Mekatelyu (band)
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| Mekatelyu | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Limón, Costa Rica |
| Years active | 1998 to present |
| Genres | Reggae |
Mekatelyu is a Costa Rican band. It was formed in December 1998 when Gabriel Dávila (Gabo), bassist of the band, started a search for a new style of music that would fuse reggae roots with different Caribbean and Latin rhythms.
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[edit] History
After a short time rehearsing, they debuted at the Youth Festival in Sabana San José, Costa Rica, on February 6, 1999. In this concert, Mekatelyu offered a new sound at a time when there were no roots groups in the Costa Rican area. The strong reception and support of the public motivated the band to redouble their efforts.
This initiated regular concerts in the subterranean Costa Rican scene with ska and punk groups, among them Mod — Ska, Garbanzos, El Guato, Teatromocracia, and others.
Within four months of the band's formation, they had recorded their first demo, Comin Nao. This demo was recorded by Gabo in the Creative Production studios and mixed by Leo León in Radio U's studios. The disc tells a story using ten songs, fusing reggae with calypso, raggamuffin and ska. Among these is Amarily Love Reggae, which became the band's first success at the radio-play level, and reached number 1 in different radio stations around the country. These songs were in Spanish and Mekatelyu (the native "Limonese" dialect), and the themes of their songs include the high cost of living (25 cañas), spirituality (Oh Jah Jah) and Limonese folklore (La Farafa), among others. Álvaro Durán was in charge of cover design, and Eduardo Marenco of photography.
In October 1999, they signed a contract with Oscar Ortiz (Mr. Rasta) who gave them an opportunity to record their first music video for Amarily Love Reggae. The video was filmed in Puerto Viejo, Cahuita and Limón by director Gustavo Castro and edited by Cristian Castro of TVA.
In March 2000, they were invited by Enrique Salgado to open a concert for The Wailers (of Bob Marley fame).
In June 2001, Mekatelua signed a contract with record company D.D.M. in order to achieve a more professional level of promotion and distribution which led an upgraded version of their demo Comin Nao (adding winds, percussions and dubs).
In July 2001, they were invited to the Youth Festival in Panama and, in August 2002, they traveled to Spain and Portugal for a month and a half tour, playing over thirty concerts in different locations (Madrid, Extremadura, Valencia, Murcia, Cuenca, Albacete, Burgos), in addition to promotional work in Barcelona and Italy.
In February 2002, Mekatelua presented their second production to the public, "ENTRE RAICES". This was a more mature and elaborate album that mixed "cumbia", "soca", and Latin elements.
[edit] Entre Raices disc
This combines many musical, spiritual, and compositional influnces, giving listeners a new approach to latin roots music. The album cover was a concept of Mauricio Ariza and Gabriel Dávila and the graphics were designed by Luis Enrique Vega This album was recorded in GB Productions by Adrián Blando and Paren Paren in The Mix studios by Allan Murillo. In the premier party for this album, sister bands LOS CAFRES, GONDWANA and CULTURA PROFETICA were present and performed on stage together.
On this album is their biggest hit yet, Paren Paren, that, through the low rhythm of cumbia, brings a message of change against the violence and corruption in the world. This song reached number one on the most important radio charts in the country, and maintained this position for many weeks. This song was promoted one year later with a video by percussionist Mauricio Ariza and Francisco Guerrero which contained images of street and police violence, poverty, urban folklore and scenes from a concert, all through the eyes of a child. This video was dedicated to journalist Parmenio Medina, who was assassinated for exposing corruption.
Currently, the disc is being distributed widely in Central America and Mexico, and the band is now working on recompilations with such bands as Las 11 de 911, Bomba Latina 2 and Rockfest. Mekatelyu also has been chosen to open for various internationally renowned bands like The Wailers, Alpha Blondy and the Solar System, Pericos, Gondwana, Los Cafres, Cultura Profética, Non Palidece, Resistencia Suburbana, Johnnydread, and Rabanes, and is working on projects with Pablito Molina and Fidel Nadal of Lumumba y Todos Tus Muertos.
[edit] Composition
Initially, Gabo brought together Johnny Akent (Johnnyman) for vocals and clarinet, Pablo Oporta on the drums, Olman Arroya on percussion and Mario Corrales on electric guitar.
In April of 1999, Gregory Barcía (Goyo) entered the band as a new guitarist, bringing a new feeling to the group.
In March 2000, Mekatelya displayed a new format with the addition of 3 band members, Carlos Quesada (Quesadita) on the trombone, Vladimir Bolaños on the alto saxophone and César Sandí on percussion.
At the end of 2000, Mekatelya made a few changes in their alignment, and added Gerardo Soto on drums, Mauricio Ariza on percussion. In 2001, Mario Vega was added on trumpet and Manuel Dávila on keyboard, giving the band a new more professional sound.
Near the end of 2002, Jorge Sobrado was added on drums and Camilo Poltronieri from Inconsciente Colectivo on guitar, giving Mekatelyu a new and more definitive sound.
The members of Mekatelya had in prior years been part of recognized groups, for example: Johnnyman, Quesadita, César, Mario and Vladimir were parts of various internationally recognized folklore groups such as Nacaome, Areito, Tierra y Cosecha, Curime and Kamuk which represented Costa Rica in Folklore Music Festivals in Europe, Mexico, The United States, Honduras and others. Gabo belonged to rock groups like Kadeho, Mantra y Nostalgia, Camilo and Inconsciente Colectivo.
