Uruguayan rock
Encyclopedia
Uruguayan rock first emerged in Uruguay
in the 1950s. The real breakthrough for rock in Uruguay, however, as in much of the world, was the arrival of The Beatles
in the early 1960s.
were wildly popular across the world, and many Uruguayan youths began to form their own rock bands. In the mid-1960s, as the British Invasion
was peaking in the United States
, Canada
, Australia
and elsewhere, a group of Uruguayan bands like Los Shakers
, Los Iracundos, Kano y Los Bulldogs, Los Mockers
and Los Malditos broke into the mainstream in Uruguay's larger neighbor, Argentina
. This was called the Uruguayan Invasion
, and it continued for several years, as record label
s began signing Uruguayan bands to promote in Argentina.
, Opus Alfa, Eduardo Mateo
, Jesus Figueroa and Días de Blues, promoted by radio and television shows like Constelacion and Discodromo Show. In 1973, however, a military dictatorship
came to rule Uruguay, and the rock boom ended. In 1975, popular music was canto popular, a genre that was against and openly dismissed electric instrumentations and foreign rhythm and styles.
The mid-nineties, with the popularization of compact discs, cable TV and the beginning of the internet
saw another generation of Uruguayan bands coming to the surface. El Cuarteto de Nos
broke records with their album Otra Navidad en las Trincheras, while Buitres despues de la una (with former Estomagos members) reached a creative peak with Maraviya. A compilation album called Perdidos, released in 2000, documented the whole 1990s
underground scene, with songs by bands like Loop Lascano, Kato, Camote, Gnomos, Samurai Porno, Sordromo and Elefante.
In 1995, a band called El Peyote Asesino
revitalized the whole scene with their self-titled album and their powerful underground shows. Their music was a mix of hip-hop and hard rock, with influences from Red Hot Chili Peppers
and Beastie Boys
. Bands like Platano Macho, La Teja Pride, La abuela Coca (a band inspired by Manu Chao
's Mano Negra
) and the then beginners La Vela Puerca
gave the scene a variety that was unheard of. Deals with big record labels also helped the bands get better sound in their albums, which was a long-time debt of the local scene. Meanwhile, La Trampa
gained popularity as their blend of traditional Uruguayan folk and obscure post-punk rock reached airplay and edited well-sold albums like Caída libre.
El Peyote Asesino
split after their second album, Terraja, while La Vela Puerca's popularity grew as they matured musically from a ska-punk sound to their own identity, blending local sounds as well. In 2003 a band named Astroboy, inspired by Oasis
, came out. Since 2005, La Vela Puerca
and No Te Va Gustar
(NTVG) are the most popular bands in Uruguay. El Cuarteto de Nos
, No Te Va Gustar
and La Vela Puerca
are also very popular in Argentina
, touring throughout the country and playing in local festivals, such as Cosquín Rock
, Pepsi Music, etc.
Trotsky Vengaran
is a very well known band in the inner culture, with nearly 20 years of career and eleven studio albums they directly compete with Buitres
for the audience. Formed in 1991, they published their first album, "Salud, dinero y dinero" (Health, money and more money) in 1994, since then, they have published albums almost once every two years.
Amables Donantes,
Astroboy,
Bufón,
Buenos Muchachos
Buitres Despues de la Una,
Claudio Taddei,
Cursi,
Doberman
,
El Cuarteto de Nos
,
El Peyote Asesino
,
La Chancha Francisca,
La Saga,
La Teja Pride,
La Trampa
,
La Vela Puerca
,
Los Estomagos,
Los Traidores
,
Niquel,
No Te Va Gustar
,
Platano Macho,
Psiglo,
Rey Toro,
Trotsky Vengaran,
Vinilo,
Zero.
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
in the 1950s. The real breakthrough for rock in Uruguay, however, as in much of the world, was the arrival of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in the early 1960s.
History
The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
were wildly popular across the world, and many Uruguayan youths began to form their own rock bands. In the mid-1960s, as the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
was peaking in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and elsewhere, a group of Uruguayan bands like Los Shakers
Los Shakers
Los Shakers were a popular rock band in 1960s and was a part of the Uruguayan Invasion in Latin America. The band was formed in 1963 in Montevideo, Uruguay. They were modeled after The Beatles and even adopted similar haircuts and clothing, as can be seen in their record cover. The band sang many...
, Los Iracundos, Kano y Los Bulldogs, Los Mockers
Los Mockers
Los Mockers were a popular 1960s rock band in Latin America that was part of the Uruguayan Invasion. They modeled themselves off of the Rolling Stones and covered many of their songs . The band was formed in 1963 on Montevideo, Uruguay but moved to Argentina in 1966 after winning a contract with...
and Los Malditos broke into the mainstream in Uruguay's larger neighbor, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. This was called the Uruguayan Invasion
Uruguayan Invasion
The Uruguayan Invasion was a musical phenomenon of the 1960s similar to the British Invasion, with rock bands from Uruguay gaining popularity in Argentina.-History:...
, and it continued for several years, as record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s began signing Uruguayan bands to promote in Argentina.
60s and 70s
With the Uruguayan Invasion of Argentina dying down, a new wave of rock musicians arose, including El Kinto, Totem (banda) , Psiglo, GénesisGénesis
"Génesis" is a single of Mary Ann Acevedo; this song was scheduled to be in the album El Amor es la Solución but it was cancelled. The single released on March 16, 2010 on national radio. The song "Génesis", popularized by Lucecita Benítez. Mary Ann wants to convert it back into a hymn as he did...
, Opus Alfa, Eduardo Mateo
Eduardo Mateo
Eduardo Mateo was a Uruguayan singer, songwriter, guitarist and arranger. He played a key role in the development of the modern Uruguayan music mixing beat, jazz, bossa nova and local rhythms like candombe, in a similar way than Brazilian Tropicalismo.Musicians like Academy Award winner Jorge...
, Jesus Figueroa and Días de Blues, promoted by radio and television shows like Constelacion and Discodromo Show. In 1973, however, a military dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
came to rule Uruguay, and the rock boom ended. In 1975, popular music was canto popular, a genre that was against and openly dismissed electric instrumentations and foreign rhythm and styles.
After 80s
After 1985, with the restoration of democracy, Uruguayan rock was reborn with bands like Los Estómagos, Traidores, Neoh-23, Zero, and La Chancha Francisca. The scene was alive and well, with shows at underground venues or the series of big concerts known as Montevideo Rock, that also included foreign bands. The gloomy sound of this era (post-punk guitars, grim lyrics) found little support in mainstream media. This eighties rock movement slowly weakened and practically vanished.The mid-nineties, with the popularization of compact discs, cable TV and the beginning of the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
saw another generation of Uruguayan bands coming to the surface. El Cuarteto de Nos
El Cuarteto de Nos
El Cuarteto de Nos is a rock group formed in 1980 in Montevideo, Uruguay.- Resume :El Cuarteto is the oldest active Uruguayan band. It has gained universal praise trascending local culture through universal themes and engaging everyday pathos in a humorous light.- Beginnings :In 1980, El Cuarteto...
broke records with their album Otra Navidad en las Trincheras, while Buitres despues de la una (with former Estomagos members) reached a creative peak with Maraviya. A compilation album called Perdidos, released in 2000, documented the whole 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
underground scene, with songs by bands like Loop Lascano, Kato, Camote, Gnomos, Samurai Porno, Sordromo and Elefante.
In 1995, a band called El Peyote Asesino
El Peyote Asesino
El Peyote Asesino is a Uruguayan hip-hop and hard rock band that was active from 1994 to 1999. The band's members included L. Mental , Daniel Benia , Juan Campodónico , P.P. Canedo , and Carlos Casacuberta...
revitalized the whole scene with their self-titled album and their powerful underground shows. Their music was a mix of hip-hop and hard rock, with influences from Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
and Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
. Bands like Platano Macho, La Teja Pride, La abuela Coca (a band inspired by Manu Chao
Manu Chao
Manu Chao , is a French singer of Spanish roots . He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese and occasionally in other languages...
's Mano Negra
Mano Negra
Mano Negra was a music band in France, during 1987–1995, fronted by Manu Chao.The band, founded in 1987 by Chao, his brother Antoine, and his cousin Santiago Casariego in Paris, France, was very influential in Europe during the early 1990s. Although it reached mainstream success in countries...
) and the then beginners La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca is a Uruguayan rock/ska band formed in Montevideo, Uruguay in December 1995. Its founders and current members are Sebastián Teysera , Nicolás Lieutier and Santiago Butler . The band's first appearance under the name La Vela Puerca was at a street party in Montevideo on December 24,...
gave the scene a variety that was unheard of. Deals with big record labels also helped the bands get better sound in their albums, which was a long-time debt of the local scene. Meanwhile, La Trampa
La Trampa
La Trampa is a Uruguayan rock band. It is conformed by Garo Arakelián , Alejandro Spuntone , Irvin Carballo and Carlos Ráfols .- The early years :...
gained popularity as their blend of traditional Uruguayan folk and obscure post-punk rock reached airplay and edited well-sold albums like Caída libre.
El Peyote Asesino
El Peyote Asesino
El Peyote Asesino is a Uruguayan hip-hop and hard rock band that was active from 1994 to 1999. The band's members included L. Mental , Daniel Benia , Juan Campodónico , P.P. Canedo , and Carlos Casacuberta...
split after their second album, Terraja, while La Vela Puerca's popularity grew as they matured musically from a ska-punk sound to their own identity, blending local sounds as well. In 2003 a band named Astroboy, inspired by Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, came out. Since 2005, La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca is a Uruguayan rock/ska band formed in Montevideo, Uruguay in December 1995. Its founders and current members are Sebastián Teysera , Nicolás Lieutier and Santiago Butler . The band's first appearance under the name La Vela Puerca was at a street party in Montevideo on December 24,...
and No Te Va Gustar
No Te Va Gustar
No Te Va Gustar, also known by its initials NTVG, is a rock band from Uruguay. The members are: Emiliano Brancciari , Guzmán Silveira , Diego Bartaburu , Gonzalo Castex , Martín Gíl , Denis Ramos , Mauricio Ortiz , Marcel Curuchet and Pablo Coniberti...
(NTVG) are the most popular bands in Uruguay. El Cuarteto de Nos
El Cuarteto de Nos
El Cuarteto de Nos is a rock group formed in 1980 in Montevideo, Uruguay.- Resume :El Cuarteto is the oldest active Uruguayan band. It has gained universal praise trascending local culture through universal themes and engaging everyday pathos in a humorous light.- Beginnings :In 1980, El Cuarteto...
, No Te Va Gustar
No Te Va Gustar
No Te Va Gustar, also known by its initials NTVG, is a rock band from Uruguay. The members are: Emiliano Brancciari , Guzmán Silveira , Diego Bartaburu , Gonzalo Castex , Martín Gíl , Denis Ramos , Mauricio Ortiz , Marcel Curuchet and Pablo Coniberti...
and La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca is a Uruguayan rock/ska band formed in Montevideo, Uruguay in December 1995. Its founders and current members are Sebastián Teysera , Nicolás Lieutier and Santiago Butler . The band's first appearance under the name La Vela Puerca was at a street party in Montevideo on December 24,...
are also very popular in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, touring throughout the country and playing in local festivals, such as Cosquín Rock
Cosquin Rock
Cosquin Rock is an Argentine music festival, held annually since 2001. It is held at Cosquín, Córdoba. Important national rock singers and groups participate in the festival, along with some of the most important international rock bands, mostly of Spanish-speaking countries like Spain, Mexico and...
, Pepsi Music, etc.
Trotsky Vengaran
Trotsky Vengaran
Trotsky Vengarán is an Uruguayan rock band formed in 1991, formed by Guillermo Peluffo as the singer, Hugo Diaz and Ignacio Guasch on guitars, Guillermo "Cuico" Perazzo on drums and Marcelo Abreu on bass...
is a very well known band in the inner culture, with nearly 20 years of career and eleven studio albums they directly compete with Buitres
Buitres
Buitres Despues de la Una is an Uruguayan rock band formed in 1989.It is currently one of the most important groups in Uruguay, and it was formed after Los Estomagos' dissolution.- Beginnings :...
for the audience. Formed in 1991, they published their first album, "Salud, dinero y dinero" (Health, money and more money) in 1994, since then, they have published albums almost once every two years.
Bands and solo performers
Abuela Coca,Amables Donantes,
Astroboy,
Bufón,
Buenos Muchachos
Buitres Despues de la Una,
Claudio Taddei,
Cursi,
Doberman
Doberman
Doberman or Dobermann most commonly refers to Doberman Pinscher, a breed of dog, or to its creator, Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann.It may also refer to:*Doberman , a 2003 album by Tomoyasu Hotei*Doberman , a Japanese ska/punk band...
,
El Cuarteto de Nos
El Cuarteto de Nos
El Cuarteto de Nos is a rock group formed in 1980 in Montevideo, Uruguay.- Resume :El Cuarteto is the oldest active Uruguayan band. It has gained universal praise trascending local culture through universal themes and engaging everyday pathos in a humorous light.- Beginnings :In 1980, El Cuarteto...
,
El Peyote Asesino
El Peyote Asesino
El Peyote Asesino is a Uruguayan hip-hop and hard rock band that was active from 1994 to 1999. The band's members included L. Mental , Daniel Benia , Juan Campodónico , P.P. Canedo , and Carlos Casacuberta...
,
La Chancha Francisca,
La Saga,
La Teja Pride,
La Trampa
La Trampa
La Trampa is a Uruguayan rock band. It is conformed by Garo Arakelián , Alejandro Spuntone , Irvin Carballo and Carlos Ráfols .- The early years :...
,
La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca is a Uruguayan rock/ska band formed in Montevideo, Uruguay in December 1995. Its founders and current members are Sebastián Teysera , Nicolás Lieutier and Santiago Butler . The band's first appearance under the name La Vela Puerca was at a street party in Montevideo on December 24,...
,
Los Estomagos,
Los Traidores
Los Traidores (band)
Traidores is a Uruguayan punk rock band founded during the post-dictatorship disarray of mid-1980s Uruguay.- History :...
,
Niquel,
No Te Va Gustar
No Te Va Gustar
No Te Va Gustar, also known by its initials NTVG, is a rock band from Uruguay. The members are: Emiliano Brancciari , Guzmán Silveira , Diego Bartaburu , Gonzalo Castex , Martín Gíl , Denis Ramos , Mauricio Ortiz , Marcel Curuchet and Pablo Coniberti...
,
Platano Macho,
Psiglo,
Rey Toro,
Trotsky Vengaran,
Vinilo,
Zero.