Aterciopelados

by Jeff Tamarkin
Calling Aterciopelados one of the most important rock en espa?ol innovators since the mid-90s would be an accurate summation but merely scratching the surface. Formed as a quartet around the songwriting duo of former Delia y los Aminoacidos singer/guitarist Andrea Echeverri and bassist/producer Héctor Buitrago in Bogotá in 1993, Aterciopelados, whose name translates loosely to the velvety ones, was one of the first rock bands to emerge from Colombia. In subsequent years, they remained one of the most consistently adventurous and influential Latin rock groups, their worldwide popularity increasing steadily even as they underwent noticeable stylistic transformations. Aterciopelados earliest music, represented on albums such as 1993s Con el Corazon en la Mano and the following years El Dorado, was their fiercest, incorporating punk rock with Latin and Caribbean styles, among them bolero, flamenco, ska, and reggae. The bands original drummer, Andrés Giraldo, was replaced by Alejandro Duque in 1995, and guitarist Charlie Márquez was replaced by Alejandro Gómez Cáceras in 1997.
As Aterciopelados evolved, their mix took in more traditional Colombian folk styles such as vallenato and cumbia, and they introduced Andean pan flutes and other regional acoustic instrumentation in addition to the standard rock guitars and drums. But simultaneously they exhibited an increasing reliance on electronics and synthesizer programming. La Pipa de la Paz, produced by former Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera and released in 1997, broke the band in North America, and 1998s largely electronic Caribe Atómico, recorded in New York with assistance from avant-garde musicians Marc Ribot and Arto Lindsay, furthered the bands reputation, although by this point Aterciopelados had essentially become Echeverri and Buitrago and whomever they chose to work with. Gozo Poderoso (2000) was their most acclaimed album yet and landed Aterciopelados in the Top Ten of the Billboard Top Latin Albums sales chart. It also won Aterciopelados a 2001 Latin Grammy in the category of Best Rock Duo/Group with Vocal.
Aterciopelados took five years off following that success, releasing only the compilation Evolucion in 2002. Echeverri had a baby during the hiatus and both she and Buitrago released solo albums, with Echeverris self-titled release (whose songs focused on the mothering experience) receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album as well as a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. In 2006, having moved from RCA International to the Nacional label (which also released both the Echeverri album and Buitragos Conector), Aterciopelados came back with Oye, which took them away from the hard rock and electronics of the past and into a more acoustic-based sound.