With the media with the highest ratings turned into speakers, the registration for music groups was expanded in July 2004. The goal was to get 20 bands to compete directly. The conditions established were that at least one of the members of the group was registered in Debagoiena, that no record contract was in force and that three original songs were presented. Back from their August vacation, they had more than 40 team jobs on their hands. The jury, listening to all the recordings and guaranteeing the greatest possible musical style, chose 20 bands for the live ones. The competition gained enormous popularity and each concert on the Elgeta Sidewalk was attended by about 400 people: some cheering on their friends, others enjoying the musical offer that exists in the valley. Three teams reached the final and Sharon Stoner became the first winner. This allowed them to record the Estreina album Shot! In the recording studio, and then they released it on their own. In addition, in 2005 they received the award for the best band of the Basque Country in the prestigious music competition Ciudad de Bilbao. At the moment they have their second album in the factory and it will be on the street by the beginning of November. Muted, who played in the final of the first edition, has already released two albums. The third is Potemkin de Oñati: after the release of his powerful hard-rock and punk-rock album, the band is paralyzed by the fact that two of its members are also creators of Latzene, because they have embarked on the return of this project. The spectator’s prize was won by Enboskada de Mondragón. Music fans were able to vote for their favorite band using the Sidewalk mailboxes and/or sending SMS.

In addition, Danbakara presented many soloists, whom almost nobody knew, and as a result of the competition they began to play in bars and other venues. Something similar happened with other bands, but the soloist was more evident, perhaps because until then there was not much circuit and/or habit.

Every two years

In view of these results, Goiena and Espaloia decided to organize a new edition of Danbaka every two years so that there were as many innovations and/or changes as possible. Thus, they realized that many groups from the valley were preparing songs for the agenda of Danbaka. This showed them that the first edition was not a mere dream and that this competition was already rooted among the people. However, a few minor changes were made to the second edition: the jury chose 19 teams instead of 20, leaving the 20th contestant in the hands of the public. Thus, the mp3 and tabs danbaka.com of all the presented groups were posted on the website and the fans had five days to vote. What’s more, in addition to the main prize being the recording of the album, an agreement was made with the record company Hotsak de Gaztelupe to release this recording. And finally, they created the Soloist Award.

In the 2006 edition there were also many people who came to see the concerts, and from the website they had already created danbaka.com many music fans followed the contest. The main prize was won by Aby-Kem de Bergara; the Oñati Malenkonia and the best soloist were named Jim TNT de Arrasate.

All teams win

The organisers of the
Danbaka competition often point out that all the teams that present themselves are partly winners. To say this, they argue that the goal is to make known the musical groups and what they do; and the truth is that Danbaka has many devices for this. First of all, the mp3 and tabs danbaka.com of all the groups that are presented (classified or not) are posted on the website for anyone to see and hear. In addition, the media of Goiena (Goiena Televisión, Goienkaria, Radio Arrasate, Goiena.net and Danbaka.com) extensively follow the competition and the competing teams with interviews, reports and others. Moreover, Goiena Television and Radio Arrasate broadcast all the concerts of the competition; and thanks to the collaboration of the Association of Local Televisions, they also broadcast these concerts in other regions of the Basque Country: Goierri, Tolosaldea, Bortzirieta de Navarra, Gernika, Zarautz and Urola, etc.

Danbaka DVD-CD

The work, which was released about a month ago, follows the same path: DVD-CD of the II edition of Danbaka. Danbaka launches with the collaboration of the record company Hotsak de Gaztelup a double work that unites the works of 20 bands of the second edition. On the CD they have joined a live song by each group; and on the DVD they have joined a video interview and a song by each group, photo gallery, making off, opinions of music experts and others. The CD has a duration of one hour and the DVD has a duration of about two hours.

Beyond the borders of Debagoien

Danbaka’s innovation, the main one, is another: in this third edition it has ceased to belong exclusively to Debagoien and has also been extended to two frontier regions: Durango and Debabarrena. By September, 39 recordings had been received, of which 24 were from Debagoien and 15 from two other regions. The jury has selected 23 groups and has placed the 24th in the hands of music fans, using the website danbaka.com. Now the turn of the direct has begun. Starting on October 17th, there will be a fortnight of launa groups on Fridays on the Elgeta Sidewalk, each for half an hour. After that, the three finalists selected by the jury will compete on January 16, 2009. This year the prizes are three: the best team of the competition, the best team of Debagoien and the prize of the spectator: the first and the second will receive the same prize from Kutxa and Mondragon Unibertsitatea, recording an album Shot de Mondragón! in the studio and the release of the album with Hotsak of Gaztelupe; and the one chosen by the spectators to spend the bonus of 1,300 euros in the music store Lazkano of Mondragón.