Chilean rock
Encyclopedia
Chilean rock music comes from many decades of evolving musical styles, many of the later conceived artists in the 80's and 90's are highly influenced by artists such as folk musicians Victor Jara
and Violeta Parra
. Some of the most recognizable bands that came from Chile and penetrated the international market with commercial success were Los Jaivas
, Los Prisioneros
, Los Tres
, and La Ley
.
(or Chilean New Wave), which refers to the 1950s and 1960s. These included Peter Rock
, Alan y sus Bates, Los Rockets, Buddy Richard
, Jose Alfredo Fuentes, Los Ramblers, Antonio Prieto, Antonio Zabaleta, Cecilia Pantoja
, Germán Casas
, Ginette Acevedo, Gloria Benavides, Jorge Pedreros, Luis Dimas, Maitén Montenegro, Marcelo, Mirella Gilbert, Osvaldo Díaz, Paolo Salvatore, Pat Henry, and Roberto Vicking Valdés among many others.
scene that includes such bands as Congreso, Aguaturbia
and Los Jaivas
. Folk music by such artists as Victor Jara
and Violeta Parra
were also quite prominent during this time. The Chilean coup d'état of 1973 strictly banned music from any kind of artists who spoke out, or seemed against the military regime of Augusto Pinochet
after his successful coup d'état, especially rock and folk.
Chilean rock bands' fan bases expanded away from the country, such as Los Angeles Negros
who found newfound fame across Latin America in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The band's songs often consist of dark, macabre or melancholy lyrics with organ-grinds. It is a unique blend of Latin Bolero and 1970s psychedelic funk sounds.
After this period, Chilean rock declined until the 1980s, when the scene became more closely associated with politics, especially opposition to Augusto Pinochet
and his then ongoing military regime. One of the most well-known and influential bands from this period was Los Prisioneros
, especially due to their outspoken leader, composer and vocalist, Jorge González.
The progressive rock branch was taken by the band Fulano. They made a jazz-rock fusion with great virtuosity and innovation that went beyond the local public, playing in many countries around the world.
Others groups of the decade, heavily influenced by electronic music and Argentine rock escene, includes Aparato Raro, Upa! and Electrodomesticos. In the Late 1980s and Early 1990s an underground Punk rock
scene began showing up with bands like Fiskales Ad-Hok, Los Miserables
and BBs Paranoicos. Around this time, with the dictatorship coming to an end, thrash metal
bands such as Squad, Massakre
, Necrosis
, and the most well known from Chile, Pentagram
and Criminal become well known in Chile and also managed to reach international levels. Throughout the nineties many death metal
bands appeared from the end of the thrash metal scene.
, Tiro de Gracia
, Profetas y Frenéticos
, Chancho en Piedra
, Lucybell
, Pánico, Elso Tumbay, Gondwana
, Panteras Negras, La Pozze Latina, Criminal
, Dorso
, Mamma Soul, Makiza, Javiera y Los Imposibles
, Nicole, Santo Barrio made Chilean rock fully diverse. Internationally Los Tres
and La Ley
were the most important groups of the decade. Both bands made very successful MTV Unplugged
concerts and records, and La Ley won a Grammy Award
and a Latin Grammy Award twice.
, Los Bunkers
, Dracma, Inestable, Mamma Soul, Saiko, Gepe
, Francisca Valenzuela
, De Saloon, Cuchufleta
and many others.
There are also a number of indie and electronica bands which have some notoriety in Santiago and Valparaíso.
Víctor Jara
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez was a Chilean teacher, theatre director, poet, singer-songwriter, political activist and member of the Communist Party of Chile...
and Violeta Parra
Violeta Parra
Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval was a notable Chilean composer, songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist...
. Some of the most recognizable bands that came from Chile and penetrated the international market with commercial success were Los Jaivas
Los Jaivas
Los Jaivas are a Chilean musical group who perform in folk, rock, and progressive rock styles.-History:Los Jaivas appeared in Chilean music in 1963 as a progressive-rock-andino group, mixing rock with South American ancestral music...
, Los Prisioneros
Los Prisioneros
Los Prisioneros was a chilean rock band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, Chile in 1982. They began as a local band during the early 1980s, playing small shows in their neighborhood and high school...
, Los Tres
Los Tres
Los Tres is a Chilean rock band composed of four members: a rock/folk singer and three jazzmen. It was one of the noted bands in the Chilean nineties, together with La Ley and Lucybell....
, and La Ley
La Ley (band)
La Ley was a Grammy Award and two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Chilean pop rock band formed by Andrés Bobe and Rodrigo Aboitiz with Mauricio Claveria, Beto Cuevas and Luciano Rojas. After a failed first album, Desiertos , they released Doble Opuesto , which appears as the official first album...
.
Chilean New Wave 1950-1965
The roots of Chilean rock go back to La Nueva Ola ChilenaNueva ola
The Nueva ola is a term applied to a loose group of musicians, mainly in Spanish speaking South America, who played and introduced rock and roll and other American and European music of the 50s and 60s to their countries. Artist associated with the Nueva ola reached their peak of popularity in the...
(or Chilean New Wave), which refers to the 1950s and 1960s. These included Peter Rock
Peter Rock (musician)
Peter Mociulski von Remenyk , known by his stage name Peter Rock, is a Chilean rock and roll and nueva ola musician. He has sung in Festival de Viña del Mar and in Bierfest Valdivia....
, Alan y sus Bates, Los Rockets, Buddy Richard
Buddy Richard
Ricardo Roberto Toro Lavín, also known as Buddy Richard is a Chilean singer-songwriter known for his ballads....
, Jose Alfredo Fuentes, Los Ramblers, Antonio Prieto, Antonio Zabaleta, Cecilia Pantoja
Cecilia Pantoja
Cecilia Pantoja Levi , better known simply as Cecilia, is a Chilean singer songwriter, member of the nueva ola music movement.-References :...
, Germán Casas
German Casas
-Brief bio:German Casas became famous during the 1960s and 1970s. Many of his songs hit Chilean airwaves and television, making him a household name all over his native country. He was one of Chile's best known rock and roll and twist musicians of the era...
, Ginette Acevedo, Gloria Benavides, Jorge Pedreros, Luis Dimas, Maitén Montenegro, Marcelo, Mirella Gilbert, Osvaldo Díaz, Paolo Salvatore, Pat Henry, and Roberto Vicking Valdés among many others.
Progressive rock and folk rock 1965-1973
During the 1970s, Chile had a thriving progressive rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
scene that includes such bands as Congreso, Aguaturbia
Aguaturbia
Aguaturbia was a Chilean rock band formed in 1968, featuring Carlos Corales and his wife Denise .Band is known as pioneers of psychedelic rock in Chile and one of the most known band outside USA and UK. They have mixed psychedelic rock with Latin America folklore.-Albums:*Aguaturbia *Aguaturbia Vol...
and Los Jaivas
Los Jaivas
Los Jaivas are a Chilean musical group who perform in folk, rock, and progressive rock styles.-History:Los Jaivas appeared in Chilean music in 1963 as a progressive-rock-andino group, mixing rock with South American ancestral music...
. Folk music by such artists as Victor Jara
Víctor Jara
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez was a Chilean teacher, theatre director, poet, singer-songwriter, political activist and member of the Communist Party of Chile...
and Violeta Parra
Violeta Parra
Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval was a notable Chilean composer, songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist...
were also quite prominent during this time. The Chilean coup d'état of 1973 strictly banned music from any kind of artists who spoke out, or seemed against the military regime of Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
after his successful coup d'état, especially rock and folk.
Chilean rock bands' fan bases expanded away from the country, such as Los Angeles Negros
Los angeles negros
Los Ángeles Negros was a Chilean music band that recorded primarily during the mid and late 1970s. Formed in 1967, the band released several albums after coming together through a local radio competition....
who found newfound fame across Latin America in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The band's songs often consist of dark, macabre or melancholy lyrics with organ-grinds. It is a unique blend of Latin Bolero and 1970s psychedelic funk sounds.
Chilean rock in late dictatorship 1980-1990
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
and his then ongoing military regime. One of the most well-known and influential bands from this period was Los Prisioneros
Los Prisioneros
Los Prisioneros was a chilean rock band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, Chile in 1982. They began as a local band during the early 1980s, playing small shows in their neighborhood and high school...
, especially due to their outspoken leader, composer and vocalist, Jorge González.
Jorge González (musician)
Jorge González is the former lead singer, main songwriter and sole composer of the Chilean band Los Prisioneros, and is currently the frontman of Los Updates. Los Prisioneros enjoyed a huge level of popularity and success initially in Chile and eventually all of Latin America beginning in 1984...
The progressive rock branch was taken by the band Fulano. They made a jazz-rock fusion with great virtuosity and innovation that went beyond the local public, playing in many countries around the world.
Others groups of the decade, heavily influenced by electronic music and Argentine rock escene, includes Aparato Raro, Upa! and Electrodomesticos. In the Late 1980s and Early 1990s an underground Punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
scene began showing up with bands like Fiskales Ad-Hok, Los Miserables
Los Miserables
Los Miserables is a well-known Chilean punk rock band formed in the early 1990s shortly after the demise of the military regime of Augusto Pinochet. The band is known for its songs charged with strong left-wing political ideas and anti-establishment commentary...
and BBs Paranoicos. Around this time, with the dictatorship coming to an end, thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
bands such as Squad, Massakre
Massakre
Massakre is a band of thrash/speed metal with some death this band is known in South America for having brought the Scene Thrasher to Chile.- History :...
, Necrosis
Necrosis (Chilean band)
Necrosis is a Chilean thrash metal bands of the mid 80's to mid 90's, in a call "scene thrasher" characterized by rebellion against the dictatorship and organized society...
, and the most well known from Chile, Pentagram
Pentagram (Chilean band)
Pentagram is a band of Thrash/Death from Chile. Pentagram is still one of the most influential bands in the underground extreme metal world, being recognized by groups like Celtic Frost, Sepultura, At The Gates, Dismember, Napalm Death and Avulsed that even the latest versions of your theme...
and Criminal become well known in Chile and also managed to reach international levels. Throughout the nineties many death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
bands appeared from the end of the thrash metal scene.
Rock in transition to democracy 1990-2000
In the 90' several bands and new styles became part of Chilean music identity. Groups like Joe Vasconcellos, Los TetasLos Tetas
Los Tetas was a Chilean Funk band formed in 1995 by four musicians: Pepino , Rulo , C-Funk and Tea Time ....
, Tiro de Gracia
Tiro de gracia
Tiro de Gracia is a chilean Hip hop group formed by MCs Juan Sativo and Lenwa Dura, they began their career on the early 1990s, considered one of the most popular and influential in Latin American outside of Mexico....
, Profetas y Frenéticos
Profetas y Frenéticos
Profetas y Frenéticos was a Chilean rock band formed in 1991 by Luís González, Juan Pablo Rojas, Dagoberto González, Jorge Narea and Claudio Narea, a former Los Prisioneros band member....
, Chancho en Piedra
Chancho en Piedra
Chancho en Piedra is a Chilean Funk-Rock band, considered influential in the popularization of alternative rock in Latin America. They are commonly described as similar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but are also known for their unique sound and goofy style...
, Lucybell
Lucybell
Lucybell is a Chilean rock band formed by four students from the Universidad de Chile's Faculty of Art in 1991, in Santiago de Chile. The original four members were:* Francisco González: drums, bass, percussion, keyboards...
, Pánico, Elso Tumbay, Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
, Panteras Negras, La Pozze Latina, Criminal
Criminal (band)
Criminal is a Chilean-British band thrash metal, based in Colchester, England. Formed in late 1991 in Santiago. Then integrated by Anton Reisenegger on guitar and vocals and Rodrigo Contreras in the first guitarra. Later they were joined by JJ Vallejo on drums and Juan Francisco Cueto as integral...
, Dorso
Dorso (band)
Dorso is a thrash metal band from Chile's long history and prestige in Chile. Among his musical influences include Gong, King Crimson, Genesis, Magma, and Frank Zappa. Regarding thematic stories inspired by Lovecraft, horror movies and whatever story you can imagine bizarre, monstrous allegories,...
, Mamma Soul, Makiza, Javiera y Los Imposibles
Javiera y Los Imposibles
Javiera y Los Imposibles is Chilean pop band led by Javiera Parra, granddaughter of Chilean folk musician Violeta Parra. The band was formed when Álvaro Henríquez from Los Tres met Javiera and helped her to produre the first album corte en Trámite together with other musicians....
, Nicole, Santo Barrio made Chilean rock fully diverse. Internationally Los Tres
Los Tres
Los Tres is a Chilean rock band composed of four members: a rock/folk singer and three jazzmen. It was one of the noted bands in the Chilean nineties, together with La Ley and Lucybell....
and La Ley
La Ley (band)
La Ley was a Grammy Award and two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Chilean pop rock band formed by Andrés Bobe and Rodrigo Aboitiz with Mauricio Claveria, Beto Cuevas and Luciano Rojas. After a failed first album, Desiertos , they released Doble Opuesto , which appears as the official first album...
were the most important groups of the decade. Both bands made very successful MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
concerts and records, and La Ley won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
and a Latin Grammy Award twice.
Rock in the 21st century
Bands and performers that have had bigger success due to the 21st century are: Estridentes, Papanegro, Sinergia, Difuntos CorreaDifuntos Correa
Difuntos Correa is a Chilean rock band composed of six members: Andrés Olivos , Sergio Gómez , Miguel Rodríguez , Carlos Gómez , César Fuentes and Erasmo Menares . The band was formed in Santiago in 2004...
, Los Bunkers
Los Bunkers
Los Bunkers is an alternative rock from Concepción, Chile, formed in 1999 by brothers Álvaro and Gonzalo López, Mauricio Basualto, and brothers Francisco and Mauricio Durán....
, Dracma, Inestable, Mamma Soul, Saiko, Gepe
Gepe
Daniel Riveros , known as Gepe, is a Chilean singer-songwriter. He has released three solo albums in addition to one album as a member of the band Taller Dejao...
, Francisca Valenzuela
Francisca Valenzuela
Francisca Valenzuela is an American born Chilean singer, songwriter, poet, instrumentalist, and composer of Pop and Rock songs. She was born and raised in San Francisco, California, where she resided until the age of 12, before moving to Chile. She is considered to be one of the singing...
, De Saloon, Cuchufleta
Cuchufleta
Cuchufleta is a musica project that gathers Gregorio Fontén’s songs. It was formed as a band in Chile the year 2004 by Fontén with Joaquín Subercaseaux and Amparo Fontaine. Since then, it has had many members changed and they have performed in different countries. Its music mixes rock influences...
and many others.
There are also a number of indie and electronica bands which have some notoriety in Santiago and Valparaíso.
External links
- RockChileno.net
- sonidoalterno.com
- The fifty better Chilean discs (according to Rolling Stone Chile)