Political dance music: A conversation with Sergio Rotman from Argentinian ska band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Maybe it’s not fair to call Los Fabulosos Cadillacs a ska band. They blend the genres with reggae, rock and various Latin rhythms. However, when they started in the mid-80s, they were strictly a ska band. Their rise in popularity helped create a movement of ska in Latin America. So today, we talk with one of the group’s founders, sax player Sergio Rotman.
We discuss how the oppressive politics of Argentina at the time informed their music, and how they chose to fight back. We discuss the group’s first couple of ska-heavy lyrics and also talk about how Argentina’s economic issues in the late 80s set them back for a bit. But a funny thing happened in the ’90s. They blew up thanks to their killer song “Matador” and a global rise in interest in Latin alt-rock music.
And so much more including collaborating with salsa queen Celia Cruz, covering a Clash song, and how Madness was a major influence on Los Fabulosos in their early years.
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If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music.
Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.
Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.
The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.
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