The Best Kenyan Music | A Top 15
I recently interviewed Udulele, a Kenyan singer and producer, who’s behind the genre he calls Soulful Benga. In our conversation, he spoke about how Soulful
The 1960s and 1970s were wild times in Latin America and Spain, basically all of the large Spanish-speaking countries. There were cultural revolutions, anti-establishment movements, and political unrest.
Just to put that in perspective; Argentina and Chile were under military dictatorships, Mexico was reeling after the 1968 Tlatelolco student massacre, and Spain was under Franco dictatorship. The situation wasn’t good in other LATAM countries either.
In such times of censorship, inequality, and repression for frustrated young, Latin rock bands became a ray of hope.
And Argentina was the country where rock took roots as Rock Nacional. Initially, it was a Spanish-translation of popular American and British rock songs. Later, bands like Almendra and Sui Generis became popular with political lyrics.
Chile and Mexico followed closely. Chilean bands like Los Jaivas fused Andean folk with rock, while in exile because of Pinochet. In Mexico, Avándaro Festival made rock as a form of resistance, despite government oppression.
Spain had its own reckoning with Movida Madrileña, a counterculture movement. This movement also had a heavy influence on Latin rock music.
You can also stream a Netflix documentary, Break it All, to learn more.
Pretty interesting, right? So, let’s discuss some of the famous Latino rock bands!
Soda Stereo is one of the classic Latin rock bands. Gustavo Cerati was the lead vocalist-writer of the band, with influences from British bands like The Police and Talking Heads.
The band was created during Argentina’s transition to democracy, a time ripe for artistic freedom.
They released their debut album Soda Stereo in 1984, with a pop-rock sound that became quite popular in Latin America. But it was their “Signos” and “Doble Vida” albums, which became instant classics.
Before disbanding in 1997, Soda Stereo released their final studio album, Sueño Stereo. The album is their one of more experimental albums with electronic and psychedelic sounds in rock music.
Soda Stereo remains one of the most decorated Latin rock bands in history. They won multiple MTV Latino awards and were given the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Few bands have redefined Latin American music like Café Tacvba. They did that while coming from the suburbs of Mexico City in the late ’80s. Critics attribute their uniqueness to mixing punk energy with Mexican folk and electronic music.
Rather than stick to one genre, they treated every album as a reinvention. With Re, they mixed the traditional ranchera and alternative rock. Later, with Revés/YoSoy and Cuatro Caminos, they used electronic sounds, ambient instrumentals, with unconventional song structures.
Their 1996 album, Avalancha de Éxitos, is quite unique as it is a cover album with songs from other Spanish-speaking artists.
Over the years, they have released many more albums, with the latest album, Jei Beibi, coming in 2017. They won a Grammy for their album, Cuatro Caminos, in 2004. Apart from that, they have won 10 Latin Grammy Awards.
The band is still active and performs in live concerts, making them one of the famous people in Mexico.
Aterciopelados is one of the biggest-selling Latin rock bands to come out from Colombia. They have recorded eight albums and won four Latin Grammy Awards, and six Grammy nominations.
Their music blends alternative rock with cumbia, vallenato, and other traditional Colombian styles. El Dorado was their breakthrough Latin rock album with hits like, “Bolero Falaz” and “Florecita Rockera”.
What makes Aterciopelados distinguish from other Latin rock bands in their activism. They speak out on issues like women’s rights, environmentalism, and Colombian peace.
Caifanes is one of the legendary Latin rock bands from Mexico. They mixed British new wave, progressive rock, and Latin sounds, with lyrics about Mexican identity. The influence of bands like The Cure, King Crimson, and The Beatles, made them pioneer a darker Rock en Español.
Their debut album Caifanes had hits like “Mátenme Porque Me Muero” and “La Negra Tomasa,” which brought them national fame. With the album ,El Diablito, the band pushed creative limits further by fusing mariachi, bolero, and rock.
At their peak in the early ’90s, Caifanes became one of Mexico’s top stadium acts, selling out major venues and appearing at international festivals like Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD. El Nervio del Volcán was their last album before their breakup in 1995.
Although the band reunited in 2011 and began releasing new singles, no full album has followed. Although they are not that active anymore, they remain one of the famous Mexican singers.
Los Prisioneros was created in 1979 in Santiago when three high school friends met during their first college year. At that time, Chile was under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
So, they made raw, politically charged music that directly addressed the frustrations of Chilean youth living under repression and censorship. La Voz de los ’80 became an instant classic in contemporary Chilean rock, marking the beginning of Nuevo Pop Chileno.
This new wave had a synth-pop sound with social criticism of inequality, the military regime, and cultural imperialism. Despite state censorship and limited media support, Los Prisioneros gained massive popularity across Latin America.
Their most acclaimed album, Corazones, was named by Rolling Stone in 2023 as one of the 50 best Latin-American albums of all time.
Maná is one of the most commercially successful Latin rock bands of all time. It was created in 1986, after performing under the name Sombrero Verde for six years. They are credited with introducing Latin pop-rock to a global audience by fusing arena rock, reggae, and Latin sounds.
Their breakthrough came with ¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?, which sold over 10 million copies worldwide and spent 97 weeks on the Billboard Latin charts. It became the best-selling Spanish-language rock album in history.
Their later albums like, Cuando los Ángeles Lloran, and, Sueños Líquidos, had more acoustic and introspective sounds. In fact, the title track from the first album pays tribute to Brazilian environmental activist Chico Mendes.
With four Grammy Awards, nine Latin Grammy Awards, and millions of records sold, Maná is one of the most decorated Latino rock bands in history. They were also the first Spanish-language rock band nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs is one of the legendary Latin rock groups from Buenos Aires. This rock band’s sound was quite experimental for fusing ska, reggae, punk, salsa with Latin rock.
Vasos Vacíos, their earlier album, became a major hit across Latin America. It features “El Matador,” one of their signature songs. It has lyrics about state violence and resistance. Its video also won the MTV Latino Video Music Award.
Over the years, they wrote Latin rock songs’ lyrics on oppression, dictatorship, and forced disappearances. “Mal Bicho,” “Manuel Santillán, El León,” and “Desapariciones”, are some of the best Latin rock songs with such lyrics.
Since this Latin rock group wrote lyrics concerning politics, other forms of art didn’t shy away either. These best Argentinian movies are a great starting point to learn more.
Molotov is one of the aggressive Latin rock bands from Mexico. It was started by two friends, Tito Fuentes and Micky Huidobro. Later, an interesting member, Randy “el gringo loco” Ebright, joined the band. An American immigrant and son of a DEA agent.
Interestingly, Fuentes was born to Spanish parents who left Barcelona after the Spanish Civil War. So politics and anti-fascist action influenced the band’s theme from the beginning.
Their debut album ¿Dónde Jugarán las Niñas?, took its name partly from Maná’s (discussed above) álbum ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños? This generated controversy because of its lyrics and cover. Molotov went out to the street to sell their discs as a protest.
The album had a song “Gimme The Power,” a strong criticism of the government of Carlos Salinas (PRI).
Molotov followed up with Apocalypshit. They also contributed to the Y Tu Mamá También soundtrack, one of the best Mexican movies.
Héroes del Silencio is not a Latin rock band but a Spanish band, because Spanish rock had a great influence because of language. Unlike the mainstream pop dominating Spain post-Franco, Héroes had a darker guitar-heavy style with inspiration from British post-punk and hard rock.
With only 4 studio albums to their credit, Senderos de Traición, their second album, was the biggest success. It sold over 2 million copies worldwide, because of classic hits, “Entre Dos Tierras” and “Maldito Duende.” The album topped charts not just in Spain but across Latin America.
Their third album, El Espíritu del Vino, was quite experimental and dense with 16 tracks. Their last album ,Avalancha, had a heavier hard rock sound, with “La Chispa Adecuada” becoming a generational classic.
In the Spanish-speaking world, they have often been compared to bands like U2 and The Cure. Since, we are talking a lot about things-Spanish, it should be a great excuse to learn Spanish.
Los Planetas is another Latino rock band from Spain. The band was a product of the post-Movida underground scene (after the La Movida Madrileña, which I discussed in introduction).
Their uniqueness was heavy guitar distortion, abstract lyrics, and a melancholic tone, which was new for Spanish rock at the time.
Super 8 was a watershed moment in Spanish alternative rock. With songs like “Qué Puedo Hacer” and “Brigitte”, they redefined Spain’s ’90s indie rock scene and set the tone for “Granada Sound.”
Their 1998 album Una Semana en el Motor de un Autobús, is one of the best rock albums. It was included in Rockdelux’s list of the greatest Spanish albums of all time.
Over the years, they have released many more studio albums, and continue to perform across the world as an active rock Latino band.
A book, De viaje por Los Planetas: Una nueva dimensión, was also written about them. You can probably find this book if you ever happen to end in these beautiful book stores in Barcelona.
Vilma Palma e Vampiros is one of the famous Latin rock bands from Argentina. The band’s intriguing name came from a labor protest graffiti in the city: “Vilma Palma e Hijos Vampiros de los Obreros”, later shortened to the band name.
Vilma Palma e Vampiros, their first album, went on to achieve gold and double-platinum certification in Argentina, with selling over 1 million copies. Following up in 1993, their sophomore album 3980, also won double-platinum status.
Over the years, they released over a dozen studio albums, experimenting with different genres like pop rock, ska, reggae, and funk.
Today, they have millions of Spotify and YouTube music streams, making their channel one of the famous YouTube music channels.
Los Enanitos Verdes were a Mendoza-based trio that broke out of Buenos Aires’ shadow in the early ‘80s. The band enjoyed a cult following in Latin America with simple, emotional lyrics and melodic rock.
Their biggest hit is “Lamento Boliviano” from 1994, which is the most-streamed Argentinian rock song ever. The song was released on their album “Big Bang”, which became a best-selling album in Argentina.
So, what country has the best music in the world? Well, my given list included 4 Latin American countries and Spain, of course. It pretty much sums up the outreach of Latin American singers.
However, it’s the Latin American rock bands that even pushed the boundaries further. They went on to resist and defy the oppression, introducing new sounds and music.
I think, there is not another example of how one language has had so much influence in connecting countries across borders and continents.
So, if you have any favourite Latin rock bands or personal favourites from Latin rock music, please do comment!
I’ve also shared a playlist with some of the greatest hits (regards from my Colombian father-in-law!).
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I recently interviewed Udulele, a Kenyan singer and producer, who’s behind the genre he calls Soulful Benga. In our conversation, he spoke about how Soulful
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