Los Ángeles Azules are a Mexican musical group that plays the cumbia sonidera genre, which is a cumbia subgenre using the accordion and synthesizers. This results in a fusion of the sounds of cumbia from the 1950-1970s with those of 1990s-style electronic music.[1]

Los Ángeles Azules
Background information
OriginMexico City, Mexico
GenresMexican cumbia, Cumbia Sinfónica
Years active1976 (1976)–present
Websitelosangelesazules.com.mx

History edit

The group got together in 1976, but started officially in 1980. It was formed by the siblings of the Mejía Avante family: Elías, Alfrado, José Hilario, Jorge, Cristina and Guadalupe.[1]

The group went through various periods of popularity and various styles. In 1997, they had a huge hit with Cómo Te Voy a Olvidar, re-recorded many hits with guest vocalists including Carla Morrison, Lila Downs, and Ximena Sariñana in 2013. In 2014, they launched a new musical genre cumbia sinfónica as they performed their greatest contemporary hits with the Mexico City Symphony Orchestra. Their subsequent album Cómo Te Voy a Olvidar Edición de Súper Lujo reached #5 on the Mexican regional music charts.[1]

In 2016, they issued De Plaza En Plaza, which features collaborations with Mexican artist Gloria Trevi, Yuri, Natalia Lafourcade, Spanish musician Miguel Bosé, American duo Ha*Ash, among others.[2] The first single from the album was "La Cumbia del Infinito" with Natalia Lafourcade and Rodrigo & Gabriela; released on June 3, 2016. The second single "Mi Niña Mujer" with Ha*Ash was released on August 5, 2016.[3] The same year they recorded their twenty-seventh album Esto Sí Es Cumbia.[4]

The album was officially released in June 2018, under the OCESA Seitrack.[5] Esto Sí Es Cumbia consists entirely of cover songs.[5] Included interpretations of "Nunca Es Suficiente" with Natalia Lafourcade, "Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte" with Ana Torroja, "Perdón, Perdón" with Ha*Ash, "El Amor Después del Amor" with Fito Paéz, among others.[6] In 2018, they played on the Coachella Stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, making it the first time a traditional cumbia group has played at the popular festival.[7]

Discography edit

Studio albums edit

  • Ritmo... Alegría... Sabor!, Vol. 1 (1982)
  • Los Ángeles Azules, Vol. 2 (1983)
  • Los Ángeles Azules, Vol. 3 (1984)
  • Cumbia de la Tostadita, Vol. 4 (1985)
  • Cumbia de las Chispitas, Vol. 5 (1987)
  • Los Ángeles Azules, Vol. 6 (1988)
  • Y Valió La Pena Esperar, Vol. 7 (1989)
  • Y Esta... Si Es Cumbia, Vol. 8 (1991)(Last álbum recorded at Discos Pearless)
  • Entrega de Amor (1993)Disa
  • Sin Pecado (1995)
  • Inolvidables/Como Te Voy A Olvidar (1996)
  • Confesiones[El Grupo Tropical De La Década] (1998)
  • Una Lluvia De Rosas (1999)
  • Alas Al Mundo (2002)
  • Nunca Te Olvidaré (2004)
  • Interpretan Éxitos de Juan Gabriel (2006)(Last álbum recorded at Disa)
  • Tu Juguete (2007) Musart/Balboa Records
  • A Ritmo De Cumbia/Iztapalapa Te Quiero (2012)
  • Cómo Te Voy a Olvidar (2013) OCESA Seitrack, Sony Music
  • Viernes Cultural (2014) OCESA Seitrack
  • De Plaza En Plaza (2016) OCESA Seitrack
  • Esto Sí Es Cumbia (2018) OCESA Seitrack
  • De Buenos Aires Para El Mundo (2020) OCESA Seitrack, Sony Music
  • Cumbia del Corazón (2022) OCESA Seitrack

Live albums edit

  • En Vivo, Azul Vivo (2002) Disa
  • En Vivo, Gira2005 (2005) (DVD) Disa
  • En Vivo Desde Phoenix.(2020)Sony Music(Only available on digital download)

EPs edit

  • Dance Mixes (1997)(Remixes Album). Disa

Compilations edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Los Ángeles Azules: Artist biography by Drago Bonacich", AllMusic
  2. ^ "Los Ángeles Azules estrenan de Plaza en Plaza". Tropicalísima 13-50 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  3. ^ "Los Ángeles Azules lanza el tema "Mi niña mujer" Feat. Ha*Ash". Vesper Public Relations. 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  4. ^ @ecra; oreyes (2018-06-05). "Los Ángeles Azules lanzan álbum "Esto sí es cumbia"". Diario de México (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  5. ^ a b Roque, Chilango com-José Quezada (2018-06-04). "Esto sí es cumbia: el nuevo disco de Los Ángeles Azules". Chilango (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  6. ^ Diario, El Nuevo. "El Nuevo Diario". El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  7. ^ Wood, Mikael. "Azules' cumbia beat: A well-received first for Coachella". LA Times.

External links edit