Peón Kurtz, a founding member of Def Con Dos, has died at the age of 55. José Costas Peón, born in Vigo, died of a heart attack after being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital, according to El País.
Peón Kurtz spent nearly three decades with Def Con Dos, from 1988 to 2016. He was not the band’s lead singer; he handled samplers, backing tracks and scratches, in addition to providing vocals on some songs and performing as a DJ. He participated in albums such as ‘Armas pal pueblo’ (1993), ‘Alzheimer’ (1995) and ‘Ultramemia’ (1996), during the period when Def Con Dos moved from its early experiments with rap and electronic music to its distinctive fusion of hip hop, punk and metal.
He also contributed with Def Con Dos to the music of ‘Acción mutante,’ Álex de la Iglesia’s debut feature, and to ‘El día de la bestia’ (1995), whose main song gave the film its title and helped bring the group to a much broader audience.
Peón Kurtz was the brother of Miguel Costas, a founder of Siniestro Total, and Rosa Costas, a member of Aerolíneas Federales. He was also the uncle of singer Dani Dicostas, who bid him farewell on social media: “Too hard to say goodbye. I will always remember your tireless sense of humor,” she wrote.
His departure from Def Con Dos in 2016 was accompanied by different versions, as El País recalls. While the group talked of disagreements, Kurtz asserted that he had been expelled.
