Azul Azul

In 1992 the Bolivian quartet Azul Azul launched their career under the earlier name Grupo Azul, making their stage debut as openers for Mexico’s Cafe Tacuba and Argentina’s Vilma Palma e Vampiros. That same year they released Taquiraris Para el Recuerdo, fusing Andean folk traditions with Jamaican reggae and Latin pop. Their next album, Enganchados Azul, delivered the group’s first chart success with the track “Yeo-Yeo.” Shortly afterward they joined the independent label Musicanga and recorded El Corte de la Banana in 1995. Worldwide recognition arrived with the 1998 album El Sapo, cut in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and produced by Glenn Vargas. The set contained the infectious single “La Bomba,” which reached the summit of Billboard’s Hot Latin Tracks in April 2001.