“Rompan todo”: cartography of Latin American rock

In “Break it all: the history of rock in Latin America” ​​(“Break it All”), The Netflix docuseries that premiered last Wednesday aims to chart the origins and development of rock in the region in six chapters. The bet is ambitious for a topic, endless for this project, of course. “Break It All” cannot be taken as the ultimate musical almanac, but it works and is entertaining.

The decline in “the history of the rock in Latin America” is profound, with a clear role in what happened in Mexico and Argentina, the two largest markets, and which varied from north to south during the 20th century, and vice versa. that was heard in the rest of the countries of the continent.

With this delineated cartography comes a chronological and choral record of artists, with Mexico as the border closest to the explosion of American rock and roll. Late 1950s Enrique Guzman At the time he was a breakthrough in uniform in vest and pants. Alex Lora, an icon of the most caricatural version of rock, admits that at the time they had no idea that what these first interpreters were doing were “covers,” but he already dreamed of being like them.

Still, Lora, leader of the Mexican group El Tri, confirms at one point: “Rock ‘n’ roll is a means of communication and it would not make sense for us, with millions of people in the world speaking the language of Cervantes, to consider that of not to have ourselves. Rock And Roll “.

The phenomenon was repeated in Buenos Aires, as in Chile – although the local New Wave is not mentioned – there were only free translators of Anglo successes. The story is told by the protagonists and progresses along with the fashion. Latino hippies, long hair and the electrification of folklore are coming. León Gieco relates that he composed with the Bob Dylan mold, and in Chile Los Jaivas shook the slowness with a fusion that finally gave identity to this musical miscegenation, disregarding pastiche, something that promoted Victor Jaraapart from the strange culture.

The social context is inevitably political and is used as a backbone to present the effervescence of the musical movement, which is an outlet in different countries.

After discussing the prehistory of the rock in Spanish, “Rompan todo” reaches 1963, the year when the real revolution began. With The Beatles as the protagonists, there was a whole generation of Latin American musicians who dared to form their group and generate a sound that would become the soundtrack to the young people of the time. In no time Los Shakers would be born in Uruguay (creators of the song “Rompan todo”, which gives the series its title), Los Saicos and Los Shains would emerge in Peru, and Los Beatniks and Los Gatos would emerge in Argentina.

What started out as a movement designed for dancing and fun would eventually become a reflection of a society traversed by countless dictatorships and economic crises. And that’s where “Rompan todo” generates a very interesting approach that reflects the importance of gender in the second half of the 20th century. Each episode is a small story lesson that goes beyond music. In Mexico they talk about dictatorships, the Zapatista movement, the 1985 earthquake and the demonization of rock after the Avándaro festival, kind of Woodstock, but in 1971. In the case of Argentina, the 1976 dictatorship, the Malvinas war, the Menem government and the 2001 crisis.

The opening chapters deal with the repression of governments (Pinochet is an obscure mantra for Chilean music), the unusual prohibition of rock in Mexico and the effects of historical events such as Argentina’s Falklands War, which concluded the remnants of Anglo culture, which massification of the new local idols promoted: Charly Garcia (from the band Serú Girán), Fito Paez and Soda Stereo.

But all those crises aside, Latin American rock survived and reached its peak in the mid-1980s thanks to Soda Stereo. “Break Everything” shows how the group passes Gustavo Cerati it became the region’s first rock export, influencing groups from Mexico, Chile, and Uruguay.

MTV Latino, in the 90’s, which debuted Los Prisioneros’ video for “Sudamerican Rockers”, was the 24/7 showcase that helped make the alternative massive and here’s a common denominator, in a series of names that exploded in then: Argentinian Gustavo Santaolalla, producer of “Rompan todo” and promoter of several bands on the continent; between them, Café Tacvba, Molotov, Julieta Venegas and Los Prisioneros, in the “Hearts” era.

The truth is that the channel groups like Café Tacvba, Aterciopelados, Molotov and The fantastic Cadillacs to rotate across the continent and contribute to creating links between countries.

The last episode deals with the role of women in gender, and includes testimonials from it Julieta Venegas, Juana Molina, Mon Laferte and Andrea Echeverri. “The future of rock is a woman,” says Uruguayan producer Juan Campodónico, noting a promising change in a genre characterized by its constant mutation.

This genealogical tree of Latin American rock that the series presents continues through the spring and summer of a cycle that is today fall.

By the end, everything is moving too fast, perhaps at the same rate as the decrease in movement. An attempt is made to determine what is rock and what is not, and whether this cultural phenomenon is already dead. Perceptions among the protagonists vary in a context where political crises do not end on the continent.

Group of newspapers America – GDA: El País / Uruguay and El Mercurio / Chile