Uruguayan rock

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.

History

The Beatles 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 labels 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, Génesis, 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.

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 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.

Bands and solo performers

Abuela Coca, Amables Donantes, Astroboy, Bufón, Buenos Muchachos Buitres Despues de la Una, Claudio Taddei, Cursi, Doberman(P E R R O S), 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.

External links