Active from 1992 | Genre Alternative/Indie | |
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Albums Latin SKA Force, Cybertropic Chilango Power Members Líber Terán, Tania Melo, Odisea Valenzuela Record labels Broken Silence, Real World Records, Luaka Bop, Ediciones Pentagrama, Box Records SA de CV Similar Tijuana No!, Panteón Rococó, La Tremenda Korte, Nana Pancha, Sekta Core Profiles | ||
Los de Abajo are a band from Mexico City founded in 1992 as a Latin ska four-piece. Since then they have expanded to eight members and widened their musical influences to include rock, salsa, reggae, ska, cumbia, Son Jarocho and banda sinaloense. Founder member Liber Terán is the main vocalist and writes many of the songs, although all band members receive equal pay for their contributions.
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The band was unable to secure a record deal in Mexico, as their music was considered to be insufficiently commercial, and ended up releasing their first album Latin Ska Force independently. However, in 1999 they secured a deal with David Byrne's Luaka Bop record label to release their international debut, Los de Abajo.
The follow-up Cybertropic Chilango Power was released in 2002 and won BBC Radio 3's World Music Award for the Americas. 2006's LDA v The Lunatics saw them continue to absorb influences from around the world and included a Spanish-language version of The Fun Boy Three song "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)", featuring Neville Staples.
The band are supporters of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation and have played benefits gigs for the revolutionary group. The Zapatistas' Comandante Esther features on "Resistencia", the first track on LDA v The Lunatics.
Discography
Songs
SkapateComplete & Alive in LA · 2004
Labios rojos2002
War 4 Peace2002