![]() ![]() Using the dance music of nightclubs as a template, Torres and his band mates weave funk, electronic, Afro-Cuban, psychedelic and traditional Venezuelan elements into their mystical, musical concept. Los Amigos have released two albums: The New Sound and Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey Into Space. The group focused on recording and signed with David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. They tried to duplicate their club success in New York, where they all eventually settled in 2001, but they found that unless one is "a Ricky Martin," it takes at least two years to establish one's reputation in clubland. The club grew to become one of the hottest spots in Caracas. The six friends released their debut album, A Typical and Autoctonal Dance Band, in Venezuela in 1995 and promoted themselves by hosting their own club events, with José Luis and Julio spinning house and funk. ![]() Torres is into Prince, George Clinton, Me'Shell N'Degeocello and the Cure. Percussionist Rora loves salsa guitarist Pardo digs disco vocalist Briceño praises funk. Like the Simpsons and their different personalities, each Amigo brings a different sensibility to the family's musical dynamic and overall identity. They jammed together in 1991, "and now, we've been all the same people playing together for all these years, just like a family-like husband, wife, kids, cousins," says Torres by phone from New York. A mutual friend suggested they meet each other. The six members were attending two different high schools, performing in separate trios. Representing Venezuela are Los Amigos Invisibles.Īccording to "Guelcome," the mission statement off its 1998 stateside debut, The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera, the group presents a "fusion of different elements of Latin dance and sex culture." Los Amigos Invisibles, which consists of drummer Juan Manuel Rora, bassist José Rafael Torres, keyboardist Armando Figueredo, guitarist/songwriter José Luis Pardo, rapper Mauricio Arcas and vocalist Julio Briceño, has a typical enough backstory, albeit with a decidedly international twist. Though Deee-Lite is no longer active, the tightly knit universe of international funkiness expands, inhabited by such denizens as Japan's Fantastic Plastic Machine and the Nortec Collective from Mexico. IN THE LATE '80s, Deee-Lite, that delicious club confection, sang about a global village in the age of communication, like jacking an Ethernet cable to George Clinton's prophecy of "one nation under a groove" and DSLing a dance-floor-compatible vibe to all four corners. The long, strange trip of Los Amigos Invisibles Tours and awards soon became the norm for Los Amigos Invisibles, who launched their own label, Gozadera Records, in 2006 along with covers album Super Pop Venezuela, released their self-deprecating pop manifesto Commercial in 2009, and stripped down their glossy sound on 2015's Los Amigos Invisibles - Acústico.Metroactive Music | Los Amigos InvisiblesĬaracas Rock: For their latest CD, Los Amigos Invisibles recorded with house-music architects Masters at Work. In 1998, the label released The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera, which went stratospheric with dance anthems “Ponerte en Cuatro” and “Sexy.” The album's success prompted them to relocate to New York three years later, where they befriended Masters at Work and collaborated on 2002's The Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol. The following year, David Byrne found the album at a New York City record store, fell in love with the raucous Venezuelans, and signed them to his Luaka Bop imprint. Formed in Caracas in the early ‘90s, the band's 1995 debut, A Typical and Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance Band, quickly established their quirky dance sensibilities, coupled with an irreverent sense of humor. ![]() ![]() The grandmasters of Venezuelan party music, Los Amigos Invisibles are a beloved ensemble known for melding disco, acid jazz, and funk with a plethora of Latin rhythms including salsa and merengue. ![]()
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