Verde Prato

About

" How the mysterious basque forests would sound if the trees had synthesizers "

There is nothing about Verde Prato that conforms to the norm of mainstream music projects.  It’s not pure pop, it’s not pure electronica, and it’s not pure folk either, yet it’s all of them at the same time, twisted around and turned into something new. Knowing that the name of the project is the title of a 17th century tale by Giambattista Basile, in which it is the princess who saves the prince and not the other way around, it’s easy to guess that nothing is accidental in the music of the Basque composer and performer Ana Arsuaga, a trained pianist who also works in fine arts.

She has done a lot of work in a short time. Her first record, which dates from 2021, ‘Kondaira eder hura‘, won the award for best album in the Basque region at the MIN independent music awards. It is the one that contains ‘Neskaren kanta‘, an impossible fusion of a traditional song and reggaeton that has become her biggest hit. Several singles and EPs followed, among which a very personal cover of the Basque punk group Kortatu’s classic ‘Zu atrapatu arte‘ stands out. Her second album ‘Adoretua‘, from 2023, and the 2024 collaboration with electronic producer Bronquio named ‘Erromantizismoa‘ continue along the same road.

Verde Prato is influenced by folk music, but maybe more than that by Bertsolaris, the style of traditional poets composing and improvising verses in Basque. Much like those popular performers, she appears alone on stage, with only her voice, and a modern twist – electronic devices – while exploring registers ranging from Gregorian chant, obscure post-punk and the mysteriousness of a contemporary Kate Bush. If Kate Bush ever dared to sing in Basque, of course.