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Doctor Explosion hails from the remotest section of northern Spain and plays an adrenaline fueled brand of '60s style garage punk. With an abnormally over the top vocal delivery (sometimes sung in English), the trio of Jorge (guitar and vocals), Felix (bass, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer piano) and Varo (drums) plays an angry, aggressive brand of retro rock that combines surf, punk, psych and elements of Link Wray raunch into a heady brew. In their native land, the group has already notched over 500 shows under their belts and three albums and a small of singles to their credit. In 1999, Doctor Explosion finally got to tour in the U.S., recording a new album at Egg Studios in Seattle between live shows. ~ Cub Koda

Vocalist/guitarist Jaime Urrutia gained recognition as a member of Ejecutivos Agresivos and frontman in the popular rock trio Gabinete Caligari, two groups associated with Spain's Movida Madrileña countercultural movement. Though the movement also produced such popular bands as Derribos Arias and Decima Victima, Urrutia is recognized as one of the most lasting and notable creative musical forces to emerge from Movida Madrileña. In Ejecutivos Agresivos, Urrutia contributed to the band's sound influenced by the dark, brooding British rock coming from bands like the Cure, Joy Division, and Bauhaus. And after nearly 20 years fronting Gabinete Caligari, Urrutia struck out on his own, his former bandmates lacking the desire to continue writing and performing. After the band officially split in October of 1999, Urrutia went months without a label or management for the first time since the early '80s. Urrutia approached DRO, who were more than happy to support the proven hitmaker, and signed a contract in December of 2000. He teamed up with veteran Spanish rock producer Esteban Hirschfeld, and -- having sifted through boxes of repertoire that Urrutia had written during his days with Gabinete Calignari -- the pair recorded and experimented with mixing styles and sounds for Urrutia's debut solo album. After seven weeks in the studio, the record was complete and released in 2002 under the name Patente de Corso, featuring the singles "Que Barbaridad" and "Castillos en el Aire." Urrutia's second disc, El Muchacho Eléctrico, arrived in 2005, followed in 2007 by his first live album, En Joy. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez