Santiago Auserón (Juan Perro)

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Born in Zaragoza in 1954, Auserón studied philosophy at Madrid’s Complutense University before co-founding Radio Futura (1979-1992), hailed by Radio 3 listeners as Spain’s best rock band of the 1980s. Their classics “La Negra Flor” and “Veneno en la Piel” still top retrospective charts. Embracing the alias Juan Perro, he explored Afro-Latin rhythms, releasing Raíces al Viento (1995) and curating Cuban anthology Semilla del Son, which preceded the Buena Vista boom. Albums like El Viaje (2016) and Cantos de Ultramar (2020) won critical praise for their hybrid of New Orleans jazz, son and flamenco cadences. His most recent studio work, Libertad (2022), reconnects with rock while retaining Afro-Caribbean pulse; reviewers highlighted its “exquisite sonic weave”. In late 2024 he issued the single “El Récord (Cinema Paradiso)” on his La Huella Sonora imprint, confirming ongoing creative vitality. Beyond recording, Auserón lectures internationally on the African roots of Iberian music (El Ritmo Perdido, Harvard 2025) and leads seminars such as Semilla del Son at Spanish universities. Recognition culminated in Spain’s Gold Medal for Fine Arts (2022 edition, awarded 2024).