- Sumo (band)
Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Sumo
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Background = group_or_band
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Origin =Buenos Aires ,Argentina
Genre =Post-punk Alternative rock Reggae
Years_active = 1981 - 1987
Label =
Associated_acts =Divididos Las Pelotas
Current_members =Luca Prodan (vocals)Ricardo Mollo (Guitar )Germán Daffunchio (guitar s)Diego Arnedo (Bass)Roberto Pettinato (Sax )Alberto "Superman" Troglio (drums)
Past_members =Stephanie Nuttal Alejandro Sokol Sumo was a 1980s
Argentine alternative rock band, mergingpost-punk withreggae andska . Headed by Italian-bornLuca Prodan , it remained underground for most of its short activity, but was extremely influential in shaping contemporaryArgentine rock . Sumo introduced British post-punk to the Argentine scene, with almost the whole lyrics in English. And provided a visceral counterpoint to the progressive andnueva canción influences then dominant inRock en Español .History
After living in
London andManchester , hanging out with the members ofJoy Division , Italian-bornLuca Prodan accepted an invitation to visit a farm in the Traslasierra zone of Córdoba province to kick hisheroin habit and relax (he was devastated by the death ofIan Curtis ). Arriving in 1981, he started composing and recording songs in a homemade studio. After some time, tired of the quiet life in the countryside, he took off toBuenos Aires (specifically to Hurlingham), looking forward to join its underground music scene.Argentina was under a repressive military dictatorship, and many music and performing-arts acts kept a low profile to avoid problems with police (
Cafe Einstein in theBalvanera district was a favorite venue for such acts, as were some pubs in Olivos). Luca soon found musicians willing to join his reggae-rock vision.Sumo's initial formation was: Prodan on vocals and guitar,
Germán Daffunchio on guitar,Alejandro Sokol on bass, andStephanie Nuttal (an English friend of Luca's and former member of the bandManicured Noise ) on drums.The first incarnation of Sumo played mostly around Prodan's neighborhood of Hurlingham,
Buenos Aires province , and in Cafe Einstein. Nuttal returned to England when theFalklands war ( _es. Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur) started, so Sokol took on the drums, and Diego Arnedo joined on bass. Sax player (and later media star)Roberto Pettinato was a frequent guest; he later joined the band in full.Because they sang mostly in English, Sumo did not enjoy the extensive airplay given to Argentine bands in the wake of the war. Nevertheless, it became a pillar of the underground scene together with
Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota andLos Violadores .Sumo's music had different sides: hard-edged rock with an experimental touch, influenced by the sound of British
post-punk acts (such asJoy Division or The Fall), funky post-punk guitars and strong dub-like bass lines (close to those ofA Certain Ratio and Gang of Four), and a typically British brand of reggae andska . After a halt due to Prodan's spending some time inEurope , the band committed fully to rock in 1984, and spun off theHurlingham Reggae Band . Ricardo Mollo was added on guitar, and Alberto "Superman" Troglio replaced Sokol on drums.Sumo started achieving popularity in the mid-1980s, as Luca's in-your-face style was popular with teenagers—but he could also display a mellower streak. He would shout "
Fuck You " randomly, or sing a scathing song about stupid blondes, and immediately swoon about his appreciation for common men drinking "ginebra" at a bar.In the later releases, some
Spanish language lyrics were added to the band's repertoire. Many of Luca's lyrics featured irony, wordplay, and references todrugs , dance parties,sex , and other aspects of young people's lives, while remaining aloof of the political and economic changes of the 1980s.Sumo's history was linked to impresario
Omar Chabán , who was the owner of Café Einstein and then of Cemento, where Sumo played many times.Due to his drinking and a very fast rock-and-roll lifestyle, Prodan's health deteriorated. He died of a heart attack on
December 22 1987 , two days after their last show. After Luca's death, the band dissolved, but its legacy was carried on by two bands,Divididos (led by Mollo and Arnedo) andLas Pelotas (Sokol and Daffunchio). Some of Sumo's outtakes, as well as their initial effort ("Corpiños en la madrugada", originally sold in cassette format only) were released commercially, as well as two solo efforts by Prodan, recorded mostly between 1981 and 1983, were released after his death in 1987: "Time, Fate, Love" and "Beautiful Losers".Tributes to Sumo include a
1995 double disk, appropriately titled "Fuck You", in which Argentine musicians covered Sumo's songs.On April 12th of 2007 surviving original band members reunited and played three songs - Crua Chan, Divididos por la Felicidad (Divided by Joy) and DeBeDe (Disco Baby Disco) - during "Quilmes Rock Festival" in
River Plate Stadium : Alejandro Sokol (vocals), Ricardo Mollo (guitar), Germán Daffunchio (guitar), Diego Arnedo (bass), Alberto "Superman" Troglio (drums),Roberto Petinatto (sax) and Marcelo Rodríguez "Gillespi" as guest (trumpet).Band members
1981 - 1982
*
Luca Prodan (vocals, acoustic guitar andbass guitar )
*Alejandro Sokol (bass guitar)
*Germán Daffunchio (guitar )
*Stephanie Nutall (drums)1982 - 1984
*
Luca Prodan (vocals, guitar)
*Alejandro Sokol (drums)
*Germán Daffunchio (guitar)
*Diego Arnedo (bass guitar)1984 - 1987
*
Luca Prodan (vocals)
*Alberto "Superman" Troglio (drums)
*Roberto Petinatto (sax )
*Diego Arnedo (bass guitar)
*Ricardo Mollo (guitar)
*Germán Daffunchio (guitar)Discography
* 1983 - Corpiños en la madrugada (original release)
* 1985 - Divididos por la felicidad
* 1986 - Llegando los monos
* 1987 - After chabón
* 1989 - Fiebre
* 1991 - The Collection
* 1991 - Greatest Hits
* 1992 - Corpiños en la madrugada (remastered release)
* 2000 - Obras Cumbresee also
*
Argentine punk External links
* [http://www.rock.com.ar/bios/0/457.shtml Sumo] (Spanish)
* [http://www.de-be-de.com.ar/sumodiscos.htm Discography] (Spanish)
* [http://sumo.rock.net.ar/ Fan's page] (Spanish)
* [http://www.rollingstonela.com/musica/musica_cs.asp?tema_id=173¬a_id=899527&pid=2370835&toi=5341 Sumo reunited after 20 years] (Spanish)
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