Eder Portolés

The first album by Basque singer Eder Portolés, E-Motion, was recorded at Mecca Studios in Oiartzun, Guipuzcoa, by Mikel Eceiza, and mixed and mastered by Kike Mora, a musician, composer, and producer. Kike has a degree in jazz electric bass from Musikene and has collaborated on some thirty recordings, in addition to his own discography. He participated in K by Kepa Junkera, an album that was awarded a Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album. A distinctly organic feel is given to the album by the old-school live sound, thanks in large part to the excellent production work by vocalist, composer, and producer Alain Concepción, another experienced musician. In addition to Mora and Concepción, the cast of artists who participated in this album includes guitarist Carlos Velasco from Vizcaya. A leading musician on the scene, Velasco has collaborated with countless artists and projects over the years, including Alejandro Sanz, Mocedades, and Armando Manzanero. On the other hand, José Gallardo on alto saxophone is a musician who has explored various styles and trends, from acid jazz, soul, and jazz to boogaloo, in projects such as Acid Gazz, Ortophonk, and the Guipúzcoa band Organiks. The line-up is completed by the experienced Guipuzcoan drummer Ander Zulaika, who has collaborated with artists such as Mikel Artieda, Olatz Salvador, and Eñaut Elorrieta, among others.

E-Motion is preceded by the release of two advance singles, “Lovely Girl” and “Deeply,” two true gems that generated great expectation and predicted a result that, not only crowns the unstoppable rise of the singer from Portugalete but also marks a turning point in establishing her as a complete and multifaceted artist with a firm commitment to the feminist cause, combining over time an intense activity as a singer in projects such as Eder Portolés & Trilogy, Miss Blue, Alain Concepción & the Soulmen, and Stereo Starband with her many facets in the field of teaching, theater, dance, as a vocal coach, Polarity therapist, and as director and presenter of the radio program Sintonizadas on Vinilo FM. She was awarded the La Sirguera Prize for her work directing the Gure Golé Choir.
Beyond an elegant and dynamic collection of original compositions, E-Motion reveals the personality of its author, her sensitivity, and her unique voice. These qualities oscillate around soul and pop with a jazz backdrop and many other influences evident in songs such as the emotional Lovely Girl and the groovy Deeply, in the tradition of singers like Sade and Erykah Badu. This is an album that combines a festive character with reminiscences of disco and blues. Examples include Gladys Knight & the Pips’ rendition I’ve Got to Use My Imagination, which contrasts with the sensitive Badakit, performed in Basque and featuring the young, virtuoso musician and producer Donny López. López is a Musikene graduate and winner of the Enlace Funk awards with the band Rice & Groove. He is currently leading his acclaimed project, Donny’s Black Shoes. Eder writes Luz de Luna in Spanish with clear R&B, jazz, and funk reminiscences. The album concludes with an excellent A Natural Woman rendition by the great Aretha Franklin.

Chameleonic and versatile, Eder Portolés sets in motion this magnificent debut record titled E-Motion. A deliberate and conscious movement, one of those that follow the sole purpose of vibrating and making others vibrate, crafted with the emotion of someone fully aware of their own ability to move others.