The group La Derecha belonged to the Bogotá rock scene of the 90s.
Photo: The Right
“These albums we made in the 90s were our life. In the first one, “La Derecha” (1994) we spent a year recording in a garage, and in the second “Balas de baby… y otros cantos de cradle” (1996) it took us two years. We remember those moments with great affection because currently the world is immersed in immediacy, we did have time to do things,” says Mario Duarte, vocalist of the Bogotá band, in an interview for El Espectador.
Mario and Josué Duarte and Juan Carlos ‘Chato’ Rivas, today celebrate their legacy in the history of Colombian rock and remember that La Derecha is one of those references of those alternative bands that played in the 90s, along with Aterciopelados, 1280 Almas, Bajo Earth, among others.
They are aware that they have had to adapt to the new pace of the industry and say that they have had to assume the role of photographers, designers, even as manager of his own band. Even so, they continue making music because that is what moves their soul. They accept that they miss physical records and all the work behind the concept of a music album, but they recognize the advances in technology. They are nostalgic, but not foolish against evolution.
“In our time, in the 90s, the physical record still had a lot of impact. Now having music on platforms means that one cannot listen to it all. On the production side I see that there is a very strong scene that continues to create, and that is an important point because it is something that does not die. Emerging, maintaining and living from music is the complicated part, because now we have to do many things that we didn’t have to do before,” says “El Chato” who also gives an overview of the rock scene in the country. He affirms that events such as Estéreo Picnic and Rock al Parque have helped preserve the essence of the genre by making new exponents visible.
Many do not know it, but Rock al Parque, the largest free music festival on the entire continent, was created at the initiative of Mario Duarte, who remembers that this event was created based on the need to bring people together around music and put aside differences. On the stage of the first editions of Rock al Parque, in addition to La Derecha, Aterciopelados, Minga Metal, Los Tetas, La Pestilencia, Kraken, Todos Tus Muertos and other bands that were part of the local and Latin American rock scene performed. .
Songs like “Ay qué dolor” (which ranked second on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 50 Great Colombian Songs), “Lola” and “Desnudos” were heard at the festival and also on this album, which is 30 years old. years he innovated with a rock style mixed with Latin sounds and influenced by international bands like The Clash.
“El Chato” says that those Latin sounds on the album were not premeditated and clarifies that they arrived organically thanks to the congas implemented by the percussionist of La Derecha at that time, Carlos Olarte, known as “Panelo.” Although they were a rock band, all the members listened to different genres such as salsa, funk and “chucu chucu”. From all those influences that they had and that they grew up with in their homes, came the idea of creating that sound that gave them a stamp and a place in the history of national rock.
From this album everyone rescues that “garage sound” that gave a special touch to the songs of the time, precisely because they recorded it there, in the garage where they rehearsed together when they were young and had the desire to take on the world with rock. The remastering improved the sound, but not the substance.
After seven years together with their original lineup with Francisco Nieto, the band broke up in 1997. It was a “a little bumpy” farewell according to “El Chato.” They all took different paths and dedicated themselves to other things.
Mario Duarte found a way in acting. He is remembered, among others, for playing Nicolás Mora in “Yo soy Betty, La Fea”, Dagoberto García in “Francisco el Matemático” or Vladímir Fernando Molina “El Mil Amores”, in “La hija del mariachi”. “El Chato” dedicated himself to musical production. The funny thing is that many people don’t know that La Derecha was dissolved for more than ten years.
“It seems great to me that people think that The Right has never separated. The truth is different, because we have had many comings and goings motivated by our individual lives. There are moments when we have turned off the engine that unites friendship with rock and music. It’s very cool not to have the pressure of being forced to do something, because what inspires me to work is the possibility of having something to show,” says Mario Duarte.
The right celebrated its 30 years with two dates sold out at the Astor Plaza on April 26 and 27. They met again with a different audience, full of different generations. “Of course, the public has changed, and we have changed too. Remembering is living, but beyond that we recognize that young people are part of the new stage, of everything we did when we returned in 2010, of “El Puñal”, of the entire album “Polvo Eres”, says Josué Duarte.
For Mario Duarte, Josué Duarte and Juan Carlos ‘Chato’ Rivas, making music is not an imposition, they do it because they want to and because they can. This celebration is just a recognition of their work, their sound and the mark that La Derecha has left on music. Although it has been 30 years since the release of this album, listening “As much as I want to go to New York. And even though my house is closer, it is further away. As much as I like Rock and Roll. “I can’t, I can’t leave you.” It is a journey through time that revives the soul of the capital’s rockers.
