Chilean electronic music refers to the electronic music genre and its subgenres produced in Chile or by Chileans.
The origins of electronic music in Chile can be found as far back as 1958, when physicist Werner Meyer-Eppler visited Chile. As a result of his visit, experimentation with electronic music gained support from the scientific community and an electronic music laboratory was established.
In 1959, Jose Visencio Asuar published a thesis entitled "Generación mecánica y electrónica del sonido musical" (Mechanical and Electronic Generation of Musical Sound), and to demonstrate his thesis he composed "Variaciones espectrales" (Spectral Variations), the first piece of electronic music in Chile.
In 1966, at the Universidad Católica, Samuel Claro released his second electronic music album, Estudio N°1.
Asuar released Estudio Aletorio in 1962 and Ambientes Sonoros in 1967. Both records were released in Germany (Karlsruhe) and Venezuela (Caracas).
In 1968, Tomás Lefever composed 19 electronic tracks and released Klesis, a compilation album containing works by Amenábar and Asuar. [1]
It is not clear when exactly the electronic music movement as it is known today reached Chile. At the beginning of the 1990s a small underground movement had emerged, with DJs such as Cristian Vogel, Ricardo Villalobos, Matias Aguayo and Sergio Orrego, the opening of the specialist store Background, and small scale events like “Barracudas” in 1992, “Corriente Alterna” (1993), “Distrito Distinto” (1993), “Background” (1994), “Avanzada multimedia” (1994), “Frontera Final” (1995) and “Spandex Parties” taking place through the 1990s. However, most commentators see the true birth of electronica in Chile at the Alacran Peninsula in the city of Arica, in an event that took place during the solar eclipse of November 1994. [2]
The solar eclipse took place on November 3, 1994, with excellent views available in northern Chilean cities such as Arica, drawing astronomers from around the world to observe the rare phenomenon in the area's uniquely clear skies. A group of electronica fans and DJs decided to use the eerie eclipse landscape as a backdrop to host Chile's first rave. [3] The event was sponsored by the German clothing manufacturer Pash and took place outdoors in the Scorpion Peninsula, opposite to the historic Morro de Arica. Ravers could observe the eclipse and wait for its shadow to pass, with electronic music as a soundtrack. DJs who took part in the rave included John Acquaviva, Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos, Derrick May, Pascal, Siddhartha and Adrian.
Though it was a small event, the Alacran rave has gained near legendary status in Chile and has become a landmark in the country's electronic scene. [4] Since then, the scene has grown fast and massive events have taken place in many of Chile's major cities, [5] including “C[C2] reamfields”, “Sensation White” (a spin-off from Amsterdam’s “Sensation”), and Ultra Music, an event that first appeared in Miami.
In the last decade, techno and house music, mostly inspired by the movement in Berlin, has grown in Santiago. These underground scene has been recorded by labels like Comeme and Pirotecnia with stars from the scene like Alejandro Paz and Mamacita. [6]
The International Society for Chilean Music (SIMUC) has a podcast called MEC [7] dedicated exclusively to Chilean electronic music. The first episode was aired on September 30, 2016.
Richard "Richie" Hawtin is a British-Canadian electronic musician and DJ. He became involved with Detroit techno's second wave in the early 1990s, and has been a leading exponent of minimal techno since the mid-1990s. He became known for his recordings under the Plastikman and F.U.S.E. aliases. Under the latter, he released his debut album Dimension Intrusion (1993) as part of Warp's Artificial Intelligence series.
Chilean music refers to all kinds of music developed in Chile, or by Chileans in other countries, from the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors to the modern day. It also includes the native pre-Columbian music from what is today Chilean territory.
Chilean rock is rock music and its corresponding subgenres produced in Chile or by Chileans. Chilean rock lyrics are usually sung in Spanish so can be considered as part of rock en español, although they are sometimes sung in English as well.
Ricardo Villalobos is a Chilean-born German electronic music producer and DJ. He is well known for his work in the minimal techno and microhouse genres, and is one of the most significant figures in the minimal techno scene.
Perlon is an electronic music record label founded in 1997 in Frankfurt, Germany, now based in Berlin, and run by Thomas Franzmann aka Zip and Markus Nikolai. It is a minimal techno and tech house label which has been characterised as one of the most influential German dance music labels. Its catalogue features music by producers such as A Guy Called Gerald, Akufen, Ricardo Villalobos, Baby Ford, Dandy Jack, Luciano, Matt John, Pantytec, Stefan Goldmann and Thomas Melchior. It is mostly a vinyl label, apart from compilations and some artist albums released on CD. No releases have been made available online in digital formats.
Pateando piedras is the second studio album by the Chilean group Los Prisioneros. It was released on September 15, 1986 in cassette format in Chile and 12-inch vinyl in South America. It was the group's first album to be released by a multinational company. It sold five thousand copies in its advance sale, and reached ten thousand units sold in a short time. The album was preceded by the hit single, "Muevan las industrias", which featured the group drawing European techno influences from bands like Depeche Mode.
Mauricio Castillo Moya , known as Chinoy, is a Chilean singer-songwriter who has released two solo albums. Chinoy's androgynous voice, lyrics, poetics and iconic guitar technique have been compared to those of Bob Dylan by the Chilean media and his style has been described as trova, indie folk and folk punk.
Sebastián Silva Irarrázabal is a Chilean director, actor, screenwriter, painter, and musician.
Banda Conmoción are a Chilean ensemble band who mix cumbia and gypsy music with genres such as ska and cha-cha-cha. They are part of the new Latin-American fusion movement and emerged in the early nineties along with groups like Chico Trujillo and La Floripondio. They are also considered part of the New Chilean Cumbia movement.
Perrosky is a Chilean band formed by the brothers Alejandro and Álvaro Gómez, originally from the city of Copiapó, Chile. Their influences include rock and roll, folk and blues.
Leo Quinteros is a Chilean singer-songwriter and guitarist. He made his official debut in 2004 with the album 1A, which was critically acclaimed for its technical finesse and lyrical depth.
Fernando Milagros is a Chilean pop rock singer-songwriter and a part of the independent music scene in Santiago. He was born Fernando Briones and got his stage name from his three years as the singer and bass player in the band Maria Milagros. He has divided his time between music and a successful career in theater design.
Pánico is a Chilean alternative rock, psychedelic rock and post-punk band based in Paris, France.
Lucien Nicolet, known mononymously as Luciano, is a Swiss and Chilean DJ and producer. He has been a twenty-time winner of differents awards in electronic music scene including Ibiza DJ Awards, Vicious Magazine in Spain, and Swiss NightLife. As well as in numerous categories His DJ sets are strongly influenced by Latin American music. Luciano's initial style of minimal techno has evolved into a blend of house and techno.
Andrés Bucci is a Chilean electronic music producer and DJ. He is known for his solo work as well as for his role as a member of Plan V. He is one of three Bucci brothers, all DJs and electronic music producers.
DJ Bitman, also known as Latin Bitman or simply Bitman, is a Chilean electronic music producer, composer and DJ. He is known for his work combining electronic music with funk, hip hop and Latin American rhythms.
Daniel Nieto is a Chilean electronic music producer, engineer, and visual artist born in Santiago, Chile. He is known for his solo work under the name "Danieto" as well as for his role as a member of the group Skipsapiens, along with Pier Bucci. Daniel Nieto began his career in the late 1990s, influenced by the intelligent dance music movement in the UK. Daniel is also one of the founders of the netlabel Impar.
Pier Bucci is a Chilean electronic music producer. He is known for his solo work and for his role in the groups Mambotur, Skipsapiens, Monne Automne and Bucci. He is one of three Bucci brothers – Juan Pablo, Pier and Andrés – all of whom are electronic music producers.
Paula Schopf is a Chilean electronic music producer and DJ, born in Santiago, Chile in 1970. Sister of musician and producer Dandy Jack and DJ Adrian, she has developed her own career as a DJ and producer in both Chile and Germany under the name "Chica Paula".
Nano Stern is a Chilean singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer of the "third generation of Chilean singer-songwriters" who appear after the 1990s. His work is linked with popular song movements and his style encompasses trova, fusion, folk and rock.