Their debut album Pasto was recorded and released in 1992 and has guest appearances by Gustavo Cerati, Daniel Melero and members of other groups which, at the time, were also part of the New Argentinian Rock (or Sonic rock) movement, such as Martes Menta and Juana la Loca. The only single released from Pasto was "D-Generación", which was a minor radio hit at the time and made the upcoming band known to Argentinian listeners. The album has an eclectic style, with many of the tracks being short skits (such as "41" de Ocio", which consists of the band chatting between songs; or "Mutha Fucka", a track which seems to have been made by cutting and pasting together various audio samples taken from TV).
For their second album Trance Zomba, released in 1994, DJ Peggyn joined the band. As a a consequence of the band having now 6 members, this album has a mixture of Rap, Funk and Hardcore Punk, but at the same time even psychedelic rock influences. "Malón", "Montañas de Agua", "Patinador Sagrado" and "Koyote" were the singles released for this album.
In 1996 the band released the highly experimental Dopádromo. This album has all sorts of music from the highly psychedelic "Zumba" and "Su Majestad", hard rock tracks as "El Medium and "Su Ciervo", instrumentals and even a hasta un bossa nova: "Perfume Casino". Destacan también "¡Viva Satana!" and "El Médium" were the biggest hist from this record.
Their fourth album, Babasónica showcased a heavier edge than their previous three, being influenced by heavy metal with distorted riffs and guitar solos on many songs ("Egocripta", "Demonomanía", "El Adversario"). On the other hand, the album has a softer acoustic side, with the delicate ballads "Sharon Tate" and "Esther Narcótica". The band has declared that this was meant to balance out the roughness of the heavier songs. Some tracks even include both stylistic approaches at once making for interesting contrast, like "Parafinada" or "Convoy". Lyrically, the album deals with the concepts of satanism. The band has declared that this approach isn't meant to be taken at face value, but as homage to classic metal, and as an attack on common Western ways of thinking, such as religion.
On their fifth release Miami, DJ Peggyn participated as a member of the band for the last time, he was sacked as his contributions were no longer felt necessary for the band. In 2000 he went for a solo career, renaming himself Jimmy Dolor. The album cover was designed by Alejandro Ros. It is a map of Argentina turned 90 degrees clockwise, resembling a map of the east coast of the United States; the map places a fictional Miami in the Argentinian province of Misiones. After the release of the album, Cosme, their manager, left the band.
After the release of Jessico (2001), Babasónicos shifted into a more pop-influenced sound and reached massive mainstream success, becoming one of Latin America's top bands.
Their follow up records, Infame (2003), Anoche (2005) , Mucho (2008), A Propósito (2011), Romantisismico (2014) and Discutible (2018), further expended this sound and merged it with their early psychedelic and experimental influences.
In 1999 they collaborated with alternative rock artist Ian Brown on a track for his second studio album, Golden Greats, that bears their name.
In early 2008, the official site informed that after a long and painful struggle with Hodgkins lymphoma, bass player Gabriel "Gabo" Mannelli passed away on January the 12th. He was 38 years old.
Since then, Babasónicos teamed up with long-time-friend Carca to temporarily replace Gabo, until late 2011 when Tuta Torres (ex-bassist from Los Látigos) joined the group as their new official bass player, with Carca now serving as a multi-instrumentalist.
Dopamina
Babasónicos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saben de mi padecer
Me aconsejan despegar
Mi nave a tiempo
Y desde el aire saludar, saludar,
Los que sufren
Ya casi no duermen
El insomnio orienta mi mal
Es por eso que nadie, me quiere
Mucho menos me pueden amar
Convivo el placer
Lo demas me da igual
Y aun me seas falso
Es mi unica verdad
Los guardianes del crepusculo
Saben de mi padecer
Me aconsejan despegar
Mi nave a tiempo
Y desde el aire saludar, saludar,
No seas tonto
No sigas mi ejemplo
Yo no tuve oportunidad
No me gustan las leyes del juego
Mucho menos me gusta jugar
Los guardianes del crepusculo
Saben de mi padecer
Me aconsejan despegar
Mi nave a tiempo
Y desde el aire saludar, saludar
The lyrics to Babasònicos's song "Dopamina" tells the story of someone who is struggling with a deep sense of loneliness and isolation, and the constant fight that goes on inside their head. They feel like no one wants them, much less loves them, and so they turn to pleasure as a means of escape. The "guardians of the twilight" offer advice to help them take off in their ship in time to greet those who are suffering from their vantage point in the sky. They urge the singer not to follow their example, but rather to learn from their mistakes.
The song is all about the struggle between pleasure and pain, and the delicate balance between the two. The singer is caught in a web of conflicting emotions and desires, torn between the desire to feel good and the knowledge that doing so will only lead to more pain. The climax of the song comes with the realization that the singer's only source of truth is the sense of pleasure they get from their actions, even if it is a lie.
Line by Line Meaning
Los guardianes del crepusculo
The guardians of twilight, representing the singer's inner demons/struggles
Saben de mi padecer
These guardians are aware of the singer's suffering and struggles
Me aconsejan despegar
The guardians advise the singer to take off, leave behind their troubles
Mi nave a tiempo
This ship is a metaphor for the singer's life, advising him to make changes before it's too late
Y desde el aire saludar, saludar, Los que sufren
From above, the singer greets and sympathizes with those who also suffer
Ya casi no duermen
Suffering has robbed everyone of sleep
El insomnio orienta mi mal
The singer's insomnia is a symptom of their struggles
Es por eso que nadie, me quiere
Because of these struggles, the singer feels unloved and unwanted
Mucho menos me pueden amar
The singer feels that nobody is capable of loving them due to their issues
Convivo el placer
Despite their suffering, the singer still experiences pleasure in life
Lo demas me da igual
The singer is indifferent to everything else aside from their personal pleasure
Y aun me seas falso, Es mi unica verdad
Even if their pleasure is fake or temporary, it is still the only truth to the singer
No seas tonto, No sigas mi ejemplo
The singer advises others not to follow in their footsteps
Yo no tuve oportunidad
The singer believes that they never had a chance to change their situation
No me gustan las leyes del juego
The singer dislikes the rules of society and how life is supposed to be lived
Mucho menos me gusta jugar
The singer doesn't even enjoy playing the game of life
Los guardianes del crepusculo
The guardians of twilight are mentioned again, representing the singer's struggles
Saben de mi padecer
The guardians are still aware of the singer's suffering
Me aconsejan despegar
Once again, the guardians advise the singer to depart from their issues
Mi nave a tiempo
The guardians emphasize the importance of leaving in time to avoid further troubles
Y desde el aire saludar, saludar
The final line again emphasizes greeting and sympathizing with other suffering individuals
Writer(s): Gabriel Mannelli, Adrian Hugo Rodriguez
Contributed by Layla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Peter Pumkinghead
on Estertor
guau guau que nena
Peter Pumkinghead
on Estertor
que buena nena