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 tlatoani del barrio
Café Tacvba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Haima wayo wanga haam (x2)
E Knaw mexa knawan
Haima wayo wangi haim
Haima wayo wanga haam (x2)
El Tlatoani del barrio
era de La Lagunilla,
tenia su pandilla y su territorio delimitado.
Bailaba chachach� y mambo,
y el nuevo ritmo del rocanrol.
Era feo y al box le hacia,
en cada vecindad tenia
el amor y la amistad
de la hija, la madre y la portera
Un dia se encontr� con
El se�or de La Guerrero,
afamado bailarin que no estaba nada feo.
No cantaba mal las rancheras
y con los pu�os muy habil era.
Al ver la conveniencia,
La Lagunilla y El Se�orio de La Guerrero,
y algun otro reino
formaron la Triple Alianza que
temida fue por toda la raza.
Lo que no le parecio bien
al Tlatoani de La Lagunilla
es que se quedo sin ninguna reinita,
pues el bailaron Guerrero
a toda chamaca se la quedaba viendo.
Con este gran mal y teniendo muy triste
el corazon, solo hallo una solucion,
enamoro a la hermana.
Haima wayo wangi haim
Haima wayo wanga haam (x2)
El Tlatoani del barrio
lo que el creyo
que un juego era
hizo que por vez primera
el se enamorara (x2)
y de alli yo naciera
yo naciera.
Haima wayo wangi haim
Haima wayo wanga haam (x2)
E Knaw mexa knawan
The lyrics of Café Tacvba's song "El Tlatoani del Barrio" tell the story of a man named Tlatoani who was the leader of a gang in the La Lagunilla neighborhood. The song describes Tlatoani's love for dancing, especially chachachá, mambo, and rock and roll. He was not conventionally attractive, but he had the love and respect of the women in his community, from daughters to mothers to porters. One day, Tlatoani meets a famous dancer named El Señor de La Guerrero, who becomes a rival for attention and praise from the women in the neighborhood. Tlatoani eventually falls in love with El Señor's sister, and from their union, the singer of the song is born.
The song's title "El Tlatoani del Barrio" refers to an Aztec word meaning "the one who speaks". In pre-Columbian times, a tlatoani was a ruler or leader of a community. This title takes on an ironic and humorous connotation in the song, as Tlatoani is the leader of a neighborhood gang. The song's lyrics blend contemporary themes of urban life in Mexico City with references to pre-Columbian history, as well as incorporating the musical influences of the time, such as rock and roll and Latin dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Haima wayo wangi haim
The chorus of the song, serving as a chant to introduce the story.
Haima wayo wanga haam (x2)
The continuation of the chorus, building momentum for the introduction.
E Nkaw mexa knawan
An indecipherable phrase, possibly serving as a tribal chant.
El Tlatoani del barrio
The ruler or king of the neighborhood, referencing the artist of the story.
era de La Lagunilla,
He was from the Lagunilla neighborhood, establishing his origin story.
tenia su pandilla y su territorio delimitado.
He had his own gang and territory, showing that he was a respected figure in his community.
Bailaba chachach� y mambo,
He was a skilled dancer, proficient in the popular dances of his era.
y el nuevo ritmo del rocanrol.
He was also a fan of the newest musical style of the time, rock and roll.
Era feo y al box le hacia,
Although he was not physically attractive, he was skilled at boxing.
en cada vecindad tenia
He was well-known and well-liked in every neighborhood he traveled to.
el amor y la amistad
He was loved and admired by everyone he met.
de la hija, la madre y la portera
Even women of all ages and professions admired him.
Un dia se encontr� con
One day, he met a man who would change his life.
El se�or de La Guerrero,
A famous dancer from another neighborhood, known for his good looks and skill.
afamado bailarin que no estaba nada feo.
He was a renowned dancer who was also quite handsome.
No cantaba mal las rancheras
He was also a decent singer of traditional Mexican rancheras.
y con los pu�os muy habil era.
He was also a skilled fighter, like the Tlatoani.
Al ver la conveniencia,
Seeing an opportunity to benefit his people,
La Lagunilla y El Se�orio de La Guerrero,
The Tlatoani's neighborhood and the other dancer's formed an alliance.
y algun otro reino
Other surrounding communities joined in to form a powerful alliance.
formaron la Triple Alianza que
The Tlatoani was part of a Triple Alliance, a nod to Aztec history and mythology.
temida fue por toda la raza.
The alliance was feared by all who knew of it.
Lo que no le parecio bien
The Tlatoani was not happy with one aspect of the alliance.
al Tlatoani de La Lagunilla
The Tlatoani himself was unhappy with the alliance.
es que se quedo sin ninguna reinita,
He was unhappy that he could not find a woman to be his queen.
pues el bailaron Guerrero
The other dancer in the alliance, Mr. Guerrero,
a toda chamaca se la quedaba viendo.
Kept staring at all the girls, making the Tlatoani feel insecure.
Con este gran mal y teniendo muy triste
Feeling very sad and dejected,
el corazon, solo hallo una solucion,
The Tlatoani found himself with only one solution to his problem.
enamoro a la hermana.
He fell in love with his sister, which was considered taboo.
El Tlatoani del barrio
The Tlatoani of the barrio who,
lo que el creyo
Did not expect to fall in love with his sister.
que un juego era
Thought it was just a game, but it was much more.
hizo que por vez primera
He felt true love for the first time in his life.
el se enamorara (x2)
Fell in love with his sister, an act considered taboo in Mexican culture.
y de alli yo naciera
Their love led to the birth of the artist of the song.
yo naciera.
The birth of the singer brings the story full circle.
Contributed by Harper S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Matilda
on Desperte
What does it mean is he a recovering alcoholic? I want to know