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 aparato
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qué hombre que maneja el aparato
Cuando volteé, lo tenía arriba
Es una luz
Algún tiempo me dejó inmóvil
Sólo me quedó el zumbido
De la luz
En lengua extraña me hablaba
Pero entendí
Lo juro que no había tomado
Sólo estaba encandilado
La hora perdí
Ay yo sé que vendrá por mí, ay
Y me llevará a un jardín
Ay
Ay
Cuando me encontré con Pablo
Fue que me contó esta historia
No le creí
Eso fue hace algunos meses
Desde entonces que no lo vemos
Más por aquí
Ya no sé ni qué pensar
Desde que llegó una carta
Del hospital
Pablo tiene quemaduras
Y ceguera permanente
No quiere hablar
Ay, yo sé que vendrá por mí, ay
Y me llevará a un jardín
Ay
Ay, yo sé que vendrá por mí
Y me llevará a un jardín
Ay
The lyrics to Café Tacuba's song El Aparato tell a story of a man who encounters a mysterious machine or device that emits a bright light, leaving him paralyzed and only able to hear a buzzing sound. He then hears the machine speak to him in an unknown language. The man eventually gets up and later meets someone named Pablo who tells him about a similar experience. However, the man is skeptical until he receives a letter from the hospital informing him that Pablo has been burned and blinded, refusing to speak about what happened to him. The song ends with the man accepting that he too will be taken by the machine to a garden.
The lyrics could be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of technology and the unknown consequences of manipulating and utilizing it. The machine in the song could represent the power of technology and the negative impact it can have on individuals who become too dependent on it or misuse it. Additionally, the use of an unknown language and the fact that Pablo was blinded and burned could also symbolize the destruction and harm that comes with delving into the unknown and the consequences that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Ay
Expressing surprise or emotion
Que hombre que maneja el aparato
The man who controls the device
Cuando volté lo tenía arriba
When I turned, he had it up
Es una luz
It's a light
Algún tiempo me dejo inmóvil
For some time, it left me motionless
Sólo me quedó el zumbido
All that was left was a buzzing sound
De la luz
From the light
Lo escuchaba en mi cabeza
I heard it in my head
En lengua extraña me hablaba
It spoke to me in a strange language
Pero entendí
But I understood
Lo juro que no había tomado
I swear I hadn't taken anything
Sólo estaba encandilado
I was just dazzled
La hora perdí
I lost track of time
Cuando me encontré con Pablo
When I met Pablo
Fue que me contó esta historia
He told me this story
No le creí
I didn't believe him
Eso fue hace algunos meses
That was a few months ago
Desde entonces que no lo vemos
We haven't seen him since
Más por aquí
Around here anymore
Ya no sé ni que pensar
I don't even know what to think anymore
Desde que llegó una carta
Since a letter arrived
Del hospital
From the hospital
Pablo tiene quemaduras
Pablo has burns
Y ceguera permanente
And permanent blindness
No quiere hablar
He doesn't want to talk
Ay yo se que vendrá por mí, ay
Oh, I know he'll come for me
Y me llevará a un jardín
And he'll take me to a garden
Ay
Expressing surprise or emotion
Ay, yo sé que vendrá por mí
Oh, I know he'll come for me
Y me llevara a un jardín
And he'll take me to a garden
Ay
Expressing surprise or emotion
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jose Alfredo Rangel Arroyo, Enrique Rangel Arroyo, Emmanuel Del Real Diaz, Ruben Isaac Albarran Ortega
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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