Los Prisioneros

Los Prisioneros ("The Prisoners") were a Chilean rock band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, in 1982. Considered one of the most important Latin-American bands of all time, they've been evaluated as pioneers of Rock en español (Rock in Spanish) by Latin American media and musicians, and as the band with the strongest socio-political impact in Chile. The group would develop a new wave sound that would have its roots in British punk rock, in particular The Clash, and would incorporate rockabilly, reggae and ska influences, and later on synthpop, and would make themselves known for their controversial, witty and subversive lyricism that criticized the socio-economic structures, education and societal attitudes of dictatorship-era Chile and Latin America as a whole. This would cause their music to be banned by the Chilean mainstream media between 1985 and 1990, but their music would continue to spread there, aided by word of mouth and shared homemade cassette tapes.

The band initially met in high school, studying at San Miguel's Liceo 6, and form as "Los Vinchukas" (a play on The Beatles, one of their biggest influences), with Miguel Tapia on drums, Claudio Narea on guitar and Jorge González serving as their lead vocalist, bassist, main songwriter and de-facto leader. After changing their name to Los Prisioneros, they would record their first album, La voz de los '80, and release it on the independent record label Fusión Producciones, and would initially struggle to achieve mainstream popularity before signing to EMI Records in 1985, re-releasing their first album on vinyl records and cassettes. From that point on, they would reach mainstream success in all of Latin America, in particular, Peru.

Starting with the release of 1986's Pateando piedras and 1987's La cultura de la basura, González would begin to incorporate Depeche Mode-inspired synthpop sounds and rhythms to their music, to the dismay of Narea. Tensions between the two band members would come to a halt during production of 1990's Corazones, when Narea would learn of an affair between González and his wife, and would leave the band, being replaced by Cecilia Aguayo on keyboards, and Robert Rodríguez on bass. This new incarnation of Los Prisioneros would not last long, and the group would dissolve in 1991, marking the end of the "first phase" of the band.

Following the release of the compilation album Antologia, su historia y sus exitos, Los Prisioneros would reunite in 2001, and would play two reunion shows in Santiago's Estadio Nacional to a total of almost 150,000 people, a feat no other Chilean band has accomplished since. They would record a self-titled reunion album in 2003, and González and Narea would have another falling out, Narea would leave the band once again, with Los Tres frontman Alvaro Henríquez joining the band, recording the covers album Los Prisioneros En Las Raras Tocatas Nuevas De la Rock & Pop. Shortly after, Sergio "Coty" Badilla and Gonzalo Yáñez would join the band, and would form part of the lineup that would record their sixth and final studio album; Manzana and would go on tour in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Chile. On February 18, 2006, in Caracas, Venezuela the band would perform their last concert. Jorge González moved to Mexico, leaving Tapia and Badilla in Chile.

Musically, Los Prisioneros marked the beginning of a new musical era in Chile, leaving behind the 1960s folk-inspired music of Víctor Jara and Violeta Parra, and starting the new era of Nuevo Pop Chileno (New Chilean Pop)., setting the stage for many other Chilean bands, such as Aparato Raro, Cinema, Upa!, Valija Diplomática, Aterrizaje Forzoso, Electrodomésticos, Banda 69, Fulano, among others. Songs like "La Voz de los '80", "Muevan las Industrias", and "Tren al Sur" are among the most famous, important, and musically influential songs of Latin America, and the song "El baile de los que sobran" became an anthem for the 2019-2022 Chilean protests. In 2023, Rolling Stone would name Corazones among the 50 best Latin-American albums of all time.