La Movida Madrileña
Encyclopedia
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
during the Spanish transition
Spanish transition to democracy
The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
after Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's death in 1975. It represented the resurrection of the economy in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the emergence of a new Spanish identity.
Although this hedonistic
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
cultural wave was born in Madrid, it emerged in parallel in other Spanish urban centers, such as Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
and Vigo
Vigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
. It was characterized by freedom of expression, transgression of the taboos imposed by the Franco Regime, use of recreational drugs, the "coming out" of the Madrilenian cheli
Cheli
Cheli, according to the Royal Spanish Academy, is the jargon with elements of certain traditional working class districts of Madrid, Spain, such as Lavapiés and Atocha in the southern part of the old city , together with marginal and counter-cultural elements.Cheli, mainly a juvenile jargon,...
and the "pasota" dialect and a new spirit of freedom on the streets.
Famous representatives
The Movida comprised many art movements; Pedro AlmodóvarPedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
became the best known example internationally after his later success as a film director.
Music
Many bands from the capital city contributed to the spread of the movement, such as Kaka de Luxe, Alaska y los PegamoidesFangoria (band)
Fangoria is an electro-pop band, the brainchild of Alaska and Nacho Canut. They have sold over 1,200,000 CDs.In 1977 Alaska, along with Nacho Canut and Carlos Berlanga, formed the band Alaska y los Pegamoides. Later, in 1982, they changed the name to Alaska y Dinarama...
(fronted by singer Alaska
Alaska (singer)
Alaska is a Spanish - Mexican singer, dj, and TV personality famous in Spain and Latin America. She was of the main characters in the so called Movida the cultural movement following the Franco dictatorship in Spain...
, also hostess of the children’s TV program ‘’La Bola de Cristal
La Bola de Cristal
La Bola de Cristal was a Spanish TV Show that aired on TVE from 1984 to 1988. The show was the brainchild of Spanish writer Dolores Rico Oliver and was conducted by pop singer Alaska...
’’), Pop Decó / Paraíso, Radio Futura
Radio Futura
Radio Futura was a Spanish pop rock group. They rose to become one of the most popular bands in Spain during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1989 they were voted the best Spanish act of the 80s.-The beginnings:...
, Nacha Pop
Nacha Pop
Nacha Pop was a Spanish pop/rock group active from 1978 to 1988.The band was formed by Antonio Vega and Nacho García Vega , Carlos Brooking and Ñete . They signed with Spanish EMI subsidiary Hispavox in 1980, and their debut album was produced by Teddy Bautista. Several albums followed, including...
, Los Secretos, Ejecutivos Agresivos, los Elegantes, Los Modelos, Tótem, Aviador Dro
Aviador Dro
Aviador Dro is an electronic band from Spain that formed in Madrid in 1979 with influences such as Gary Numan, Devo and Kraftwerk. They were part of the Movida Madrileña...
, Los Bólidos, Los Nikis, Los Zombies, Parálisis Permanente, Derribos Arias, Glutamato Ye-ye, Alphaville, RH+, La Mode, Las Chinas, Rubi y los Casinos, Gabinete Caligari, Los Coyotes, Fahrenheit 451, Los Monaguillosh, Décima Víctima
Décima Víctima
Decima Victima was a band formed by two Swedes and two Spaniards. During their short career between 1981 and 1984 they released two LPs, a maxisingle, two EPs and three singles. Their musical style has had different names at different times. It has been called Cold wave, Sinister, Goth and, even...
, Flash Strato, Los Pistones, Alaska y Dinarama and many more.
Occasionally bands from other Spanish cities are considered as having taken part of the “Movida”, like Siniestro Total
Siniestro Total
Siniestro Total is a Galician punk rock group from Vigo . It was founded in 1981 by Julián Hernández, Alberto Torrado and Miguel Costas. After many changes in personnel, current members are Julián Hernández, Javier Soto, Óscar G...
and Golpes Bajos
Golpes Bajos
Golpes Bajos was a 1980s pop group in Spain, a part of the so-called "Edad de Oro del Pop Español", i.e. "The Golden Age of Spanish Pop Music". They were active from 1982–1986, with a final reunion tour in 1997-1998.-History:...
from Galicia, Farmacia de Guardia from Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
, and Loquillo
Loquillo
José María Sanz Beltrán, Loquillo or Loco is a Spanish rock singer. He was born in Barcelona.-Discography Loquillo y los Intocables:*1980- Los tiempos están cambiando, Cúspide...
, El Último de la Fila
El Último de la Fila
El Último de la Fila was a Spanish music group created in the mid 1980s in Barcelona, Spain. The original members were Manolo García and Quimi Portet.-History:...
and Desechables from Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
In moods, looks and attitude, the sound resembled the British New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and the Neue Deutsche Welle
Neue Deutsche Welle
Neue Deutsche Welle is a genre of German music originally derived from punk rock and New Wave music...
, sometimes mimicking styles such as New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
.
Some consider also the pioneers of Spanish tecno-pop Mecano
Mecano
Mecano was a Spanish pop band whose debut coincided with La Movida Madrileña , a sociocultural movement that occurred in Madrid, Spain during the 1980s...
, Azul y Negro, Tino Casal
Tino Casal
José Celestino Casal Álvarez, more commonly known as Tino Casal, was a Spanish singer, songwriter and producer, who was active during La Movida Madrileña...
, La Unión and others.
Leño
Leno
Leno is the surname of Jay Leno, comedian and talk show host.Leno may also refer to:* Leno, Italy* Leno * Leno, a stock character in theatre of ancient Rome who is a slave dealer or pimpPeople with the surname Leno...
, Barón Rojo
Barón Rojo
Barón Rojo are a Spanish heavy metal band who reached international success in the 1980s. The band is led by siblings Carlos and Armando de Castro, previously from the band Coz, and it is considered one of the most important representatives of Spanish hard rock bands, along with Obús...
, Obús
Obus
The Obus was a French automobile manufactured from 1907 until 1908. A voiturette, it was produced by A. Souriau of Montoire.-References:David Burgess Wise, The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles....
, Asfalto, La Polla Records
La Polla Records
La Polla Records is a Spanish punk rock band. They were formed in 1979 in Salvatierra/Agurain, a small town in the Basque Country . Its founders were Evaristo Páramos, Maleguin, Txarly and Sume...
, and other contemporary Spanish rock
Spanish rock
Spain has produced a great variety of rock and roll.There have also been a number of acts who have incorporated the Celtic musical heritage of that region into Celtic rock sung in Spanish, like Celtas Cortos....
bands are usually not included on the “Movida” tag, as their sound was harder and they rejected what the movement represented.
Film and Television
Film director Pedro AlmodóvarPedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
comically reflected the messiness of the freedom of those years, especially in his first films, such as Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón
Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón
Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón is a 1980 Spanish film, a campy comedy, written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Starring Carmen Maura, Alaska and Eva Siva...
(1980), and Laberinto de pasiones (1982). Other important artists in the Movida were the director Iván Zulueta
Ivan Zulueta
Juan Ricardo Miguel Zulueta Vergarajauregui known as Ivan Zulueta was a designer and film director...
with his masterpiece Arrebato, Fernando Trueba with the characteristic Ópera prima (1980) or Fernando Colomo.
TV programs like La Bola de Cristal, hosted by singer Alaska
Alaska (singer)
Alaska is a Spanish - Mexican singer, dj, and TV personality famous in Spain and Latin America. She was of the main characters in the so called Movida the cultural movement following the Franco dictatorship in Spain...
and
La Edad de Oro, hosted by Paloma Chamorro contributed to spread the aesthetics of the movement to a wider audience.
Photography and Painting
Graphic artists like Ceesepe, El Hortelano and Nazario Luque, and photographers like Ouka Leele, Agust, Miguel Trillo, Pablo Pérez Mínguez “PPM” or Alberto García-Alix founded together one of the first art collectives, called “Cascorro Factory”, where many of the seminal ideas for the “Movida” took place. Also, photographer Gorka de Duo accompanied artist Andy Warhol and had an exhibition with Robert MapplethorpeRobert Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpe was an American photographer, known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white portraits, photos of flowers and nude men...
in the Fernando Vijande gallery.
Painters Patricia Gadea and husband Juan Ugalde formed later in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
the art group Estrujenbank, and Costus (Enrique Naya Igueravide & José Carrero Galofré) and Guillermo Pérez Villalta, from Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, and Valencian Javier Mariscal
Javier Mariscal
Javier Mariscal is a Valencian Spanish artist and designer whose work has spanned a wide range of mediums, ranging from painting and sculpture to interior design and landscaping. He was born in February 1950 in the city of Valencia, Spain, into a family of eleven brothers and sisters...
were also essential visionaries for the movement.
Fashion
Internationally acclaimed fashion designer Ágatha Ruiz de la PradaÁgatha Ruiz de la Prada
Ágatha Ruíz de la Prada, was born 22 July 1960, she is a Spanish fashion designer who is one of her country's best-known personalities in the clothing industry.-Biography:...
was a pioneer of the style worn during the "Movida."
Graffiti
Artists like MuelleMuelle
Muelle was a trademark signature and design by Juan Carlos Argüello, Spanish graffiti pioneer .Around 1980, during the Madrilene cultural Movida, Argüello started reproducing the logo he had designed in walls and public spaces of Madrid...
created a unique form of street art, later described as “graffiti autóctono madrileño”.
Literature
Writers Gregorio Morales, Vicente Molina Foix, Luis Antonio de Villena, Javier Barquín, José Tono Martínez, Luis Mateo Díez, José Antonio Gabriel y Galán, José Luis Moreno-Ruiz and Ramón Mayrata were prominent in the “Tertulia de Creadores”, which were a cycle of meetings, lectures, debates and happenings that took place in the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid between 1983 and 1984. Many of them, as Gregorio Morales, José Tono Martínez or Ramón Mayrata, were regular collaborators of the art magazine La luna de Madrid. Also, Oscar MarinéOscar Mariné
Oscar Mariné Brandi Designer, illustrator, expert typographer and professional artist, Oscar Mariné is one of the major communicators in post-Franco Spain...
's magazine Madrid Me Mata (Madrid Kills Me) contributed to the creation of a common identity.
Another important figure outside the artistic world of the Movida was journalist Francisco Umbral
Francisco Umbral
Francisco Umbral was a Spanish journalist, novelist, biographer and essayist.-Style:...
, writer for the newspaper El País, who wrote about and documented the movement.
Comics
The magazine Madriz acted as a post-modern mixer for the new tendencies between 1984 and 1987. Artists like Araguez, Arranz, Camús, Asun BalzolaAsun Balzola
Asunción Balzola Elorza , better known as Asun Balzola, was a Spanish autodidact illustrator, writer and translator. After partially recovering from a severe car crash, she studied painting and graphic arts at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid...
, Federico del Barrio, Juan Calonge, Guillem Cifré, El Cubri, Santiago Cueto, Kiko Feria, Carlos Giménez, Guzmán el Bueno, Juan Jiménez, Ana Juan, LPO, Marcos, Martín, Ana Miralles
Ana Miralles
Ana Miralles is a Spanish comic books artist, known particularly for her treatment of erotic subjects....
, Rafa Negrete, José Manuel Nuevo, OPS, Raúl, Rubén, Sento, Luis Serrano, Carlos Torrente, Fernando Vicente graced its pages.
Afterwards
Many films and books have depicted the Movida, like the 2005 film El Calentito directed by Chus Gutiérrez. Also, the musical Hoy No Me Puedo LevantarHoy No Me Puedo Levantar
Hoy no me puedo levantar is a Spanish musical, with music and lyrics by Nacho Cano, former member of the band Mecano. Based on 32 of the band's greatest hits and named after their first single, the musical centers on a pair of impoverished musicians trying to be part of La Movida Madrileña, after...
, composed by Nacho Cano
Nacho Cano
Ignacio Cano Andrés, aka Nacho Cano, is a Spanish arranger, composer, musician and record producer. He studied solfège and was one of the members of the Spanish group Mecano along with his brother José María Cano and Ana Torroja.He has released 4 solo albums, including Vivimos siempre juntos with...
, former member of Mecano, portrays a love story with the Movida as cultural background, and explains the condition of young people in this period, trying to survive in Madrid under the shadow of drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.