Formed of vocalist and guitarist Andrea Escheverri and bassist and producer Héctor Buitrago, Aterciopelados, earliest incarnation drew on Buitrago’s hardcore punk influences, which led to their debut album “Con El Corazón en la Mano” (With my Heart in my Hand) in 1994. The album showcased Andrea Escheverri’s powerful voice, which was notably influenced by her mother’s singing of boleros, rancheras, and tangos when she was a child.
Aterciopelados’s sophomore album, 1995’s “El Dorado” (The Golden One), spawned the single “Bolero Falaz”, which proved to be the band’s breakthrough song thanks to considerable exposure on MTV across Latin America. After the release the band welcomed drummer Alejandro Duque and guitarist Alejandro Gómez Cáceras to the mix, who recorded on Aterciopelados’ third full-length “La Pipa de la Paz” in 1997. The album was notably less punk-rock and more electronic that its predecessors and took significant influence from traditional Colombian and Latin American themes. “La Pipa de la Paz” represented the band’s breakthrough into North America, and paved the way for their fourth full-length “Caribe Atómico” in 1988.
By this point Aterciopelados was essentially the musical excursions of Escheverri and Buitrago, and their 2000 album “Gozo Poderoso” became their most acclaimed album to date. The record debuted in the Top Ten of the Billboard Latin Albums sales chart and earned the band a Latin Grammy for Best Rock Duo/Group with Vocal.
During a five-year hiatus from releasing any original material both Escheverri and Buitrago released solo albums, the former of whom was awarded with a Grammy nomination. Following a move to the label Nacional, Aterciopelados returned in 2006 to release the album “Oye”, which won the Premio Lo Nuestro award for Album of the Year, and a Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Album. With the success of the acoustically-inclined “Oye” Aterciopelados released the similarly-sounding “Rio” in 2008. The album was produced by Héctor Castillo, known for his work with Brazilian Girls and David Bowie, and it noted and respected for its socially conscious approach to songwriting.
For those following the Latino pop and rock scene, the tongue twisting name of Aterciopelados will be one that is instantly recognisable. The rest of the world seems to be slowly coming around to the sounds of this Colombian outfit and even when there is a language barrier, you have a great time listening to the fantastic music and watching the impassioned performance style of Andrea Echeverri and her two accompanying musicians.
They create a huge amount of sound for just three performers and the crowd seems to be right behind them throughout the performance as they thump on the drums and pause for large instrumentals. Andrea once again steals the spotlight with booming vocals and high notes that are held for longer than should be humanly possible. Although it has been a number of years since the group has released a new album, the discography is strong enough to entertain the crowd tonight and all of the fan favourites have been included. The lights dim and the band says their good byes before being ushered back out by huge cheers and stamping feet to perform one final rousing alt-Latin pop number for the loyal crowd.
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