Their musical style covers a wide variety of genres, though it is most commonly labeled as Rock en Español. Their music has been heavily influenced by Mexico's indigenous population and folk music traditions, most notable the Jarocho style of the state of Veracruz, but also by punk and electronic music and other bands in the Mexico City scene. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of their music is Albarrán's nasal voice, which, combined with his impressive lung capacity (as demonstrated on "La Ingrata", an homage to norteño music), makes for a very distinctive sound. They sing entirely in Spanish but have a significant Anglophone following regardless.
They have an especially eclectic sound, and it's commonly said that none of their discs is of exactly the same genre. For example, "Maria" is a bolero style ballad, "La Ingrata" is a mix of rock and "norteño" , while "Eres", a hit included in "Cuatro Caminos" album, is mostly pop-rock.
They were founded in 1989, and since then have had the same musical lineup:
* Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega aka "Pinche Juan" ("Fuckin Juan"), "Cosme", "Anónimo" (Anonymous), "Nrü" (pronounced "dshyoo", [dʃju] in IPA), "Amparo Tonto Medardo In Lak'ech" (or "At Medardo ILK"), "G3", "Gallo Gasss", "Élfego Buendía", "Sizu Yantra" (which is his solo moniker as well), "Rita Cantalagua", "Ixi Xoo" and many others. (vocals, guitar)
* Emmanuel "Meme" del Real Díaz: (keyboards, acoustic guitar, piano, programming, vocals, melodion)
* José Alfredo "Joselo" Rangel Arroyo: (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals)
* Enrique 'Quique' Rangel Arroyo: (bass guitar, electric upright bass, vocals)
Mexican folk music player Alejandro Flores is considered the 5th tacubo, as he has played the violin in almost every Café Tacuba concert since 1994. Since the Cuatro Caminos World Tour, Luis "El Children" Ledezma has played the drums in every concert but is not considered an official member of the band.
**Previously known as "Alicia Ya No Vive Aquí" (a tribute to Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore), the band took its final name from a coffee shop (el Café de Tacuba) located in downtown Mexico City. The cafe, which opened in 1912 and had its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, was representative of the Pachuco scene at the time, something the band would later acknowledge as an influence. The Café de Tacuba is still in operation as a coffee shop and restaurant on Tacuba Street, in Mexico City's Historic Center. The band changed its name to Café Tacvba (changing the u for a v) in order to avoid legal issues with the coffee shop.
1989
Mexico City, Mexico
El Espacio
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La atmósfera crucé
Y dejé de sentir la gravedad
Y en instantes me perdí
Entre tanto astro fugaz
Entonces comencé a estallar
Todo mi cuerpo era una explosión
Y por un momento me olvide de mi
Y por un largo rato sentí calor
Y todo se iluminó
Yo estaba acostado
Mirando el espacio exterior
Y estaba pensando
En lo diminuto que era yo
Y no pienso regresar
Aquí es donde debo estar
No me preguntes
No me preguntes por qué
No me preguntes porque no lo sé
Estoy resplandeciendo en mi explosión
Millones de pedazos me vuelvo yo
Me supernovo con rapidez
Por un momento me olvidé de mí
Y por un largo rato sentí calor
Hoy me miro a la orilla del mar
Y estoy acostado
Mirando el espacio exterior
Y estoy pensando en lo diminuto que yo soy
Y no pienso regresar
Aquí es donde yo nací
No me preguntes
El Espacio, a song from the album Cuatro Caminos by the Mexican band Cafe Tacuba, is a surreal metaphorical journey through space, science, and self-discovery. The lyrics describe the singer's experience of traveling at high speed through the atmosphere, crossing paths with shooting stars and eventually exploding into a million pieces of light and carbon. The experience of being completely disconnected from his physical body allows him to forget himself and feel the heat and brightness of the explosion. The song then shifts to the singer musing on his own smallness and insignificance in the vastness of space, as he lies on the beach watching the stars above.
The song has a deeper meaning beyond its cosmic imagery. It speaks to the human desire for escape and transcendence from the mundanity of everyday life. It suggests that experiencing something beyond ourselves allows us to confront our own identity and existence. The explosion becomes a symbol of liberation, as the singer transcends the limitations of his physical body to enter a new realm of existence. By embracing his smallness and accepting his place in the universe, he finds peace and security in where he is.
Perhaps the most striking feature of El Espacio is its otherworldly sound. The band blends traditional Mexican music with elements of rock and electronica to produce a unique sound that perfectly complements the songs' cosmic imagery. The song features heavy use of percussion and an array of electronic sound effects that give it a futuristic feel. The sonic landscape Caf Tacuba creates is one of wonder, awe and magic, making the listener feel they are in space themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
De pronto me encontré viajando a gran velocidad
Suddenly, I found myself traveling at a high speed.
La atmósfera crucé
I crossed the atmosphere.
Y dejé de sentir la gravedad
I stopped feeling gravity.
Y en instantes me perdí
And in an instant, I got lost.
Entre tanto astro fugaz
Among so many shooting stars.
Entonces comencé a estallar
Then I began to explode.
Todo mi cuerpo era una explosión
My whole body was an explosion.
Luces y carbones brotaban de mí
Lights and coals were coming out of me.
Y por un momento me olvide de mi
And for a moment, I forgot myself.
Y por un largo rato sentí calor
And for a long time, I felt warmth.
Y todo se iluminó
And everything illuminated.
Yo estaba acostado
I was lying down.
Mirando el espacio exterior
Looking at outer space.
Y estaba pensando
And I was thinking.
En lo diminuto que era yo
About how tiny I was.
Y no pienso regresar
And I don't plan to return.
Aquí es donde debo estar
This is where I should be.
No me preguntes
Don't ask me.
No me preguntes por qué
Don't ask me why.
No me preguntes porque no lo sé
Don't ask me because I don't know.
Estoy resplandeciendo en mi explosión
I'm shining brightly in my explosion.
Millones de pedazos me vuelvo yo
I become millions of pieces.
Me supernovo con rapidez
I super nova quickly.
Por un momento me olvidé de mí
For a moment, I forgot myself.
Y por un largo rato sentí calor,
And for a long time, I felt warmth.
Hoy me miro a la orilla del mar
Today, I look at the seashore.
Y estoy acostado,
And I'm lying down.
Mirando el espacio exterior,
Looking at outer space.
Y estoy pensando en lo diminuto que yo soy
And I'm thinking about how tiny I am.
Y no pienso regresar
And I don't plan to return.
Aquí es donde yo nací
This is where I was born.
No me preguntes
Don't ask me.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Emanuel Del Real Diaz, Enrique Rangel Arroyo, Jose Alfredo Rangel Arroyo, Ruben Isaac Albarran Ortega
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@emilioyedidia1367
@@17rmc Yo ví la transmisión por MTV y recuerdo que estás fueron las que sacaron (ya que el concierto completo estará en el disco)
1.- El espacio
2.- La locomotora
3.- Chilanga banda
4.- Eres
5.- Las batallas/Rarotonga
6.- El outsider
7.- Olita de alta mar
8.- Diente de León
9.- Volver a comenzar
@NicoNico-ts2np
De pronto me encontré viajando a gran velocidad,
la atmósfera cruce y deje de sentir la gravedad,
en instantes me perdí entre tanto astro fugaz.
Entonces comencé a estallar,
todo mi cuerpo era una explosión
luces y carbones brotaban de mi.
Por un momento me olvidé de mi,
y por un largo rato sentí calor,
y todo se iluminó.
Yo estaba acostado mirando el espacio exterior,
y estaba pensando en lo diminuto que era yo.
Y no pienso regresar, aquí es donde debo estar,
no me preguntes, no me preguntes porque,
no me preguntes, porque no lo sé.
Estoy resplandeciendo en mi explosión,
millones de pedazos me vuelvo yo,
me supernovo con rapidez.
Por un momento me olvidé de mi,
y por un largo rato sentí calor,
hoy me miro a la orilla del mar.
Y estoy acostado mirando el espacio exterior,
y estoy pensando en lo diminuto que yo soy,
Y no pienso regresar aquí es donde yo nací.
No me preguntes.
@NicoNico-ts2np
La voz de Meme le da el toque perfecto. Una de las tantas canciones perfectas de Cafe Tacvba🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽❤️❤️❤️
@kevinvalde
Claramente ellos concuerdan que es su mejor canción, por eso la ocuparon para iniciar el 2do Unplugged
@NicoNico-ts2np
kevin valde
Cuestión de gustos, a mi la que mas me encanta es “Las Flores” , pero si pongo a esta como número 2.
@iranhyheart6372
P E R F E C T A
@iranhyheart6372
@@kevinvalde 😱😱😱
@josuemares3055
Meme. Es DIOS
@saulmedardo
Arpa microtonal! Un Instrumento mexicano aportando su peculiar sonido en un unplugged, bien!
@saulmedardo
@@myBquest así es!
@julianhidalgo8734
Que hermoso se escucha el arpa y que bien le quedó al concierto
@indram_mik
Hombre de cultura conocedor de la teoría del sonido 13