Trikitixa Zoom, Kepa’s third album, marked a decisive step in his artistic consolidation. After several unsuccessful attempts at the Euskal Herriko Trikitixa Txapelketa (the Basque Country Trikitxa Competition), in 1990 he entered the fifth edition of the Contemporary Folk Showcase for Young Performers, organised by the Youth Institute of the Spanish Ministry of Culture. His proposal won the competition and allowed him to record an album that would later be released by the folk-specialised label Nuba Records.

The production took place during the summer of 1991 at Elkar studios under the supervision of Jean Phocas. The cover, created by Navarrese photographer Xabi Otero, shows Kepa poised with his triki, ready to explore new sonic territories. This album reveals a shift in prominence: Oskorri members appear on only a few compositions, while his regular band —Alberto Rodríguez, Javier Alzola, Aitor Landeta and newly incorporated bassist Agustín Guereñu— consolidated itself, defining both the studio sound and the live performances. Additional guest musicians included Frédéric Gaillardet, Xavi Turull, Arkadiusz T. Czyzewski, Joseba Tapia and Motriku.

The album contains eleven tracks, only two of them sung: “Arrapaladan”, with lyrics by Jon Sarasua, and “Ene izar maitea”, written by Xabier Amuriza, both performed by Imanol Urkizu, who also contributed pandero on several songs. For the first time, Kepa shared composition credits with members of the band: Alberto contributed to two tracks and Agustín to one. Half of the compositions maintain traditional rhythms —two kalejiras, one arin-arin, one trikitixa and one porrusalda— while the remaining tracks explore longer and more experimental structures, reaching four to six minutes in pieces such as “Diatonik axe”, “Andrakaseko errementaria”, “Libre”, “Raz-eko muturra”, “Ozeano Artikoa” and “Irlanda”.

Speaking about the creation of the cover, Xabi Otero recalls: “I kept the sketch with all of Kepa’s instructions. We projected a slide of a room in the Museum of Navarra onto tracing paper in indigo blue. Kepa wore a fibre hat painted with yellow spray paint and a matching scarf, while the jacket belonged to my wife, Beatriz. The aim was to convey movement, with Kepa posed as if he were walking forward. The photo was taken in the hallway of the flat where we lived in Iruña, using my Nikon FM2.”

Record label: Nuba Records. Production: Kepa Junkera.