Aztlan Underground is a fusion band from Los Angeles. Since early 1989, Aztlan Underground has played Rapcore. Indigenous drums, flutes, and rattles are commonplace in its musical compositions.
This unique sound is the backdrop for the band's message of dignity for indigenous people, all of humanity, and Earth. Aztlan Underground has been cultivating a grass roots audience across the country, which has become a large and loyal underground following. Their music includes spoken word pieces and elements of punk, hip hop, rock, funk, jazz, and indigenous music, among others.
The artists are Chenek "DJ Bean" (turntables, samples and percussion), Yaotl (vocals, indigenous percussion), Joe "Peps" (bass, rattles), Alonzo Beas (guitars, synth), Caxo (drums, indigenous percussion), and Bulldog (vocals, flute).
Aztlan Underground appeared on television on Culture Clash on Fox in 1993, was part of Breaking Out, a concert on pay per view in 1998, and was featured in the independent films Algun Dia and Frontierlandia.
The band has been mentioned or featured in various newspapers and magazines: the Vancouver Sun, Northshore News (Vancouver, Canada newspaper), New Times (Los Angeles weekly entertainment newspaper), BLU Magazine (underground hip hop magazine), BAM Magazine (Southern California), La Banda Elastica Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times Calendar section. It is also the subject of a chapter in It's Not About A Salary, by Brian Cross. They also opened for Rage Against the Machine in Mexico City.
It was nominated in the New Times 1998 "Best Latin Influenced" category, the BAM Magazine 1999 "Best Rock en Español" category, and the LA Weekly 1999 "Best Hip Hop" category.
Aztlan Underground were signed to a Basque record label in 1999 which enabled them to tour Spain extensively and perform in France and Portugal.
Other parts of the world that Aztlan Underground have performed include Canada, Australia, and Venezuela.
The band completed their third album and released it exclusively digital on August 29, 2009. The band is set to begin writing a new record this year.
Aztlan Underground were nominated for four Native American Music Award categories for the Nammys 2010. See Nammys.com
Famous quotes containing the word underground:
“... in a history of spiritual rupture, a social compact built on fantasy and collective secrets, poetry becomes more necessary than ever: it keeps the underground aquifers flowing; it is the liquid voice that can wear through stone.”
—Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)