Tonight it is all about celebrating what they have achieved over the last twenty years, including a Grammy Award in 2010. They are famed for being Venezuela’s only “dance band”, also the huge label EMI caught onto their brilliance and got right behind them, releasing their debut album, A Typical and Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance Band. They are from Caracas in Venezuela, and have been working on their sound since the year 1991. This is one of the hardest working touring band in the world visiting 60 countries. The last 3 quarters it was not acoustic anymore, and the fact that there were still more musicians playing different instruments made their sound a lot more richer in their live performance compared with all the previous shows I have seen, and I can only say that it was great!! There is the other side of the coin as well: Julio Briceño (lead singer) and Maurimix (latin percusion) are at the core of the band, and they were there, El Catire (bass) was there as well, but I missed DJ Afro (guitar) and Armandito (organ)!! First time I am in a live performance without them, and they are definitively missed!! They are part of the show!! So the person in the guitar was, mmmm, ok, but the one at the organ made that we miss Armandito even more!! Still, the show was great, I only hope that DJ Afro and Armandito are back for the next show, I will be there too!!Įnter the Venezuelan disco funk band, Los Amigos Invisible, who sport Latin rhythms throughout their sound. There were also more musicians with more instruments. This particular show was different from previous ones in that the first quarter of it, it was like acoustic, it was a different way to appreciate their music.
Seven years ago or so I attended perhaps the first ever show of Los Amigos Invisibles in Mexico City: it was in a night club with perhaps 100 people in it, it was a beautiful intimate show with a great band! From there till' today they are able to fill two Teatro Metropolitan in full, so they have made a lot of progress with their fans base in here! And then, they have come many many times, all the times (but one) I has been always there, it is a great show, it is like going to a party, you dance or you are dead! The sound of their music is something that I cannot describe, a simplistic way of defining it would be a strange mix between funk, salsa, and disco, but they have their own description for their music, it is "The new sound of the Venezuelan gozadera", and I agree. 2013’s “Repeat After Me” picked up even more grammy nominations for the group, including “Best Latin Alternative Album”, “Song of the Year”, and “Best Cover”. Their 2011 follow up “Not So Commercial” was also nominated for a Grammy Award, but did not win.
This album hit No.1 on the Venezuelan Album Charts and earned them a Grammy Award for “Best Latin Pop, Rock or Urban Album”. Their 7th studio album, “Commerical” followed just a year later and marked a shift into the dance/electronica genre. They also put out their 6th studio album “En una noche taan linda como esta” this year. Their proceeding album “Super Pop Venezuela” came out two years later through the label Gozadera Records and the remix version of this album appeared in 2008. This album was released 12 September 2000 through Luaka Bop and garnered the band with yet another grammy nomination. It was here that the group conceptualized and produced perhaps the most important release of their career, “The Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol.1”.
This release was nominated for a grammy in the category, “Best Latin Alternative Album” and it’s production was handled by lauded sound engineer/ remixer Philip Steir (Tom Tom Club, No Doubt, Cake, Moby).Īfter gaining widespread exposure from their various nominations and budding US fan base Los Amigos Invisibles decided to move to New York City. In 2000 they issued their 3rd studio album “Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey into Space”. Their follow up album “The New Sound of Venezuelan Gozadera” came out through this label in 1998 and was likewise met with critical praise. He was so impressed by their sound that he contacted the group and offered them a recording contract with his label, Luaka Bop. The following year David Byrne (Talking Heads) stumbled upon the band’ debut album in a New York record store. Though they were a huge hit in Venezuela they were still working on gaining traction abroad. It was enthusiastically received in their home country, aiding them in selling out many of their national tour dates. Their studio debut album, “A Typical and Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance” was released through EMI in 1995.
The group formed in 1991 in Venezuela and initially sought inspiration from acts like Jose Luis Rodriguez, The Salsoul Orchestra, Billo Frometa, Hector Lavoe, and Fania All-Stars.
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