Old School Latine Musicians That Should Be On Your Radar

Old School Latine Musicians BELatina Latinx
Photo courtesy of BELatina.

It breaks my heart to write about “old school” musicians when, to me, they are key figures I listened to growing up. Alas, el tiempo pasa. Instead of spiraling down a mid-life crisis, we could do our duty to prepare the next generation with hits that are embedded in our Latine Rock-en-Español culture. Let’s give credit where it’s due in hopes that the Gen-Zs will pick up some of our influences and carry it to their children. 

¡Queremos rock!

Gustavo Cerati, Soda Stereo (Argentina)

Gustavo Cerati — Soda Stereo in general — is one of the prominent pioneers of Argentine rock that brought a new wave of music in the 1980s and 1990s. Their distinctive sound was so influential that it continues to be credited to the even now emerging bands 40 years later. Even though their lead singer Cerati passed away in 2014, the band continues to embrace his legacy. They now perform their ‘Gracias Totales’ tour featuring artists such as Andrea Echeverri (Aterciopelados), Ruben Albarran (Cafe Tacvba), and Mon Laferte, to name a few to fill in for Cerati’s unmatchable spirit and vocals.

Aterciopelados (Colombia)

Just by being close to eclectic duo Aterciopelados, which consists of Andrea Echeverri and Héctor Buitrago, you could feel the namaste vibes from their carefree music that is still being released today. The duo that was formed in 1992 made headlines when they released songs such as “Florecita Rockera,” “Bolero Falaz,” and “Cosita Seria.” Furthermore, Andrea Echeverri is a known feminist, releasing songs such as “Piernas,” an ode to a woman’s body, from their Claroscura album. She continues being one of our empowering females in the male-dominated genre.

Caifanes/Jaguares (Mexico)

Caifanes is one of my personal favorite rock en español bands of all time. Despite their messy songwriters’ credits and internal drama, Caifanes lived from 1985 to 1995, then became Jaguares from 1995-2010, only to go back to being known as Caifanes since. Although the name change was apparent, fans still supported both artists’ repertoire, which consisted of the same songs – just arranged a little differently. In those lists, Caifanes/Jaguares included jams such as “La Celula Que Explota,” “Los Dioses Ocultos,” and “Afuera.” Most recently, Caifanes released their newest single, “Sólo Eres Tú,” on Feb. 10. Their frontman, Saul Hernandez, ’s vocals remain incomparable and bring us so much nostalgia.

Los Enanitos Verdes (Argentina)

Just like the previous three artists, the trio Los Enanitos Verdes remain touring around both nationally and internationally. Los Enanitos Verdes were formed in 1979 in Mendoza, Argentina. They are popular for their classic hits like “Lamento Boliviano,” “Luz de Dia,” and “La Muralla Verde,” to name a few. You probably listened to these songs at family parties when they put the three mainstream “rock” songs before switching back to cumbias. Definitely one of the go-to’s when we are indulging in the #TBT rockero vibes.

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