Salitre), Castilla-La Mancha (Hermanos Cubero, La Ronda de Motilleja), Asturias (Pandereteres de Fitoria), Extremadura (Acetre) and Huesca (Olga y Los Ministriles). For this reason, the recording process took place across nearly twenty different studios. Xabier Sarasola contributed vocal arrangements on several pieces, particularly in support of Sorginak.

The repertoire consists of seventeen original songs, seven of them sung, with lyrics by Jon Maia, Mikel Sarriegi and other authors. The title track, “Maletak”, stands out for its length and combines verses by bertsolari Andoni Egaña with popular lyrics in Spanish, Galician and Catalan, alongside fragments by Antonio Machado. The graphic proposal includes ten still lifes by Igotz Ziarreta set against black backgrounds —globes, instrument cases, branches and albokas— which contrast with the luminous photograph of Kepa and Sorginak on the flysch cliffs of Zumaia, taken by Santi Yaniz. Besides, the edition also includes ten postcards playing with the idea of suitcases, while the overall design and layout were created by Le Patafisic Cabinet (Alberto Palomera and Rober Garay).

Record label: Infernuko Auspoa & FOL & BOA. Production: Kepa Junkera.