Estopa

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Estopa is the name of a popular Spanish rock/rumba duo from Cornellà, Spain, just outside of Barcelona. The band consists of brothers Jose and David Muñoz, who sing a unique blend of sounds reflecting many genres, including rock, rumba, flamenco, and a "sonido callejero" that does not easily fit into categories. The band has commented on such difficulty by stating "We don't like to be easily categorized." They are similar to the band Los Chichos, a rumba band from Spain, popular in the 1970s.

1 Band History
2 Jose Muñoz
3 David Muñoz
4 Discography
5 Filmography
- 5.1 Composer
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Band History

Jose Muñoz, born November 13, 1978; and David Muñoz, born January 10, 1976; are brothers, born and raised in Cornellá, Spain, a suburb of Barcelona. The brothers grew up listening to such bands as Los Chichos, Los Chunguitos, and Bordón on their trips with their parents from Cornellá to Zarza Capilla, where their parents were from.

As they grew up, Jose and David attended college for some time before deciding that it was not suited for them. After quitting their studies, they worked for a factory manufacturing automobile parts for the company SEAT. This is also where they got the band name "Estopa": from the expression used by their boss to keep everybody on task, "Dale Estopa a la maquina." It was in that factory that they began composing their earliest songs and they began to play in local bars.

After playing a song for the bosses at BMG Music España, Estopa was given a record deal and so began their rise to fame, a rise which has happened extremely quickly.

Their first disc, "Estopa," was released October 19, 1999 and one of its songs, "La Raja de Tu Falda" became an instant hit and an Estopa classic. Other songs such as "Tu Calorro," "Suma y Sigue," and "El Del Medio De Los Chichos" (an ode to Los Chichos the band), have also remained steady favorites of fans.

Estopa followed the release of "Estopa" with their next disc "Destrangis" in 2001, which sold 250,000 copies in its first two weeks. The disc also enjoyed a huge welcome from fans, both old and new, and it opened the doors of opportunity to tour in Latin America. The Muñoz brothers later released a second Destrangis disc entitled "Más Destrangis."

After a couple of years' hiatus, their fourth disc, "¿La Calle Es Tuya?" was released in 2004. Though it did not receive as good of ratings as "Estopa" and "Destrangis" it still became an immediate hit with songs like "Fuente de Energía" and "Apagón." The band experimented with more rock sounds on this album, but while still maintaining their unique rumba and flamenco flavored sounds that they had formed in their first albums.

In late 2005, the band released their highly-anticipated disc "Voces de Ultrarumba" which has been considered Estopa in its purest form. The disc includes many songs that Estopa had written many years before, but was not able to record due to limits on each disc. Of particular popularity were the songs "No Quiero Verla Más" and "Malabares." The CD came out in a special dual-disc CD/DVD set.

Estopa has been working on their next disc, but details such as a title or a specific release date have not been released. It is expected to be released sometime in 2008. They are also working on a music video for "Voces De Ultrarumba"'s song, "Lunes."

[edit] Jose Muñoz

Jose Muñoz is the younger brother, born in 1978. He plays guitar for Estopa and sings back up, as well as lead on a few songs. He is more reserved, likes comic books, and South Park. Like David, he thoroughly enjoys playing video games and having a beer with his friends. He is not married.

[edit] David Muñoz

David Muñoz is the older brother, having been born in 1976. He is the lead singer and also plays some guitar. He is generally the more outgoing of the two, and likes to read. He also likes to have a beer with his friends and play video games.