Biography
Sante Les Amis may bear a French moniker and scored a breakthrough track titled “Brazil,” yet the group actually hails from Uruguay, where they fuse post-punk-tinged disco, rhythmically punchy electro, and raw, groove-laden indie rock into the high-octane hybrid they dub “dance punk.”
The quintet—Diego Traverso on guitar and vocals, Nicolas Demczylo on guitar, David Stabilito on bass and vocals, Santiago Marrero on keyboards, and Esteban Lopez on drums—came together in Montevideo during 2007 and hit the stage almost at once. By the following year they had self-released a debut EP and accepted every available booking; their kinetic performances and instantly memorable material quickly drew listeners from every quarter and fostered an intensely devoted following. In 2010 the independent Morning Shine EP appeared just as the band began transforming its concerts into elaborate multimedia events featuring actors, lighting, projections, and additional visual elements. Word of these spectacles spread throughout Uruguay and onward across Latin America, earning them support slots with Café Tacvba and Mala Rodríguez as well as a remix assignment for Juan Campodónico’s Campo project. Their digital-music work received the Premio Isis from El País in 2011.
The 2012 single and video “Brazil” paved the way for a deal with Bizarro Records and the release of the pivotal album Sudamerica, whose blend of indie rock, punk, and new-wave textures alongside infectious Latin rhythms and melodies attracted attention far beyond the region. At the same time the band posted an online collection of remixes and covers drawn from those sessions. Extensive tours through Latin and North America showcased both their commanding live presence and their instrumental prowess, elevating them from reliable openers to festival-headlining acts. Following nearly three years on the road they entered a lengthy hiatus, resurfacing in January 2018 with the single and video “Como Animales.” The song reached Radionica’s Top 25 in Colombia, while the clip received heavy airplay on MTV Mexico, MTV Latam, MTV tr3s, and ScannerFM in Spain. Early March brought the full-length Sueño Animal, produced by Frederico Lima of Socio.
The quintet—Diego Traverso on guitar and vocals, Nicolas Demczylo on guitar, David Stabilito on bass and vocals, Santiago Marrero on keyboards, and Esteban Lopez on drums—came together in Montevideo during 2007 and hit the stage almost at once. By the following year they had self-released a debut EP and accepted every available booking; their kinetic performances and instantly memorable material quickly drew listeners from every quarter and fostered an intensely devoted following. In 2010 the independent Morning Shine EP appeared just as the band began transforming its concerts into elaborate multimedia events featuring actors, lighting, projections, and additional visual elements. Word of these spectacles spread throughout Uruguay and onward across Latin America, earning them support slots with Café Tacvba and Mala Rodríguez as well as a remix assignment for Juan Campodónico’s Campo project. Their digital-music work received the Premio Isis from El País in 2011.
The 2012 single and video “Brazil” paved the way for a deal with Bizarro Records and the release of the pivotal album Sudamerica, whose blend of indie rock, punk, and new-wave textures alongside infectious Latin rhythms and melodies attracted attention far beyond the region. At the same time the band posted an online collection of remixes and covers drawn from those sessions. Extensive tours through Latin and North America showcased both their commanding live presence and their instrumental prowess, elevating them from reliable openers to festival-headlining acts. Following nearly three years on the road they entered a lengthy hiatus, resurfacing in January 2018 with the single and video “Como Animales.” The song reached Radionica’s Top 25 in Colombia, while the clip received heavy airplay on MTV Mexico, MTV Latam, MTV tr3s, and ScannerFM in Spain. Early March brought the full-length Sueño Animal, produced by Frederico Lima of Socio.
Albums
Singles