Argentine punk
Encyclopedia
1976–1983: Military dictatorship years
1976 is the year in which punk music started to emerge in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with bands like the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
. That same year a military dictatorship known as National Reorganization Process began in Argentina. The repressive
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
policy of the military government against the dissidents was to kidnap them (the disappeared and became desaparecidos), torture, and murder them in illegal concentration camps.
Considering the political background and the obvious censorship, the anarchic and revolutionary ideas of punk rock where prohibited and so from the first years of the Argentine punk rock are poorly documented, mainly because it took place in an extremely underground scene. Because of this adverse context, the birth of punk rock in Argentina has an heroic and almost mythical status. In 1982 Argentina lost the Falklands war
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
to the United Kingdom. This did not help the popularity of UK-inspired punk even after the censorship was over.
Original bands
The first Argentine punk bands were:- Los Laxantes (1979–1983): featured Félix Sagnia (bass) and Gamexane (guitar) among their members. Both of them would later become the founding members of the infamous Todos Tus MuertosTodos Tus MuertosTodos Tus Muertos is a punk and reggae band from Argentina created in 1985.-Members:* Felix Gutiérrez - bass and backing vocals * Pablo Molina - vocals, percussion * Christian Fabrizio - drums...
in 1985. The band only recorded one demo. - Alerta Roja (1981–1987) : Bandmembers Pablo Strangler (guitar) Fernan (drums) Daniel (bass) and Mongo (voice) later Chiflo(sax)and Ucci (guitar) who replace to Pablo Strangler. One most popular band together to Los Violadores in the begin from the movement and maybe the most political group. Discography: "Derrumbando La Casa Rosada" 1983 and "El Llanto Interior" 1985
recorded in independent way.
- Los Baraja (1981–1984): their sound could be compared to the Sex Pistols and Dead Boys. Along with Los VioladoresLos VioladoresLos Violadores is a punk band from Argentina and the pioneers of the genre in Latin America.-History:Los Violadores was founded in 1981 by guitarist Hari B . The rest of the band included Stuka , Pil Trafa and Sergio Gramatika...
, they were the only ones to play UK punk rock in Argentina. The bandmembers were Basura (drums), Alejandro (bass), Marcelo "Vil Baraja" Montolivo (Guitar), Marcelo Poca Vida (voice). Poca Vida would later become a member of the punk band Cadáveres de Niños. - Los Testículos (1979–1981): according to urban legend, this band was offered the first punk gig in Argentina in 1979. The band featured among its members Hari B., Stuka and Sergio Gramática, who would later become Los Violadores.
- Los VioladoresLos VioladoresLos Violadores is a punk band from Argentina and the pioneers of the genre in Latin America.-History:Los Violadores was founded in 1981 by guitarist Hari B . The rest of the band included Stuka , Pil Trafa and Sergio Gramatika...
(1981–present): the band was the result of Pil Trafa (voice) meeting the members of Los Testículos. They would become the most important and influential punk band from the early years, probably because they recorded several albums and managed to stay together for a while. They were the only ones to dress up like The ClashThe ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and Sex PistolsSex PistolsThe Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and their early lyrics would often critizise the military dictatorship even during the time of repression. Their songs "1, 2, UltraviolentoUno, dos, ultraviolento"Uno, dos, ultraviolento" is a song by Argentine punk rock band Los Violadores, featured as a single from their Y ahora que pasa, eh? album from 1985. The song was Los Violadores breakthrough as one of the better known punk rock bands of Argentina...
" (inspired on the movie A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
) and "Represión" became official anthems of the punk scene. - SumoSumo (band)Sumo was a 1980s Argentine alternative rock band, merging post-punk with reggae and ska. Headed by Italian-born Luca Prodan, it remained underground for most of its short activity, but was extremely influential in shaping contemporary Argentine rock. Sumo introduced British post-punk to the...
(1981–1987): they never wanted to be considered as a punk rock band, but many people consider them so. Their singer Luca ProdanLuca ProdanLuca Prodan was a Scottish musician.He was the son of an Italian father and a Scottish mother, born in Rome after the return of the Prodan family from China, where Luca's father had set up a prosperous business becoming an expert in ancient Chinese pottery, because of the Japanese invasion...
had lived in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
until 1981 and had experienced the birth of the punk movement. Their style was based on a mix between the sound of The ClashThe ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, reggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
music and post-punkPost-punkPost-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
or new waveNew Wave musicNew Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
bands like Joy DivisionJoy DivisionJoy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
(Prodan was a close friend of Ian CurtisIan CurtisIan Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...
). Their legacy in the history of Argentine punk is that they brought new musical styles to the ears of the local punks that would later influence many bands that came after them.
1983–1990: Democracy
When the military government ended in 1983 and Raúl AlfonsínRaúl Alfonsín
Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín was an Argentine lawyer, politician and statesman, who served as the President of Argentina from December 10, 1983, to July 8, 1989. Alfonsín was the first democratically-elected president of Argentina following the military government known as the National Reorganization...
's democratic government (1983–1989) started, a new generation of punk bands was born in Argentina. An important album from those years was the compilation Invasión 88 released by Radio Tripoli Records in 1988; a year in which several punk bands started to become popular, and yet most of them were unable to release an album due to financial circumstances. Invasión 88 featured songs by earlier punk bands that had already split up, such as Los Laxantes and Los Baraja, and newer bands such as Attaque 77
Attaque 77
Attaque 77 is an Argentine rock group formed in 1987.-History:Formed in 1987 as a group of friends who got together to play their favorite songs, most of them by The Ramones, their favorite band and the one that influenced them the most...
, Exeroica, Rigidez Kadaverica, Flema
Flema
Flema was an Argentine punk rock band, that managed to find a unique style among other punk bands.The last configuration of the band was: Ricardo Espinosa , Fernando Rossi , Luis Garibaldo , and Pepe Carvallo . Their songs usually deal with loneliness, alcohol and drugs, friends, women, politics,...
, División Autista and Conmoción Cerebral. For many of those bands, those are the only recordings left to this day. The album was criticised by some bands who refused to participate in the album (such as Cadaveres de Niños and Todos tus Muertos) because the compilation featured two songs by far right skinhead Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
band Comando Suicida
Comando Suicida
Comando Suicida band formed in 1984. Their lyrics discussed topics such as unemployment, illegal immigration, the illegal drug trade, the working class and violence...
.
Bands of the period
Some current bands are:- Argies (1984–present): Band from RosarioRosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, often compared to The ClashThe ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
. The name "Argies" is the pejorative apocope for "argentine", expression extensively used by the English soldiers during the war in Malvinas (Falkland) in 1982. Even though their musical root is the British punk from the seventies, with tendencies to ska, reggae, Latin Music and good part of Rock and roll. Its lyric has a testimonial style and, nowadays, turning to a deeper search into the inside of human ethic. The difference between Argies and another rock band, they aren't a typical band with all fixed members. Argies is working like a cooperative of independent musicians. Every member come in the band, playing until his personal and free decision, helping to create a cultural movement across the years. Argies has played more than 600 shows in Europe. Also 61 shows in America -shows and tours- between 1996 to 2010. - Todos Tus MuertosTodos Tus MuertosTodos Tus Muertos is a punk and reggae band from Argentina created in 1985.-Members:* Felix Gutiérrez - bass and backing vocals * Pablo Molina - vocals, percussion * Christian Fabrizio - drums...
(1985–present): most of the early bands tried to emulate The Ramones but Todos Tus Muertos wanted to go further and incorporate new styles. At the beginning of their career, their sound was heavily influenced by early hardcore punkHardcore punkHardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands such as Dead KennedysDead KennedysDead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
and Bad BrainsBad BrainsBad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
; death rock and goth rock bands such as Virgin PrunesVirgin PrunesVirgin Prunes was an Irish gothic rock band formed in 1977. They disbanded in 1986 after the departure of Gavin Friday. The other members continued under the name The Prunes until they split up in 1990.-Career:...
, and reggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
bands. Quite soon, they became the rulers of the new generation of punk bands in Argentina, but moved on and ended up playing more reggae than punk. - Cadaveres de Niños (later Cadaveres): its members were Lula (drums), Jorge Gipsy (guitar), Marcelo Poca Vida (member of Los Baraja), Pablo Strangler (guitar) and Patricia Pietrafesa (bass). Pietrafesa would later move on and start She DevilsShe DevilsShe-Devils is an Argentine punk band that started to play in the year 1995.The band has often been associated with the homocore genre.The band members are: Patricia Pietrafiesa , Pilar and Inés...
; she was also the publisher of the fanzineFanzineA fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
Resistencia, the very first punk publication in the country. - Attaque 77Attaque 77Attaque 77 is an Argentine rock group formed in 1987.-History:Formed in 1987 as a group of friends who got together to play their favorite songs, most of them by The Ramones, their favorite band and the one that influenced them the most...
(1987–present): their style was quite close to the style of The Ramones. - FlemaFlemaFlema was an Argentine punk rock band, that managed to find a unique style among other punk bands.The last configuration of the band was: Ricardo Espinosa , Fernando Rossi , Luis Garibaldo , and Pepe Carvallo . Their songs usually deal with loneliness, alcohol and drugs, friends, women, politics,...
(1987–2002): when several bands were becoming overtly political, Flema decided to celebrate the most self-destructive side of punk. Attitude, alcohol, drugs and sex were the topics of their songs. Ricky Espinosa was often so drunk during their concerts that he could barely stand up. They probably became the most legendary and influential punk band from Argentina. The band ceased to exist in 2002 when Ricky Espinosa committed suicide.
1990 and later
In the late 1980s, a new musical scene started: the Buenos Aires HardcoreBuenos Aires Hardcore
Buenos Aires Hardcore was the name of the scene that gathered the Hardcore bands that started to play in Buenos Aires in the late 80's.The style of these bands was often influenced by the New York Hardcore scene; often mixing styles like punk, metal and hip hop, however some bands like Fun People...
.
New bands like Existencia de Odio (E.D.O.), No Demuestra Interés (N.D.I.), Diferentes Actitudes Juveniles (D.A.J.), Minoría Activa and Fun People
Fun People
Fun People is a punk band from Argentina. They sing in English and Spanish, often mixing both languages in a single song or even line. Human and animal rights are frequent subjects in their lyrics...
started to bring new styles to the local scene of Argentina. By 1995, the new movement was almost dead, but some bands like Minoría Activa and Fun People survived.
Current bands
- Drogadictos(1999-present):Probably the most raw band the buenos aires rock scene has ever witnessed.
- 2 Minutos2 Minutos2 Minutos or Dos Minutos are a punk rock band from Argentina. They are one of the most important bands of the genre to emerge in argentine rock in the 1990s, highly influential across the Spanish-speaking world, and also popular in the punk scene of the United States.-Biography:The band can trace...
(1987–present): One of the most famous punk bands in Argentina during the 1990s, highly influential across the Spanish-speaking world, and the only one who got to play in the USA. Quite soon they became extremely popular due to some radio hits like the anti-police song "Ya no sos igual". They became targets of criticism by older members of the scene like Pil Trafa (singer of Los Violadores) because their 'mediocre' lyrics were always about beer, footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and getting drunk. - Fun PeopleFun PeopleFun People is a punk band from Argentina. They sing in English and Spanish, often mixing both languages in a single song or even line. Human and animal rights are frequent subjects in their lyrics...
(1989–2000): Their lyrics and style introduced new subjects that the previous punk bands had often ignored: criticism of the traditional gender roles, vegetarianismVegetarianismVegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
, the right of legal abortionAbortionAbortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and gay rights. However the band would often mix their political ideas with nostalgic love songs that made them get closer to The SmithsThe SmithsThe Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
than to any punk band. They toured the USA many times. In 2000, Fun People ceased to play and its lead singer started a solo project as Boom Boom KidBoom Boom KidBoom Boom Kid is the artistic name that Carlos Rodríguez started to use around 2000.-Music career:Boom Boom Kid's solo career began before the demise of his former band, Fun People...
, however the other members of the band have joined him in a few gigs as guests, and Fun People has played that way a few times after the year 2000. - El Otro YoEl Otro YoEl Otro Yo is an Argentine band of alternative rock and originally of Temperley, Buenos Aires, formed at the beginning of the decade of 1990 and influenced mainly by Nirvana, Pixies and Sonic Youth...
(1989–present): some people classify their music as punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, others as grungeGrungeGrunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
music. Now ir is better desecibed as alternative rockAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, which in Argentina is different than alternative music in the rest of the world. The became commercially successful and have released many records through their independent label Besotico Records. They have a huge following and their fans define themselves as alternative people. They share a lot of their fanbase with Fun PeopleFun PeopleFun People is a punk band from Argentina. They sing in English and Spanish, often mixing both languages in a single song or even line. Human and animal rights are frequent subjects in their lyrics...
and both were responsible for the development of the "alternative" subculture. - Minoría Activa (1991–present): they started to play in the Buenos Aires HardcoreBuenos Aires HardcoreBuenos Aires Hardcore was the name of the scene that gathered the Hardcore bands that started to play in Buenos Aires in the late 80's.The style of these bands was often influenced by the New York Hardcore scene; often mixing styles like punk, metal and hip hop, however some bands like Fun People...
scene. Their style is a mix of metal, punk, hardcore and hip-hop with strong influences from bands like Sick Of It AllSick of It AllSick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...
and Agnostic FrontAgnostic FrontAgnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
. One of the particular things about this band is that it has two lead singers. - She DevilsShe DevilsShe-Devils is an Argentine punk band that started to play in the year 1995.The band has often been associated with the homocore genre.The band members are: Patricia Pietrafiesa , Pilar and Inés...
(1995–present): it was the first queercoreQueercoreQueercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
band in Argentina. They started to play in the mid 1990s. Their lead singer Patricia already had a long tradition in the scene (she had been the bass player of Cadaveres de Niños and the publisher of the fanzine Resistencia). - Mal Momento (1987–present): this group was in the second wave of Argentine punk, with voice Hermann Frederico Pertusi on guitar, Ricky De Leon on bass and Daniel D'Angelo on drums. After years of performances under, came to edit the first record in 1994. The second board, "Fin de fiesta" (1995), incorporates elements of rockabilly and unusual melodies to punk.
- Doble Fuerza (1987–present): formed in the city of Quilmes. Their lyrics make up a rock with punk overtones and influences of rock and roll from the late 50's and 60's, and legendary English punk groups of the '70s. Over the years they were brewing their own style, accompanied by a personal voice, melodies and riffs rockers lasting in time, in his early years their style oi! / Street punk, attracted fascist skinheads to his concerts, which made them abandon this sound.
- Cadena Perpetua (1990–present): with a traditional punk rock sound, between 1993 and 1995 were presented as support band of the RamonesRamonesThe Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, La Polla RecordsLa Polla RecordsLa Polla Records is a Spanish punk rock band. They were formed in 1979 in Salvatierra/Agurain, a small town in the Basque Country . Its founders were Evaristo Páramos, Maleguin, Txarly and Sume...
(four shows) and Steve JonesSteve Jones (musician)Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
, while continuing with shows pubs. Then appear in a 2007 disc that celebrates 30 years of punk, along with Los VioladoresLos VioladoresLos Violadores is a punk band from Argentina and the pioneers of the genre in Latin America.-History:Los Violadores was founded in 1981 by guitarist Hari B . The rest of the band included Stuka , Pil Trafa and Sergio Gramatika...
and 2 Minutos2 Minutos2 Minutos or Dos Minutos are a punk rock band from Argentina. They are one of the most important bands of the genre to emerge in argentine rock in the 1990s, highly influential across the Spanish-speaking world, and also popular in the punk scene of the United States.-Biography:The band can trace...
. - Massacre (1985–present): pioneer skate rock band in Argentina, Massacre Palestina (original name of the band) is formed by high school students in Buenos Aires, bands influenced by the West Coast to fuse hardcore punk-surf-to late seventies and early eighties. (TSOLTSOLTSOL is an American punk rock band which formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California. TSOL is short for True Sounds of Liberty although they are rarely referred to by their full name....
, Dead KennedysDead KennedysDead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
, Black FlagBlack Flag (band)Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, etc.). For their attitude based on self-management for over twenty years is considered one of the few bands truly cult of Argentina. - BulldogBulldogBulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
(1989–present):Bulldog, was formed in Rosario, the group was gaining ground and popularity for more than ten year career under, thanks to his style of punk and rock, beginning to reap laurels and make a name nationally with his work "Circus Carousel "a separate disk of 2000 that reflects best sounding punk roots, old hits and also more elaborate songs.