Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas (IKV) is an Argentine musical duo from Buenos Aires, formed in 1991 and consisting of Dante Spinetta and Emmanuel Horvilleur.

[1] The duo took their name from a fictional character, the Soviet spy Illya Kuryakin in the hit 1960s TV show The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and the Colombian football player Carlos Valderrama.

[3] In 1987, when they were 12 and 11 years old respectively, Spinetta, Horvilleur, and younger siblings formed a music group called Pechugo.

Although some in the media initially suggested their popularity came from their family connections rather than their musical skills, that changed when Charly García invited them to play at one of his shows to perform Fabrico cuero and Rap del exilio.

[1] Horno para calentar los mares (1993–1994) In 1993, sales allowed them their second album, Horno para calentar los mares (Oven to warm up the seas), much harder than the previous one, with a new record label, PolyGram.

MTV Unplugged Ninja Mental (1996) They performed different versions of well-known songs and included two new ones which became part of their next album, Versus.

Leche was nominated for Best Rock Album at the first annual Latin Grammy Awards (eligibility year of 1 January 1999, through 31 March 2000).

The death of the duo's friend and manager José Luis Miceli, who died in a car crash in early 2000[7] had a big impact on them.

[9] Chances was released by Sony in 2012, and includes the song "Águila Amarilla", for Dante's father, Luis Alberto Spinetta, who died during the recording of the album.

Singles released from the album are "Gallo Negro", "Sigue", "Los Angeles", '"Ritmo Mezcal'" and '"Estrella Fugaz" (feat.

They embarked on a worldwide tour which included dates in Europe, Latin America and their native Argentina.

[11] The musical style of Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas has always been hard to precisely categorize, as it is extremely wide-ranging.