Café Tacvba
Encyclopedia
Café Tacuba is a band from Naucalpan
, Mexico
. The group is widely credited with being a pioneering group of the Rock en Español
movement, which gained popularity in the early 1990s. They were founded in 1989, and since then have had the same musical lineup of Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega (lead vocals, rhythm guitar
), Emmanuel "Meme" del Real Díaz (keyboards
, piano
, programming
, rhythm guitar
, melodica
, vocals), José Alfredo "Joselo" Rangel Arroyo (lead guitar
, vocals), and Enrique 'Quique' Rangel Arroyo: (bass guitar
, electric upright bass
, vocals). Mexican folk music player Alejandro Flores is considered the 5th tacuba, as he has played the violin in almost every Café Tacuba concert since 1994. Since the Cuatro Caminos
World Tour, Luis "El Children" Ledezma has played the drums in every concert but is not considered an official member of the band.
's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
), the band took its final name from a coffee shop (el Café de Tacuba) located in downtown Mexico City
. The cafe, which opened in 1912 and had its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, was representative of the Pachuco
scene at the time, something the band would later acknowledge as an influence. The Café de Tacuba is still in operation as a coffee shop and restaurant on Tacuba Street, in Mexico City's Historic Center. The band changed its name to Café Tacvba (changing the u for a v) in order to avoid legal issues with the coffee shop.
Singer Rubén Albarran and bassist Enrique Rangel met while studying graphic design at Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City. Rangel's brother Joselo completed the group's lineup in 1989. The group began playing music in the garage of a house in their neighborhood, Satélite, an upper-middle-class suburban area in the Naucalpan
municipality, in the northern region of the Mexico City
metropolitan area. They were principally influenced by alternative rock bands of the 1980s such as The Cure
, The Clash
, The Smiths
, and Violent Femmes
.
Despite their English-language influences, they wanted to represent their native culture, so they incorporated Mexican influences into their music. They began singing primarily in Spanish
and changed their name to Café Tacuba. Café Tacuba went from being a garage band to a concert act in 1989, when they joined the scene surrounding El Hijo del Cuervo, a cultural club in Coyoacán
featuring writers and musicians. As they performed in various venues around Mexico City, they were discovered by Argentinian
music producer Gustavo Santaolalla
, who at the time was producing albums for leading bands of the burgeoning Rock en Español
movement of the time. Santaolalla arranged a contract for the band with Warner Music Latina
(WEA), with plans to produce its debut album himself. Café Tacuba in turn proceeded to record their first song for commercial release, "Tamales de Iguanita," which WEA released as part of a Christmas
-themed rock en español compilation, Diciembre 25, in 1990.
, to electronica
and hip-hop, to regional Mexican varieties such norteño
, bolero
, and ranchera
. Café Tacuba released five singles from the album -- "Maria," "Rarotonga," "Las Persianas," "La Chica Banda," and "Las Batallas" -- with a music video filmed for each, with the exception of the latter.
Two years later, the group released their follow-up album, Re, in 1994. The singles "La Ingrata," "Las Flores," and "El Ciclón" were also commercially successful. On the album, collaborators included Luis Conte
and Alejandra Flores, while unconventional rock instrumentation like the jarana
, guitarrón
, melodeon, and drum machine
s was employed. The album's mixture of genres such as alternative rock
, punk, and metal
with traditional Latin American styles helped the group develop a dedicated cult following. During the promotion of the album, the band's attendance at the 1995 New Music Seminar in New York helped garner some media attention in the United States
.
In 1996, the group released Avalancha de Éxitos
, meaning "Avalanche of Hits", a covers album in which they performed songs by other Spanish-speaking artists. The tracks were recorded while the band was in the studio working on Re and grew tired of recording new material. Avalancha de Éxitos marked Café Tacuba's first appearance on Billboard
's album charts (number 12 on the Latin Pop chart, 28 on Top Latin Albums), and the band commenced an international tour to promote the album. In 1996, the band also contributed to the AIDS
benefit album Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin
produced by the Red Hot Organization
performing along with David Byrne
.
electronica
and musique concrète
, as well as collaborative work with the Kronos Quartet
, an American string quartet. Santaolalla liked the resulting music and deemed it ready for release. WEA, however, did not like the idea releasing an entirely instrumental album of experimental music, after the group had gained success with their more accessible style of music. In the end, WEA and Café Tacuba reached a compromise: if the band would record a second album of more conventional material, the label would release both as a double-disc package and sell it for the cost of a standard single-disc album.
As promised, the group returned to the studio to record an album of previously written material, and released Revés/Yo Soy
in 1999. The album was a double-disc set, featuring both the band's instrumental music and the newly recorded album. The album is notable for its unconventional packaging style, designed by vocalist Rubén Isaac Albarrán. In addition, the album titles Revés (which translates to "reverse") and Yo Soy (a palindrome
), exemplify the band's eccentricity. The album also featured two popular singles, "La Locomotora" and "La Muerte Chiquita." The album won a Latin Grammy for Best Rock Album.
(2000) and Y Tu Mamá También
(2002) soundtracks as well as the tribute album El Mas Grande Homenaje a Los Tigres del Norte (2001), which included a cover of "Futurismo y Tradición." In addition, guitarists Emmanuel del Real Díaz and Joselo Rangel produced a couple songs for Julieta Venegas: "Me Van a Matar" and "Disco Eterno". Rangel also began work on a solo album, Oso, in 2003, which was produced by Albarrán. While Café Tacuba pursued these various projects, they were looking for a new recording contract; the WEA relationship had come to an end after a trio of compilations released in 2001: Tiempo Transcurrido: The Best of Café Tacuba
; a videos collection of the same name; and Lo Esencial de Café Tacuba, a triple-disc package containing the band's first three albums. Maverick Records
, Madonna
's label, reportedly attempted to sign Café Tacuba during this time; however, the band decided ultimately to sign with MCA Records in 2002.
, the band took a different approach than in the past. They decided to work with a live drummer, and recruited Victor Indrizzo
and Joey Waronker
. Secondly, they wanted to work with a couple choice producers besides Santaolalla and Kerpel; they recruited Dave Friedman and Andrew Weiss. Released in June 2003, Cuatro Caminos was met with commercial and critical success. The album won a Grammys for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album as well as two Latin Grammys for Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Song ("Eres").
The group toured extensively after the release of Cuatro Caminos, and released a live album of a performance in front of 170,000 people in Mexico City at El Palacio de los Deportes in October 2004. The album was called Un Viaje
, and was a double-disc set. After the release of the album, the group took a three-year break from releasing music.
groups such as The Who
and the Beach Boys, a departure from their previous techno
and funk-influenced sound. The band also performed on the main stage at Lollapalooza that summer. On September 10, 2008, Café Tacuba became the leading nominee at the Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
with a total of six nominations: Album of the Year
and Alternative Music Album
, for Si No. The lead single
"Volver a Comenzar" was shortlisted for Record of the Year
and Best Alternative Song, the second single "Esta Vez" received nominations for Best Rock Song
and Song of the Year
. The band took the record for most Latin Grammys won in one night.
In 2008, the band collaborated with Puerto Rican
duo Calle 13
on the song "No Hay Nadie Como Tú
". The song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs
and number 15 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay.
Formerly graphic design
students, Rubén, Joselo and Quique design their own album covers.
player. Previously, until 2001, he played in an alternative band called Villa Jardín. In 2006 he announced his solo debut, Bienvenido al sueño (Welcome To The Dream), it consists of electronic instruments with Buddhist influences and Prehispanic Mexican which he describes as "música protónica por no limitarlo o estereotiparlo" (proton music to not limit or stereotype it").
He is also known as "Juan", "Pinche Juan" (Fucking John), "Tachuela" (Tack), "Cosme", "Masiosare", "Anónimo" (Anonymous), "Nrü" (pronunciation given as "Dshiu" in Spanish; perhaps intended to be dʒy, "Amparo Tonto Medardo In Lak’ech" or "At Medardo ILK", "G3", "Gallo Gasss" (Gasss Rooster), "Élfego Buendía", "Rita Cantalagua", "Sizu Yantra", "Ixaya Mazatzin Tleyótl", "Ixxi Xoo" and now "Cone Cahuitl". He lived the first four years of his life in Monterrey
. Studied at UAM (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana) where he received a bachelor's degree in Design and Graphic Communication. Ruben, or however he is now known has always pushed gender norms through provocative lyrics, and the occasional skirt worn on stage at concerts.
In the shows prior to the release of their first album, people would yell"¡Pinche Juan!" ("Fucking Juan!") (the name of one of the band's first underground hits) to Rubén, so he kept the name for the release of the first album. Two years later he got bored and changed it to "Cosme" for the release of "Re". Since then, he has changed his name for every album and world tour.
In 2010, while on break from Café Tacvba, Rubén Albarrán formed a side project called HopPo! He briefly toured during the fall of 2010 in South and North America with HopPo!
, acoustic guitar
, piano
, programming, vocals
, melodeon
, and melodica
.
For a long time he only sang backup, but since the release of Re in 1992, he began singing lead on songs like El Borrego (The Lamb) or Pez (Fish), he also began playing the guitar
more than before.
On the covers album Avalancha de Éxitos
he plays guitar on No Controles (Don't Control). Since then he's also been known to play the jarana
. Del Real has written some of the band's biggest hits such as La Ingrata (The Ingrate), Las Flores (The Flowers), Aviéntame (Throw Me) and Eres (You Are).
He is known in the Mexican electronica scene as "DJ Angustias"; is part of the Noiselab collective; and released a solo album in late 2005. Del Real has also produced songs for many Mexican artists like Julieta Venegas
, Natalia Lafourcade
, Ely Guerra
, and Liquits, among others.
, until his family moved to Mexico DF were he studied industrial design in the UAM
.
During his youth he had various hobbies like comic books and design even though he decided music was his major passion.
While in college he met a person with a peculiar voice and extravagant ideas: Albarrán. They became best friends and with his brother Quique and Beto they formed a band called Alicia Ya No Vive Aquí.
Later on, with the arrival of Del Real the band became Café Tacuba with Rangel playing electric guitar
, acoustic guitar
and vocals. After 13 years with the band Rangel decided launch a solo side project. He has released two albums: the first, 2001's "Oso" (Bear), named after Joselo's childhood nickname; the second, titled "Lejos" (Far) in 2005.
, electric upright bass
and vocals for Café Tacuba.
At the beginning of Café Tacuba Rangel brought Del Real to join them on keyboards. Thanks to Joselo he began learning the guitar
, but in time stopped his graphic designer work to further dedicate himself to various musical projects. He designed the covers for his brother's albums "Oso" and "Lejos". Rangel now plays in a band called Los Odio ("I Hate All of You"), which includes Paco Huidobro, Jay de la Cueva, and the drummer from La Lupita
. Along with Del Real, Rangel has written some of the bands biggest hits.
s by San Pascualito Rey.
. Their music has been heavily influenced by Mexico's indigenous
population and folk music
traditions, but also by punk and electronic music and other bands on the Mexico City
scene. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of their music is Albarrán's nasal voice, which, combined with his impressive lung capacity (as demonstrated on "La Ingrata", a homage of norteño music
), makes for a very distinctive sound. They sing entirely in Spanish
but have a significant Anglophone following regardless.
The song "Chilanga Banda" has a hip-hop
beat under a stream of Mexico City slang originally written by Jaime López, "María" is a 'bolero' ballad about a street prostitute, "El Fin de la Infancia" a brass
-heavy 'banda ranchera' sound that reflects the influence of 'banda sinaloense', "Desperté" has a tango-driven melody while "El Borrego" mocks speed metal
.
except for Cuatro Caminos
which was produced by Santaloalla, Dave Fridmann
(The Flaming Lips
, Weezer
) and Andrew Weiss (Ween
). Cuatro Caminos
was featured on several Top Albums of 2003 charts, including Rolling Stone
, New York Times, Blender Magazine and won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.
Naucalpan
Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is a city and municipality located just northwest of Mexico City in adjoining Mexico State. The name Naucalpan comes from Nahuatl and means “place of the four neighborhoods or four houses. “de Juárez was added to the official name in 1874 in honor of...
, Mexico
Mexico (state)
México , officially: Estado Libre y Soberano de México is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of the United Mexican States. It is divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Toluca de Lerdo....
. The group is widely credited with being a pioneering group of the Rock en Español
Rock en Español
Rock en español is the Spanish-language rock music. While the term is used widely in English, it is used in Spanish mainly to distinguish such music from "Anglo rock." It is a style of rock music that developed in Latin American countries and Latino communities, along with other genres like...
movement, which gained popularity in the early 1990s. They were founded in 1989, and since then have had the same musical lineup of Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega (lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), Emmanuel "Meme" del Real Díaz (keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, programming
Programming (music)
Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, melodica
Melodica
The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
, vocals), José Alfredo "Joselo" Rangel Arroyo (lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals), and Enrique 'Quique' Rangel Arroyo: (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, electric upright bass
Electric upright bass
The electric upright bass is an electronically amplified version of the double bass that has a minimal or 'skeleton' body, which greatly reduces the size and weight of the instrument. The EUB retains enough of the features of the double bass so that double bass players are comfortable performing...
, vocals). Mexican folk music player Alejandro Flores is considered the 5th tacuba, as he has played the violin in almost every Café Tacuba concert since 1994. Since the Cuatro Caminos
Cuatro Caminos
Cuatro Caminos is the fifth album by Café Tacuba, released in 2003.-Track listing:All tracks by Café Tacuba# Cero y Uno – 3:52...
World Tour, Luis "El Children" Ledezma has played the drums in every concert but is not considered an official member of the band.
Formation (1989-90)
Previously known as "Alicia Ya No Vive Aquí" (a tribute to Martin ScorseseMartin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is a 1974 American drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Robert Getchell. It stars Ellen Burstyn as a widow who travels with her preteen son across the American Southwest in search of a better life, along with Alfred Lutter as her son and Kris...
), the band took its final name from a coffee shop (el Café de Tacuba) located in downtown Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. The cafe, which opened in 1912 and had its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, was representative of the Pachuco
Pachuco
Pachucos are Chicano youths who developed their own subculture during the 1930s and 1940s in the Southwestern United States. They wore distinctive clothing and spoke their own dialect of Mexican Spanish, called Caló or Pachuco...
scene at the time, something the band would later acknowledge as an influence. The Café de Tacuba is still in operation as a coffee shop and restaurant on Tacuba Street, in Mexico City's Historic Center. The band changed its name to Café Tacvba (changing the u for a v) in order to avoid legal issues with the coffee shop.
Singer Rubén Albarran and bassist Enrique Rangel met while studying graphic design at Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City. Rangel's brother Joselo completed the group's lineup in 1989. The group began playing music in the garage of a house in their neighborhood, Satélite, an upper-middle-class suburban area in the Naucalpan
Naucalpan
Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is a city and municipality located just northwest of Mexico City in adjoining Mexico State. The name Naucalpan comes from Nahuatl and means “place of the four neighborhoods or four houses. “de Juárez was added to the official name in 1874 in honor of...
municipality, in the northern region of the Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
metropolitan area. They were principally influenced by alternative rock bands of the 1980s such as The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, 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...
, The Smiths
The Smiths
The 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...
, and Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009...
.
Despite their English-language influences, they wanted to represent their native culture, so they incorporated Mexican influences into their music. They began singing primarily in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and changed their name to Café Tacuba. Café Tacuba went from being a garage band to a concert act in 1989, when they joined the scene surrounding El Hijo del Cuervo, a cultural club in Coyoacán
Coyoacán
Coyoacán refers to one of the sixteen boroughs of the Federal District of Mexico City as well as the former village which is now the borough’s “historic center.” The name comes from Nahuatl and most likely means “place of coyotes,” when the Aztecs named a pre-Hispanic village on the southern shore...
featuring writers and musicians. As they performed in various venues around Mexico City, they were discovered by Argentinian
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
music producer Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla is an Argentine musician, film composer and producer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score in two consecutive years, for Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Babel in 2006.-Life and career:...
, who at the time was producing albums for leading bands of the burgeoning Rock en Español
Rock en Español
Rock en español is the Spanish-language rock music. While the term is used widely in English, it is used in Spanish mainly to distinguish such music from "Anglo rock." It is a style of rock music that developed in Latin American countries and Latino communities, along with other genres like...
movement of the time. Santaolalla arranged a contract for the band with Warner Music Latina
Warner Music Latina
Warner Music Latina is a record label part of Warner Music Group that focuses on Latin music.-List of artists on Warner Music Latina:*Ahora*Airbag*Alejandro Sanz*Alex Ubago*Andres Calamaro*Bacilos*Banda Machos*Basse*Buika*Calo*Canteca De Macao...
(WEA), with plans to produce its debut album himself. Café Tacuba in turn proceeded to record their first song for commercial release, "Tamales de Iguanita," which WEA released as part of a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
-themed rock en español compilation, Diciembre 25, in 1990.
Early success (1991-96)
The group's debut album, Café Tacuba, was released in 1992 and was extremely popular in Mexico. The group experimented with many different musical styles, from punk and skaSka
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, to electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and hip-hop, to regional Mexican varieties such norteño
Norteño (music)
Norteño , also norteña or conjunto, is a genre of Mexican music. The accordion and the bajo sexto are norteño's most characteristic instruments. The norteño genre is popular in both Mexico and the United States, especially among the Mexican community...
, bolero
Bolero
Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
, and ranchera
Ranchera
Ranchera is a genre of the traditional music of Mexico originally sung by only one performer with a guitar. It dates to the years of the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. It later became closely associated with the mariachi groups which evolved in Jalisco. Ranchera today is also played...
. Café Tacuba released five singles from the album -- "Maria," "Rarotonga," "Las Persianas," "La Chica Banda," and "Las Batallas" -- with a music video filmed for each, with the exception of the latter.
Two years later, the group released their follow-up album, Re, in 1994. The singles "La Ingrata," "Las Flores," and "El Ciclón" were also commercially successful. On the album, collaborators included Luis Conte
Luis Conte
Luis Conte is a Cuban percussionist.-Early years:As a child in Cuba, Conte began his musical odyssey playing the guitar. However, he soon switched to percussion, and that has remained his mode since....
and Alejandra Flores, while unconventional rock instrumentation like the jarana
Jarana
The jarana jarocha is a guitar-shaped fretted stringed instrument, from the southern region of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Typically strung with 8 strings in 5 courses, usually arranged in two single outer strings with three courses between. The strings are usually nylon, although they were gut...
, guitarrón
Guitarrón
See also: Guitarrón ChilenoThe guitarrón mexicano or Mexican guitarron, is a very large, deep-bodied Mexican 6-string acoustic bass played in mariachi groups...
, melodeon, and drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s was employed. The album's mixture of genres such as alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative 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...
, punk, and metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
with traditional Latin American styles helped the group develop a dedicated cult following. During the promotion of the album, the band's attendance at the 1995 New Music Seminar in New York helped garner some media attention in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1996, the group released Avalancha de Éxitos
Avalancha de Éxitos
Avalancha de Éxitos was Café Tacuba's third album. In 1996, two years after their acclaimed Re, the band had amassed enough new music to fill four CDs, but couldn't winnow it down to a single album...
, meaning "Avalanche of Hits", a covers album in which they performed songs by other Spanish-speaking artists. The tracks were recorded while the band was in the studio working on Re and grew tired of recording new material. Avalancha de Éxitos marked Café Tacuba's first appearance on Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
's album charts (number 12 on the Latin Pop chart, 28 on Top Latin Albums), and the band commenced an international tour to promote the album. In 1996, the band also contributed to the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
benefit album Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin
Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin
Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin, the tenth entry in the Red Hot Benefit Series of compilation albums, takes a post-modern look at the contemporary rock en Español scene...
produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
performing along with David Byrne
David Byrne
David Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
.
Revés/Yo Soy (1997-99)
In the wake of the group's international tour, Café Tacuba withdrew from music for a while. When they returned to work, they gathered in their own studio and spent roughly a half-year working on experimental music that encompassed ambientAmbient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
, as well as collaborative work with the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, an American string quartet. Santaolalla liked the resulting music and deemed it ready for release. WEA, however, did not like the idea releasing an entirely instrumental album of experimental music, after the group had gained success with their more accessible style of music. In the end, WEA and Café Tacuba reached a compromise: if the band would record a second album of more conventional material, the label would release both as a double-disc package and sell it for the cost of a standard single-disc album.
As promised, the group returned to the studio to record an album of previously written material, and released Revés/Yo Soy
Revés/Yo Soy
Revés/Yo Soy is the fourth album by Café Tacuba. In fact, its two albums - Revés is an instrumental album, Yo Soy a collection of songs the band had been saving up since their second album, Re - but it was sold as a single album...
in 1999. The album was a double-disc set, featuring both the band's instrumental music and the newly recorded album. The album is notable for its unconventional packaging style, designed by vocalist Rubén Isaac Albarrán. In addition, the album titles Revés (which translates to "reverse") and Yo Soy (a palindrome
Palindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
), exemplify the band's eccentricity. The album also featured two popular singles, "La Locomotora" and "La Muerte Chiquita." The album won a Latin Grammy for Best Rock Album.
Hiatus and signing with MCA (2000-02)
After Revés/Yo Soy, the group would not release another album for four years. In the meantime, Café Tacuba contributed recordings to various projects such as the Amores PerrosAmores perros
Amores perros is a 2000 neorealist Mexican film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Amores Perros is the first movie in Iñárritu's trilogy of death, and was followed by 21 Grams and Babel. It is a triptych; an anthology film, sometimes referred to as the "Mexican Pulp Fiction," containing...
(2000) and Y Tu Mamá También
Y tu mamá también
Y tu mamá también is a 2001 Mexican comedy-drama film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and co-written by Cuarón and his brother Carlos. The film is a coming-of-age story about two teenage boys taking a road trip with a woman in her late twenties; it stars Mexican actors Diego Luna and Gael García...
(2002) soundtracks as well as the tribute album El Mas Grande Homenaje a Los Tigres del Norte (2001), which included a cover of "Futurismo y Tradición." In addition, guitarists Emmanuel del Real Díaz and Joselo Rangel produced a couple songs for Julieta Venegas: "Me Van a Matar" and "Disco Eterno". Rangel also began work on a solo album, Oso, in 2003, which was produced by Albarrán. While Café Tacuba pursued these various projects, they were looking for a new recording contract; the WEA relationship had come to an end after a trio of compilations released in 2001: Tiempo Transcurrido: The Best of Café Tacuba
Tiempo Transcurrido
Tiempo Transcurrido is Café Tacuba's first compilation album, released in 2001. According to the band, it was released due to a contractual obligation, as the original contract signed with WEA Latina stated that they must release five albums, and with no new material, Tiempo Transcurrido dropped...
; a videos collection of the same name; and Lo Esencial de Café Tacuba, a triple-disc package containing the band's first three albums. Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's label, reportedly attempted to sign Café Tacuba during this time; however, the band decided ultimately to sign with MCA Records in 2002.
Cuatro Caminos (2003-06)
When Café Tacuba began work on Cuatro CaminosCuatro Caminos
Cuatro Caminos is the fifth album by Café Tacuba, released in 2003.-Track listing:All tracks by Café Tacuba# Cero y Uno – 3:52...
, the band took a different approach than in the past. They decided to work with a live drummer, and recruited Victor Indrizzo
Victor Indrizzo
Victor Indrizzo is an American session musician, primarily known for playing the drums, as well as a songwriter and producer.Indrizzo was born in Freeport, Long Island, New York...
and Joey Waronker
Joey Waronker
Joseph "Joey" Waronker is an American drummer and music producer. He is the son of record producer Lenny Waronker and singer/actress Donna Loren; his younger sister is musician Anna Waronker; and his grandfather is record executive and professional violinist Simon Waronker. He has three other...
. Secondly, they wanted to work with a couple choice producers besides Santaolalla and Kerpel; they recruited Dave Friedman and Andrew Weiss. Released in June 2003, Cuatro Caminos was met with commercial and critical success. The album won a Grammys for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album as well as two Latin Grammys for Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Song ("Eres").
The group toured extensively after the release of Cuatro Caminos, and released a live album of a performance in front of 170,000 people in Mexico City at El Palacio de los Deportes in October 2004. The album was called Un Viaje
Un Viaje
Un Viaje is Café Tacvba's first live album and seventh overall. The album consist of the songs played in the El Palacio de los Deportes concert...
, and was a double-disc set. After the release of the album, the group took a three-year break from releasing music.
Sino (2007-present)
In 2007 Café Tacuba returned with a new studio album, Sino. The album has been compared to classic rockClassic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
groups such as The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and the Beach Boys, a departure from their previous techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and funk-influenced sound. The band also performed on the main stage at Lollapalooza that summer. On September 10, 2008, Café Tacuba became the leading nominee at the Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
The 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place on November 13, 2008 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and were aired on Univision. The Brazilian Field awards were presented on the same day at the Ibirapuera Auditorium in São Paulo. The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year was Gloria...
with a total of six nominations: Album of the Year
Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally...
and Alternative Music Album
Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally .The...
, for Si No. The lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
"Volver a Comenzar" was shortlisted for Record of the Year
Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally...
and Best Alternative Song, the second single "Esta Vez" received nominations for Best Rock Song
Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. The award is...
and Song of the Year
Latin Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Latin Grammy Award for Song of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence, creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally...
. The band took the record for most Latin Grammys won in one night.
In 2008, the band collaborated with Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
duo Calle 13
Calle 13 (band)
Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar , who calls himself Residente and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez , who calls himself Visitante Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar (born February 23, 1978 in Hato Rey, a subsection of San Juan, Puerto Rico), who calls...
on the song "No Hay Nadie Como Tú
No Hay Nadie Como Tú
"No Hay Nadie Como Tú" is the first single by alternative-rap duo Calle 13 taken from their third studio album Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo, released on October 7, 2008 by Sony BMG. It features Mexican alternative rock group Café Tacuba. The single is known for its mixture of different musical...
". The song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs
Hot Latin Songs
Hot Latin Songs is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. It is often recognized as the most important music chart for Spanish language Latin music in the American music market. It was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986 with La Guirnalda by Rocío Dúrcal being the first song...
and number 15 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay.
Formerly graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
students, Rubén, Joselo and Quique design their own album covers.
Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega
Vocalist and guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
player. Previously, until 2001, he played in an alternative band called Villa Jardín. In 2006 he announced his solo debut, Bienvenido al sueño (Welcome To The Dream), it consists of electronic instruments with Buddhist influences and Prehispanic Mexican which he describes as "música protónica por no limitarlo o estereotiparlo" (proton music to not limit or stereotype it").
He is also known as "Juan", "Pinche Juan" (Fucking John), "Tachuela" (Tack), "Cosme", "Masiosare", "Anónimo" (Anonymous), "Nrü" (pronunciation given as "Dshiu" in Spanish; perhaps intended to be dʒy, "Amparo Tonto Medardo In Lak’ech" or "At Medardo ILK", "G3", "Gallo Gasss" (Gasss Rooster), "Élfego Buendía", "Rita Cantalagua", "Sizu Yantra", "Ixaya Mazatzin Tleyótl", "Ixxi Xoo" and now "Cone Cahuitl". He lived the first four years of his life in Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
. Studied at UAM (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana) where he received a bachelor's degree in Design and Graphic Communication. Ruben, or however he is now known has always pushed gender norms through provocative lyrics, and the occasional skirt worn on stage at concerts.
In the shows prior to the release of their first album, people would yell"¡Pinche Juan!" ("Fucking Juan!") (the name of one of the band's first underground hits) to Rubén, so he kept the name for the release of the first album. Two years later he got bored and changed it to "Cosme" for the release of "Re". Since then, he has changed his name for every album and world tour.
In 2010, while on break from Café Tacvba, Rubén Albarrán formed a side project called HopPo! He briefly toured during the fall of 2010 in South and North America with HopPo!
Emmanuel Del Real
Emmanuel "Meme" del Real has been in the band from the moment they took the name Café Tacuba. Since the beginning he became in charge of the keyboardsKeyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, programming, vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, melodeon
Melodeon (organ)
A melodeon is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. Melodeons were manufactured in the United States sometime after 1812 until the Civil War era...
, and melodica
Melodica
The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
.
For a long time he only sang backup, but since the release of Re in 1992, he began singing lead on songs like El Borrego (The Lamb) or Pez (Fish), he also began playing the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
more than before.
On the covers album Avalancha de Éxitos
Avalancha de Éxitos
Avalancha de Éxitos was Café Tacuba's third album. In 1996, two years after their acclaimed Re, the band had amassed enough new music to fill four CDs, but couldn't winnow it down to a single album...
he plays guitar on No Controles (Don't Control). Since then he's also been known to play the jarana
Jarana
The jarana jarocha is a guitar-shaped fretted stringed instrument, from the southern region of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Typically strung with 8 strings in 5 courses, usually arranged in two single outer strings with three courses between. The strings are usually nylon, although they were gut...
. Del Real has written some of the band's biggest hits such as La Ingrata (The Ingrate), Las Flores (The Flowers), Aviéntame (Throw Me) and Eres (You Are).
He is known in the Mexican electronica scene as "DJ Angustias"; is part of the Noiselab collective; and released a solo album in late 2005. Del Real has also produced songs for many Mexican artists like Julieta Venegas
Julieta Venegas
Julieta Venegas Percevault , known professionally as Julieta Venegas, is a Mexican singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and producer, who sings pop-rock in Spanish. She speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish fluently. She has a twin sister, Yvonne, who is a photographer...
, Natalia Lafourcade
Natalia Lafourcade
Natalia Lafourcade is a Mexican pop-rock singer and songwriter. Her band's name is Natalia y La Forquetina.-Biography:...
, Ely Guerra
Ely Guerra
Ely Guerra is a Mexican singer-songwriter who was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.- Biography :...
, and Liquits, among others.
José Alfredo Rangel Arroyo
José Alfredo Rangel spent the first 9 years of his life in Minatitlán, VeracruzMinatitlán, Veracruz
Minatitlán is a city in southeastern Mexican state of Veracruz in the Olmec region of the state and the north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.In 2010 the greater metropolitan area had a population of 356,020...
, until his family moved to Mexico DF were he studied industrial design in the UAM
UAM
UAM may refer to:*The IATA code and FAA identifier for Andersen Air Force Base, Guam*Ultrasonic additive manufacturing, an additive manufacturing technology*Union Africaine et Malgache, African and Malagasy Union...
.
During his youth he had various hobbies like comic books and design even though he decided music was his major passion.
While in college he met a person with a peculiar voice and extravagant ideas: Albarrán. They became best friends and with his brother Quique and Beto they formed a band called Alicia Ya No Vive Aquí.
Later on, with the arrival of Del Real the band became Café Tacuba with Rangel playing electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and vocals. After 13 years with the band Rangel decided launch a solo side project. He has released two albums: the first, 2001's "Oso" (Bear), named after Joselo's childhood nickname; the second, titled "Lejos" (Far) in 2005.
Enrique Rangel Arroyo
Enrique Rangel Arroyo plays bass guitarBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, electric upright bass
Electric upright bass
The electric upright bass is an electronically amplified version of the double bass that has a minimal or 'skeleton' body, which greatly reduces the size and weight of the instrument. The EUB retains enough of the features of the double bass so that double bass players are comfortable performing...
and vocals for Café Tacuba.
At the beginning of Café Tacuba Rangel brought Del Real to join them on keyboards. Thanks to Joselo he began learning the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, but in time stopped his graphic designer work to further dedicate himself to various musical projects. He designed the covers for his brother's albums "Oso" and "Lejos". Rangel now plays in a band called Los Odio ("I Hate All of You"), which includes Paco Huidobro, Jay de la Cueva, and the drummer from La Lupita
La Lupita
La Lupita are a Mexican band that combine rock and Latin music. Their lyrics are humorous and sometimes sarcastic. They released their first album, "Pa' Servir a Ud," in 1992, combining heavy metal, norteñas, disco music, funk, mambo, and pop. They recorded their next album, "Que Bonito es Casi...
. Along with Del Real, Rangel has written some of the bands biggest hits.
Alejandro Flores
Folk musician Alejandro Flores plays violin and is considered the fifth Tacubo. He has played with the band since 1994. He has also participated on two LPLP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s by San Pascualito Rey.
Luis Ledezma
Also known as "El Children", Ledezma is the band's live drummer but is not considered an official band member.Genre
Their musical style covers a wide variety of genres, though it is most commonly labeled as Rock en EspañolRock en Español
Rock en español is the Spanish-language rock music. While the term is used widely in English, it is used in Spanish mainly to distinguish such music from "Anglo rock." It is a style of rock music that developed in Latin American countries and Latino communities, along with other genres like...
. Their music has been heavily influenced by Mexico's indigenous
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
population and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
traditions, but also by punk and electronic music and other bands on the Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
scene. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of their music is Albarrán's nasal voice, which, combined with his impressive lung capacity (as demonstrated on "La Ingrata", a homage of norteño music
Norteño (music)
Norteño , also norteña or conjunto, is a genre of Mexican music. The accordion and the bajo sexto are norteño's most characteristic instruments. The norteño genre is popular in both Mexico and the United States, especially among the Mexican community...
), makes for a very distinctive sound. They sing entirely in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
but have a significant Anglophone following regardless.
The song "Chilanga Banda" has a hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
beat under a stream of Mexico City slang originally written by Jaime López, "María" is a 'bolero' ballad about a street prostitute, "El Fin de la Infancia" a brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
-heavy 'banda ranchera' sound that reflects the influence of 'banda sinaloense', "Desperté" has a tango-driven melody while "El Borrego" mocks speed metal
Speed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
.
Discography
Every studio album released by the band so far has been produced by Gustavo SantaolallaGustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla is an Argentine musician, film composer and producer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score in two consecutive years, for Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Babel in 2006.-Life and career:...
except for Cuatro Caminos
Cuatro Caminos
Cuatro Caminos is the fifth album by Café Tacuba, released in 2003.-Track listing:All tracks by Café Tacuba# Cero y Uno – 3:52...
which was produced by Santaloalla, Dave Fridmann
Dave Fridmann
Dave Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. From 1990 onwards he co-produced all releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips...
(The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
, Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
) and Andrew Weiss (Ween
Ween
Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...
). Cuatro Caminos
Cuatro Caminos
Cuatro Caminos is the fifth album by Café Tacuba, released in 2003.-Track listing:All tracks by Café Tacuba# Cero y Uno – 3:52...
was featured on several Top Albums of 2003 charts, including Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, New York Times, Blender Magazine and won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.
Studio albums
- Café Tacuba (1992),
- Re (1994),
- Avalancha de ÉxitosAvalancha de ÉxitosAvalancha de Éxitos was Café Tacuba's third album. In 1996, two years after their acclaimed Re, the band had amassed enough new music to fill four CDs, but couldn't winnow it down to a single album...
("Avalanche of Hits", 1996), - Revés/Yo SoyRevés/Yo SoyRevés/Yo Soy is the fourth album by Café Tacuba. In fact, its two albums - Revés is an instrumental album, Yo Soy a collection of songs the band had been saving up since their second album, Re - but it was sold as a single album...
(actually a two-album vocal/instrumental collection, winner of a Grammy for Best Latin Rock Album of 1999). - Cuatro CaminosCuatro CaminosCuatro Caminos is the fifth album by Café Tacuba, released in 2003.-Track listing:All tracks by Café Tacuba# Cero y Uno – 3:52...
("Four Paths", 2003 Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative AlbumGrammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative AlbumThe Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album was an honor presented to recording artists for quality albums in the Latin rock and alternative music genres at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
). - Sino (winner of two 2008 Latin Grammies, one for best rock song and the second one for the best alternative song of the year), October, 2007.
Other albums
- Tiempo TranscurridoTiempo TranscurridoTiempo Transcurrido is Café Tacuba's first compilation album, released in 2001. According to the band, it was released due to a contractual obligation, as the original contract signed with WEA Latina stated that they must release five albums, and with no new material, Tiempo Transcurrido dropped...
(2001) - best-of album with DVD included - Vale CallampaVale CallampaVale Callampa is an EP from the Mexican band Café Tacvba. It was released in 2002 and is Café Tacvba's second cover album. Their first, Avalancha de Éxitos, consisted of eight songs from various artists. Vale Callampa, however, is all a tribute to one of Café Tacvba's favorite band's, Los Tres...
(EP) (2002) - tribute album to Chilean band Los TresLos TresLos Tres is a Chilean rock band composed of four members: a rock/folk singer and three jazzmen. It was one of the noted bands in the Chilean nineties, together with La Ley and Lucybell.... - Un ViajeUn ViajeUn Viaje is Café Tacvba's first live album and seventh overall. The album consist of the songs played in the El Palacio de los Deportes concert...
(2005) - 15th anniversary concert (RIAA: Platinum) - MTV Unplugged (2005) - Recorded in 1995
Appearances
- Emmanuel Del Real and ChetesChetesLuis Gerardo Garza Cisneros , better known as his stage name Chetes, is a Mexican rock musician, well known for being the leader of the influential Avanzada Regia rock bands Zurdok, Vaquero and eventually, his own solo career.-Biography:Chetes grew up in the Bay Area...
wrote and produced 16 De Febrero (February 16), the (title song for the film Fuera del cieloFuera del cieloFuera del cielo is a Mexican film that debuted in theaters on January 12, 2007. It was distributed in the United States by Lionsgate Films...
(Beyond The Sky). - The song "Eo" from Cuatro CaminosCuatro CaminosCuatro Caminos is the fifth album by Café Tacuba, released in 2003.-Track listing:All tracks by Café Tacuba# Cero y Uno – 3:52...
is featured on Electronic Arts FIFA Football 2004FIFA Football 2004FIFA Football 2004, also known as FIFA Soccer 2004 in North America, is a football video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in October 2003 with the tagline "Create Brilliance"....
video game. - The song "Futurismo y Tradicion" is featured on Electronic Arts' FIFA Street 2FIFA Street 2FIFA Street 2 is the sequel to the video game FIFA Street. A new "trick stick beat" system was introduced and new authentic tricks were also introduced. The game is available on the GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox...
video game. - The song "Volver a Comenzar" is featured in Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanetLittleBigPlanetLittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...
video game. - The band played at The Lollapalooza Music Festival in Chicago, IL on August 5, 2007 and were greeted by an enthusiastic audience. Following their 45:00 set, they were brought back for three encores.
- On July 17, 2007, Cafe Tacuba unveiled a new song entitled "El Outsider" on a taping for Mun2Mun2mun2 is a national cable television broadcast network in the United States owned by NBC Universal and aimed at young Latinos. It is the sister network of Telemundo and was mostly digital television subchannels launched in 2001. The programming of mun2 is primarily music videos and shows designed...
's television show VivoVivo-Computer and technology:* Video In Video Out* Vivo Software, streaming format, acquired in 1998 by RealNetworks* VivoActive, Vivo Software's video format* Vivo S.A., a major Brazilian mobile phone company...
. - They have contributed to movie soundtracks like Amores PerrosAmores perrosAmores perros is a 2000 neorealist Mexican film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Amores Perros is the first movie in Iñárritu's trilogy of death, and was followed by 21 Grams and Babel. It is a triptych; an anthology film, sometimes referred to as the "Mexican Pulp Fiction," containing...
, Y Tu Mamá TambiénY tu mamá tambiénY tu mamá también is a 2001 Mexican comedy-drama film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and co-written by Cuarón and his brother Carlos. The film is a coming-of-age story about two teenage boys taking a road trip with a woman in her late twenties; it stars Mexican actors Diego Luna and Gael García...
, Piedras Verdes and Vivir mata as well as tribute albums to José JoséVolcán: Tributo a José JoséVolcán: Tributo a José José is a 1998 tribute album to Mexican singer José José.Paying homage to José José for his influence on Latin pop music, the album was recorded by several popular Latin artists such as Molotov, Cafe Tacuba, Julieta Venegas, Moenia, Beto Cuevas, and Aleks Syntek.The main...
and Los Tigres del NorteLos Tigres del NorteLos Tigres del Norte is a norteño-band ensemble based out of San Jose, California, hailing from Rosa Morada, Sinaloa, Mexico.- History :...
. Café Tacuba also collaborated with different artists such as Plastilina MoshPlastilina MoshPlastilina Mosh is a Mexican alternative rock group from Monterrey, México, part of the musical movement known as Avanzada Regia. Jonás González is the lead singer and guitar player. Alejandro Rosso is more involved with the creative process, providing most of the instrumentation and occasional...
, Kronos QuartetKronos QuartetKronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, David ByrneDavid Byrne (musician)David Byrne is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography,...
, Celso PiñaCelso PinaCelso Piña is a professional singer, composer, arranger, and accordionist mainly in the genre of cumbia.Celso Piña is a pioneer in the mixture and fusion of tropical sounds with many of his works having elements of musica norteña, sonidero, ska, reggae, rap/hip-hop, R&B, etc...
, Maldita VecindadMaldita VecindadLa Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio are a band formed in Mexico City in 1985. They are pioneers in rock en Español and are one of the most influential rock bands in Latin America....
, Sekta Core, Calle 13Calle 13 (band)Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar , who calls himself Residente and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez , who calls himself Visitante Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar (born February 23, 1978 in Hato Rey, a subsection of San Juan, Puerto Rico), who calls...
, Enanitos Verdes, and Control MacheteControl MacheteControl Machete is a Mexican hip hop group from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Its members are Fermin IV , Patricio "Pato" Chapa Elizalde, and Toy Kenobi .-History:...
. They have played live with BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, IncubusIncubus (band)Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
and Los TresLos TresLos Tres is a Chilean rock band composed of four members: a rock/folk singer and three jazzmen. It was one of the noted bands in the Chilean nineties, together with La Ley and Lucybell....
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