2 Minutos
Encyclopedia
2 Minutos or Dos Minutos are a punk rock
band from Argentina
. They are one of the most important bands of the genre to emerge in argentine rock
in the 1990s, highly influential across the Spanish
-speaking world, and also popular in the punk scene of the United States
.
. Over that period the group would be influenced by the likes of The Undertones
, The Ramones, Sex Pistols
, and other punk pioneers.
The group continued to play the local circuits in the early 1990s. In 1992, the band participated in a collective album produced by an independent label called Mentes Abiertas, with its songs "Ya No Sos Igual" and "Arrebato" catching the attention of the Polygram Label, who would sign the band soon after.
1994 would be the studio album debut for 2 Minutos. Valentín Alsina was named in honor of their hometown, and it turned into a bigger hit than even the band or the label had expected on the back of the hit single "Ya no sos Igual" ("You're not the same anymore"), about a corner store clerk whom they found out was also a Federal Police officer. A controversy erupted however between the band and "Pil Trafa", a member of Los Violadores
, with Pil Trafa accusing 2 Minutos of having "un-punk" lyrics about beer
, football
, and street fighting
, which he considered those of bored, middle-class 90s suburban kids.
Nonetheless, 2 Minutos became a mid 90s darling of the argentine punk
world, and they also gained large followings by simple word-of-mouth across Latin America
, specially after the release of their Valentín Alsina follow-up, Volvió la Alegría, Vieja!. They also gained notoriety in the American punk
scene, to the point the became the 1st Argentine punk band to dedicate a tour of the United States
in 1995. A highlight of that tour was their performance at the mythic CBGB
club, which they sold out. Back home, they shared the stage with The Ramones in their 96 farewell concert.
The third studio album was released in mid 1997. Postal 97 featured the hit singles "Gatillo fácil", "Qué yeta", and "Recuerdos en la arena". International success lead Polygram to renew and improve the contract for 2 minutos that year.
They kept issuing albums every year or two. With the mid 2000s seeing the band as now weathered veterans of the punk movement, 2 Minutos released their latest studio album Un Mundo de Sensaciones, which may actually show a slight maturing process in the, still, small town punks from Valentín Alsina. Guest artists included Sebastián Teysera (La Vela Puerca
), and Claudio O'Connor. Some fans argued that the band lost the original sense of punk rock, due to commercial success and non-punk lyrical content of their last albums.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. They are one of the most important bands of the genre to emerge in argentine rock
Argentine rock
Argentine rock , is composed or made by Argentine bands or artists, in the Spanish language. For nearly half a century it has been a major popular genre, and it is considered part of the popular music tradition of Argentina alongside Argentine Tango, and Argentine folk music.The moment when...
in the 1990s, highly influential across the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speaking world, and also popular in the punk scene of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
The band can trace its beginnings to the end of the 1980s, playing around in the punk holes of Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Over that period the group would be influenced by the likes of The Undertones
The Undertones
The Undertones are a punk rock/new wave band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1975.The original line-up of the Undertones released thirteen singles and four studio albums — The Undertones , Hypnotised , Positive Touch and The Sin of Pride — before disbanding in July 1983.Music guide Allmusic...
, The Ramones, Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, and other punk pioneers.
The group continued to play the local circuits in the early 1990s. In 1992, the band participated in a collective album produced by an independent label called Mentes Abiertas, with its songs "Ya No Sos Igual" and "Arrebato" catching the attention of the Polygram Label, who would sign the band soon after.
1994 would be the studio album debut for 2 Minutos. Valentín Alsina was named in honor of their hometown, and it turned into a bigger hit than even the band or the label had expected on the back of the hit single "Ya no sos Igual" ("You're not the same anymore"), about a corner store clerk whom they found out was also a Federal Police officer. A controversy erupted however between the band and "Pil Trafa", a member of Los Violadores
Los Violadores
Los Violadores is a punk band from Argentina and the pioneers of the genre in Latin America.-History:Los Violadores was founded in 1981 by guitarist Hari B . The rest of the band included Stuka , Pil Trafa and Sergio Gramatika...
, with Pil Trafa accusing 2 Minutos of having "un-punk" lyrics about beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, and street fighting
Street fighting
Street fighting is a colloquial term used to denote unsanctioned, illegal in some countries, hand-to-hand fighting in public places, between individuals or groups of people....
, which he considered those of bored, middle-class 90s suburban kids.
Nonetheless, 2 Minutos became a mid 90s darling of the argentine punk
Argentine punk
-1976–1983: Military dictatorship years:1976 is the year in which punk music started to emerge in the United Kingdom with bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash. That same year a military dictatorship known as National Reorganization Process began in Argentina...
world, and they also gained large followings by simple word-of-mouth across Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, specially after the release of their Valentín Alsina follow-up, Volvió la Alegría, Vieja!. They also gained notoriety in the American punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
scene, to the point the became the 1st Argentine punk band to dedicate a tour of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1995. A highlight of that tour was their performance at the mythic CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
club, which they sold out. Back home, they shared the stage with The Ramones in their 96 farewell concert.
The third studio album was released in mid 1997. Postal 97 featured the hit singles "Gatillo fácil", "Qué yeta", and "Recuerdos en la arena". International success lead Polygram to renew and improve the contract for 2 minutos that year.
They kept issuing albums every year or two. With the mid 2000s seeing the band as now weathered veterans of the punk movement, 2 Minutos released their latest studio album Un Mundo de Sensaciones, which may actually show a slight maturing process in the, still, small town punks from Valentín Alsina. Guest artists included Sebastián Teysera (La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca
La Vela Puerca is a Uruguayan rock/ska band formed in Montevideo, Uruguay in December 1995. Its founders and current members are Sebastián Teysera , Nicolás Lieutier and Santiago Butler . The band's first appearance under the name La Vela Puerca was at a street party in Montevideo on December 24,...
), and Claudio O'Connor. Some fans argued that the band lost the original sense of punk rock, due to commercial success and non-punk lyrical content of their last albums.
Discography
- Valentín Alsina, 1994
- Volvió la alegría vieja, 1995
- Postal 97, 1997
- Advertencia, 1998
- Novedades, 1999
- Antorchas, 2000
- Vida Monótona, 2002
- Superocho, 2004
- Un Mundo de Sensaciones, 2006
- Vamos a la granja/Directo al infierno, 2010