Cafe Tacvba Brings Comfort in Dark Times in Mexico Maria Bakkalapulo - Miami New Times
go to original September 25, 2017

The groundbreaking Latin Grammy-winning Mexican group Café Tacvba has been reinventing its sound for 27 years. With nearly 4 million followers on Facebook, the band enjoys a popularity equivalent to that of the Red Hot Chili Peppers or U2. Café Tacvba's 1994 album, Re, often makes the list as one of the greatest Latin-rock albums ever. Earlier this month, the bandmates launched the most extensive U.S. tour of their career, including more then 20 stops in six weeks. They are coming to the Fillmore Miami Beach September 28.

The group came of age in the late 1980s during the rock en español era. They have been experimenting ever since. They are now touring in support of their eighth studio album, Jei Beibi (pronounced “Hey, Baby”), the first release in five years. These days, the audience is a little different than it has been during Cafe Tacvba's last 27 years, most of which has been spent touring the United States. There's more tension in the air as the band encounters America’s ethno-political crisis.

Café Tacvba has never shied away from controversial subjects — like tourism causing environmental degradation of Nayarit beaches in western Mexico. Dealing with the world’s issues has become more important for the group, says songwriter and bassist Quique Rangel. “The members of Café Tacvba have become parents, so we see life in a different way,” Rangel says. “I see through the eyes of my little girl. Suddenly, your existence is linked to another person, a special person that depends on us.”

The band's new album begins with the song "1-2-3." Says Rangel: “Though it is a pop song, it talks about violence in Mexico and the disappearance of 43 students at the hands of the police in 2014. It is very important to us as a band [to be] part of our conscious society. It is important for us to use our music to not forget these things that happen and affect us.”



Café Tacvba's albums have mixed everything from rock to cumbia, as the group did with the Rangel-penned song “Futuro,” a recent release accompanied by a video. The song is especially poignant, addressing the challenges of divisive politics and Rangel’s struggle to influence the future.

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