Julián Oro Duro —Gilberto Julián Sarante Perdomo— is a Dominican merengue singer, songwriter and arranger from Santo Domingo, known for the street merengue of the early 2000s and for leading the orchestra Oro Duro. He is the older brother of the salsa singer Yiyo Sarante.

The orchestra and the family

In the 1980s and 1990s he fronted the orchestra Oro Duro. His younger brother Yiyo Sarante sang in its chorus before going independent with a project of his own. Dominican media later reported a period of estrangement between the brothers and their public reconciliation.

Solo career and «La Cabaña»

He began a solo career in 2000 and became one of the exponents of merengue de calle, a current that was widely welcomed by young Dominicans. His album «La Cabaña», released on 20 December 2004 by «J&N Records», has thirteen songs, among them «La Cabaña», «La Cita», «Por Eso Está Conmigo», «Historia Entre Tus Dedos», «Y Te Vi», «La Querida» and «El Licor». Later albums include «El Más Duro» and «Pa’ lo Mambero». The press noted that his style opened the way for Juliana O'Neal, who emerged with a similar proposal before settling on romantic merengue.

Songwriter

In 2005 he was nominated for a Casandra Award as Composer of the Year for «Palabritas» and «Ni el odio ni la mentira», both recorded by El Jeffrey; the second is on the 2004 album «Mi Tierra».

Since 2010

From 2010 he widened his repertoire to romantic merengue, salsa, bachata and merengue mambo. The album «Jaque Mate», with twelve songs, includes «Sé que llorarás» and «No hace falta papá».

Legacy

Dominican newspapers describe him as a frequent presence at parties and stages during the years of merengue de calle, and El Día credits his 2004 album «La Cabaña» with making him known to a mass audience.