Gustavo Cerati
by Jorge Verdin

Gustavo Cerati has been one of the most important figures in the Rock en Español movement. During his 14 years as the leader of Argentine power trio Soda Stereo, arguably the best Spanish language rock band so far, Cerati consistently wrote brilliantly crafted and sonically interesting pop songs. Although influenced by the Police and XTC to an almost ridiculous degree when the band formed in 1982, Soda’s sound and writing evolved, developing a glossy art-pop sound until they eventually became to the Rock en Español movement what the Beatles were to '60s pop: the standard against which the other bands were now measured. Cerati’s oblique, Bowiesque lyrics often explored the darker side of relationships and sexuality in a commercial pop context, and from their second album onward (1985’s Nada Personal), the number of Soda hits involving sexual role playing, bondage, domination and various decadent scenarios would put Depeche Mode’s track record to shame. On their third album, 1987’s brilliant Signos, they finally came into their own, with a sound that somehow melded White Album-era Fabs, Zeppelin stomp, and Cocteau Twins atmospherics with a hint of Chic funkiness. The album's big hit “Persiana Americana”, an anthemic rock ode to voyeurism (which ironically had words written in Cerati style by an outside lyricist), would make them the first real Rock en Español superstars.

As the band's popularity exploded, Cerati's distaste for his sudden role as arena rock frontman grew and led him to start experimenting with samplers and electronics, as well as developing a more introspective songwriting style. Although the band was still immensely popular (in 1988 they headlined a festival in their native Buenos Aires for an estimated audience of 150,000), Cerati produced less and less of the stadium crowd pleasers that the band had become synonymous with. His first project outside the band was 1992's techno influenced Colores Santos, recorded with fellow synth boffin head Daniel Melero, who became Cerati's main writing partner for two albums with Soda. His first real solo album, Amor Amarillo found him balancing the electronics with more guitar-oriented songs. Immediately after the band's break up in 1997, Cerati started working on a series of electronic dance music projects. First, he started Plan V, a quintet that released a self-titled six-track mini album and a collaborative album with Black Dog, an English electronica artist. He then formed Ocio with Flavio Etcheto, a former Soda studio sideman and released Medida Universal, an album heavily influenced by German minimal techno. Etcheto is now Cerati's main collaborator on his second solo release, Bocanada, and also forms part of the four piece band put together to back him though his first post Soda tour. Throughout his first shows in South America and Mexico late last year, the set consisted mainly of material from Bocanada and Amor Amarillo, with some overlooked Soda gems and the odd “Colores Santos” track thrown in for good measure. Cerati and band will be touring the US sometime this spring.