Chocolate (band)
Encyclopedia
Chocolate was a Uruguay
an band from Montevideo
, specializing in cumbia
music. They released 3 studio albums, & at their peak, became a huge success in South America
, even touring the USA in 2001. In Argentina
& Uruguay
, they achieved 2 Gold & 3 Platinum disks.
, the five-member band first released material in 1997, an album entitled Cariñito. Their material was heavily influenced by local rhythms such as murga
and candombe
, but recognized internationally & referred to more frequently as cumbia
. Their first efforts were usually covers of other artist's tracks. Lyrically, the content was restricted to uplifting themes, often making full use of a flirtatious attitude towards women, & the feelings associated with love & lust. Much use was made of local Uruguayan lunfardo
. One band member commented that when they travelled internationally, "on the radio & at press conferences we have to explain the lunfardo", which was not fully understood outside their native Uruguay
.
With the release of their Greatest Hits album in 2001, led by the single "Mayonesa", they achieved international success, which had previously been restricted to Uruguay
& Argentina
. This came following the move to Obligado Records, & the opportunity to write their own material. The song became a hit throughout Latin America
& Spanish speaking North America
, often referred to as one of the 'songs of the summer' of 2001. It reached #42 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart. Literally meaning Mayonnaise, it likens the sensation of falling in love with the process of making the dressing, namely beating your heart as you would mayonnaise. The song was accompanied by a catchy dance routine.
The song's release was accompanied by a sophisticated marketing campaign, which saw the band achieve success which few Uruguay
an artists have experienced. They toured Argentina
, Bolivia
, Chile
, Mexico
, Spain
& even the USA. It was even featured as the sound track to the Spanish version of Big Brother
2. In late 2001 they participated in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival
in Chile
.
The band disintergrated in 2002, as various members decided to form their own projects. The line-up had already changed from the original 5, & this happened at the height of their success. Speculation surrounded the split, with accusations of bad feeling between the singers & manager Juan Carlos Cáceres
. Remuneration was also allegedly an issue.
style, were often thought of as being particularly attractive to the lower classes. Its use of lunfardo & sexual imagery contributed towards this, however cumbia villera
has a much longer history within Latin America.
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an band from Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, specializing in cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
music. They released 3 studio albums, & at their peak, became a huge success in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, even touring the USA in 2001. In Argentina
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...
& Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, they achieved 2 Gold & 3 Platinum disks.
Members
- Paulo Fernández
- Carlos Sosa
- Claudio De La Fuente
- Alejandro Scatone
- Douglas Castillos
History
Formed by producer Juan Carlos CáceresJuan Carlos Cáceres
Juan Carlos Cáceres is an Argentinian musician.Born in the '40s in Buenos Aires, Juan Carlos Cáceres became intimately involved with the existentialist movement that thrived in the city during the years of his youth...
, the five-member band first released material in 1997, an album entitled Cariñito. Their material was heavily influenced by local rhythms such as murga
Murga
Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Uruguay and in Argentina during the Carnival season. Murga groups operate in Montevideo and at the Buenos Aires Carnival, though to a lesser extent than in Montevideo; the Argentine murga is more centred on dancing and less on vocals than the...
and candombe
Candombe
Candombe is a musical genre that has its roots in the African Bantu, and is proper of Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil .Uruguayan Candombe is the most practiced and spread internationally and has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity...
, but recognized internationally & referred to more frequently as cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
. Their first efforts were usually covers of other artist's tracks. Lyrically, the content was restricted to uplifting themes, often making full use of a flirtatious attitude towards women, & the feelings associated with love & lust. Much use was made of local Uruguayan lunfardo
Lunfardo
Lunfardo is a dialect originated and developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the lower classes in Buenos Aires and the surrounding Gran Buenos Aires, and from there spread to other cities nearby, such as Rosario and Montevideo, cities with similar socio-cultural situations...
. One band member commented that when they travelled internationally, "on the radio & at press conferences we have to explain the lunfardo", which was not fully understood outside their native Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
.
With the release of their Greatest Hits album in 2001, led by the single "Mayonesa", they achieved international success, which had previously been restricted to Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
& Argentina
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...
. This came following the move to Obligado Records, & the opportunity to write their own material. The song became a hit throughout Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
& Spanish speaking North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, often referred to as one of the 'songs of the summer' of 2001. It reached #42 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart. Literally meaning Mayonnaise, it likens the sensation of falling in love with the process of making the dressing, namely beating your heart as you would mayonnaise. The song was accompanied by a catchy dance routine.
The song's release was accompanied by a sophisticated marketing campaign, which saw the band achieve success which few Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an artists have experienced. They toured Argentina
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...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
& even the USA. It was even featured as the sound track to the Spanish version of Big Brother
Big Brother (TV series)
Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...
2. In late 2001 they participated in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival
Viña del Mar International Song Festival
The Viña del Mar International Song Festival is a music festival held annually during February since 1960 in Viña del Mar, Chile. It is considered the most important musical event in Latin America....
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
The band disintergrated in 2002, as various members decided to form their own projects. The line-up had already changed from the original 5, & this happened at the height of their success. Speculation surrounded the split, with accusations of bad feeling between the singers & manager Juan Carlos Cáceres
Juan Carlos Cáceres
Juan Carlos Cáceres is an Argentinian musician.Born in the '40s in Buenos Aires, Juan Carlos Cáceres became intimately involved with the existentialist movement that thrived in the city during the years of his youth...
. Remuneration was also allegedly an issue.
Cultural references
Chocolate's music & lyrics, belonging to the cumbiaCumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
style, were often thought of as being particularly attractive to the lower classes. Its use of lunfardo & sexual imagery contributed towards this, however cumbia villera
Cumbia villera
Cumbia villera is a typically Argentine form of cumbia music born in the villas miseria around Buenos Aires and then popularized in other large urban settlements, is derived musically from Cumbia sonidera and Chicha Cumbia.-Origins:Ever since the 1930s there has been a strong migration from the...
has a much longer history within Latin America.