Zoé
Encyclopedia
Zoé is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Mexican
alternative
/psychedelic
band
. They initially formed in Mexico City
in 1994, although membership started to stabilize in 1997. The band has achieved success in Mexico and most Spanish-speaking countries with albums such as Rocanlover
, Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea
and Reptilectric
.
in 1994, just as one of the decade's most important music styles was appearing in the United Kingdom
: Britpop
. Mainly inspired by this movement, with slight influences from Seattle's grunge
, Zoé would go through a period of changing lineups and varying styles before stabilizing in 1997, with León Larregui (guitar and voice), Sergio Acosta (guitar), Alberto Cabrera (drums), Ángel Mosqueda (bass), and Jesus Báez (keyboards). By this time, a clear influence from The Beatles
can be seen alongside the mentioned Britpop and grunge stylings and with certain resemblances to The Stone Roses
and The Charlatans
.
radio station
s in the United States
. They signed their first recording contract in 1998, but nothing came of it—and once again, they decided to rely on themselves. They independently released a debut album in 2000 that attracted the attention of Sony Music, who in turn took over distribution of the album. Some of the most popular songs from this recording were "Asteroide" and "Miel." Following the success of this album, some of their songs were included in the soundtrack
s of movies like Amar Te Duele
, Ladies Night, and The Dreamer
.
In November 2003, Zoé launched their second album, produced by Phil Vinall, who had previously worked with the likes of Placebo
, Elastica
, and Pulp
. This new album was titled Rocanlover
, and the main singles were "Peace and Love," "Love," and "Veneno." By this point, their musical style was clearly defined and easily recognizable, as was their style of mixing Spanish and English in their lyrics.
, were produced. The EP became an instant hit, receiving a Gold Award for achieving sales of more than 50,000 units. Some new songs were recorded in English, and some producers, like Alan McGee
, have expressed interest in taking them to the UK and Europe. The release of the EP was followed by two sold-out shows at the Metropolitan Theater in Mexico City and a tour in that country.
The first six months of 2006 were quite active for Zoé; they kept doing strategic shows like the Vive Latino
Festival and devoted themselves to the production of their third studio album. In January, the band went to Manzanillo to start preproduction with British producer Phil Vinall. February followed with shows and more preproduction in México City, and March was used for basic tracking at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas
. In April, postproduction and more shows; the songs were mixed in May; and the album was finished by early June.
Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea
(Commander Memo Rex and the Atomic Heart of the Milky Way) came out on July 12, 2006, making its debut at the number one spot on the Mexican charts. The first single from the album, "Vía Láctea," had some rotation in local music channels like MTV Latin America
and Telehit
. The album achieved gold record
status after more than 40,000 units sold in four weeks after being released and has received very good reviews on behalf of the specialized press.
On September 1, 2006, Zoé performed in Mexico's National Auditorium
, a sold-out show in one of the most important stages for music in Mexico; also, at the Palacio de los Deportes
, they performed along with Nick McCarthy, guitarist (and sometimes vocalist) from Scottish
band Franz Ferdinand
.
In November 2006, they toured with Gustavo Cerati
and Los Tres
in Mexico and the United States.
On November 28, 2007 they recorded their first live CD/DVD, in the Palacio de los Deportes
"Sports Palace", the CD version is available with the title of 281107.
The scheduled release was November 11, but because of some internal problems with the distribution of the material, it was released on November 13. Reptilectric opened at number one in the Mexican charts and it was subsequently certified platinum for over 80,000 copies sold in that country.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
/psychedelic
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. They initially formed in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
in 1994, although membership started to stabilize in 1997. The band has achieved success in Mexico and most Spanish-speaking countries with albums such as Rocanlover
Rocanlover
"Rocanlover" is the second studio album by the Mexican alternative rock band Zoé.Released in 2003, it was produced by Phil Vinall, who had previously worked with the likes of Placebo, Elastica, and Pulp. This album counted with the main singles "Peace and Love", "Love", and "Veneno"...
, Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea
Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea
Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea is the third studio album by Mexican rock band Zoé. The record shows a noticeable synth-pop influence.It debuted at #1 in Mexican stores sales achieved for the first time by the band...
and Reptilectric
Reptilectric
Reptilectric is the fourth studio album by Mexican rock band Zoé. Released in October 2008 through EMI Music, it was produced by Phil Vinall, who has previously worked with Radiohead and Placebo. The first single of the album was Reptilectric, which has its own music video...
.
History
Zoé's history begins in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1994, just as one of the decade's most important music styles was appearing in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
: Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
. Mainly inspired by this movement, with slight influences from Seattle's grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
, Zoé would go through a period of changing lineups and varying styles before stabilizing in 1997, with León Larregui (guitar and voice), Sergio Acosta (guitar), Alberto Cabrera (drums), Ángel Mosqueda (bass), and Jesus Báez (keyboards). By this time, a clear influence from The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
can be seen alongside the mentioned Britpop and grunge stylings and with certain resemblances to The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
and The Charlatans
The Charlatans (British band)
The Charlatans are an English alternative rock band. The band's line-up currently comprises Tim Burgess , Mark Collins , Martin Blunt , Tony Rogers and Jon Brookes .Former members of the band include guitarist Jon Day , vocalist Baz Ketley...
.
1998–2004: Debut album and Rocanlover
Facing a lack of spaces to showcase their music, Zoé relied upon self-organized concerts, the Internet, and a self-published demo. All of these efforts, plus a good deal of positive word of mouth, helped them gain popularity in Spanish-languageSpanish 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...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They signed their first recording contract in 1998, but nothing came of it—and once again, they decided to rely on themselves. They independently released a debut album in 2000 that attracted the attention of Sony Music, who in turn took over distribution of the album. Some of the most popular songs from this recording were "Asteroide" and "Miel." Following the success of this album, some of their songs were included in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s of movies like Amar Te Duele
Amar te duele
Amar te duele is a 2002 dramatic film written by Carolina Rivera and directed by Fernando Sariñana. It is based on the classic play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. In the story, both families hate each other because they belong to different social classes...
, Ladies Night, and The Dreamer
The Dreamer
The Dreamer is a 1985 thinly disguised autobiographical graphic novel by Will Eisner about his early years as a comic book artist in the 1930s, with a particular focus on his years as part of Eisner & Iger studios....
.
In November 2003, Zoé launched their second album, produced by Phil Vinall, who had previously worked with the likes of Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
, Elastica
Elastica
Elastica were an English alternative rock band that played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica, which produced singles that charted in the US and the UK.-History:...
, and Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
. This new album was titled Rocanlover
Rocanlover
"Rocanlover" is the second studio album by the Mexican alternative rock band Zoé.Released in 2003, it was produced by Phil Vinall, who had previously worked with the likes of Placebo, Elastica, and Pulp. This album counted with the main singles "Peace and Love", "Love", and "Veneno"...
, and the main singles were "Peace and Love," "Love," and "Veneno." By this point, their musical style was clearly defined and easily recognizable, as was their style of mixing Spanish and English in their lyrics.
2004–2007 The Room, Rocanlover, and Memo Rex Commander
Zoé left Sony in early 2004; the band kept on working and touring during the whole year without support from a label behind them and started to create a big following with the self-promoted singles "Love" and "Veneno." In early 2005, the band started working on new songs for their next album. By mid-2005, the band recorded the song "Dead" with their own resources, and the decision was made to go indie. Also by this time Beto Cabrera left the band and Rodrigo Guardiola joined in. Some major labels in Mexico were very interested in signing the band, but Zoé, tired of their bad past experiences, surprised everyone and signed an indie deal with Noiselab, a fast-growing independent label from Mexico. New songs to complete the EP, named The RoomThe Room (EP)
The Room is the first EP released by the Mexican rock band Zoé. This is the first release with their new record label Noiselab.The song "Dead" was promoted as a single and a music video was made by the direction of Dalai Vado....
, were produced. The EP became an instant hit, receiving a Gold Award for achieving sales of more than 50,000 units. Some new songs were recorded in English, and some producers, like Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
, have expressed interest in taking them to the UK and Europe. The release of the EP was followed by two sold-out shows at the Metropolitan Theater in Mexico City and a tour in that country.
The first six months of 2006 were quite active for Zoé; they kept doing strategic shows like the Vive Latino
Vive Latino
Vive Latino is an annual rock music festival held in Mexico City. It is one of the most important rock en español music festivals in Latin America, featuring a great variety of Mexican, Latin and Spanish groups of many genres....
Festival and devoted themselves to the production of their third studio album. In January, the band went to Manzanillo to start preproduction with British producer Phil Vinall. February followed with shows and more preproduction in México City, and March was used for basic tracking at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas
Tornillo, Texas
Tornillo is a census-designated place and border town in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,609 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. In April, postproduction and more shows; the songs were mixed in May; and the album was finished by early June.
Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea
Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea
Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea is the third studio album by Mexican rock band Zoé. The record shows a noticeable synth-pop influence.It debuted at #1 in Mexican stores sales achieved for the first time by the band...
(Commander Memo Rex and the Atomic Heart of the Milky Way) came out on July 12, 2006, making its debut at the number one spot on the Mexican charts. The first single from the album, "Vía Láctea," had some rotation in local music channels like MTV Latin America
MTV Latin America
MTV Latin America is a cable television specialty service aimed at residents in Hispanic American countries. It was launched on October 1, 1993 as MTV en Español. The channel is a Hispanic American version from MTV...
and Telehit
TeleHit
TeleHit is a Mexican cable/satellite television network. Its main programing is music and music videos. It is a network of Televisa and is also available in various countries in Latin America, United States and Spain. Is part of Televisa Networks, an affiliate of Televisa.Telehit became the second...
. The album achieved gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status after more than 40,000 units sold in four weeks after being released and has received very good reviews on behalf of the specialized press.
On September 1, 2006, Zoé performed in Mexico's National Auditorium
National Auditorium
National Auditorium is an entertainment centre located at Paseo de la Reforma #50, Chapultepec in Mexico City right in front of the Polanco hotel zone next to Campo Marte....
, a sold-out show in one of the most important stages for music in Mexico; also, at the Palacio de los Deportes
Palacio de los Deportes
Palacio de los Deportes is an indoor arena, located in Mexico City, Mexico, within the sports complex Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City, near the Mexico City International Airport and the Foro Sol, in which sports and artistic events are also celebrated. It is operated by Grupo CIE...
, they performed along with Nick McCarthy, guitarist (and sometimes vocalist) from Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
band Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
.
In November 2006, they toured with Gustavo Cerati
Gustavo Cerati
Gustavo Adrián Cerati Clark is an Argentine rock musician, singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He was the frontman, lead vocalist, lead guitarist and lead songwriter of the Argentine rock band Soda Stereo, one of the most influential bands of latin rock music. In the early 90s, with...
and Los Tres
Los Tres
Los Tres is a Chilean rock band composed of four members: a rock/folk singer and three jazzmen. It was one of the noted bands in the Chilean nineties, together with La Ley and Lucybell....
in Mexico and the United States.
On November 28, 2007 they recorded their first live CD/DVD, in the Palacio de los Deportes
Palacio de los Deportes
Palacio de los Deportes is an indoor arena, located in Mexico City, Mexico, within the sports complex Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City, near the Mexico City International Airport and the Foro Sol, in which sports and artistic events are also celebrated. It is operated by Grupo CIE...
"Sports Palace", the CD version is available with the title of 281107.
2008–Present Reptilectric
In November, Zoé released their fourth album entitled Reptilectric. It was produced by Phill Vinall. Its first single to be released with the same titled song "Reptilectric" and it hit radio stations on September 8.The scheduled release was November 11, but because of some internal problems with the distribution of the material, it was released on November 13. Reptilectric opened at number one in the Mexican charts and it was subsequently certified platinum for over 80,000 copies sold in that country.
Studio albums
- ZoéZoé (album)Zoé is the debut studio album by the Mexican alternative rock band Zoé.- Track listing :# Asteroide # Deja te conecto # Miel # Electricidad # Razor blade # Beat breaker...
(2002) - RocanloverRocanlover"Rocanlover" is the second studio album by the Mexican alternative rock band Zoé.Released in 2003, it was produced by Phil Vinall, who had previously worked with the likes of Placebo, Elastica, and Pulp. This album counted with the main singles "Peace and Love", "Love", and "Veneno"...
(2003) - Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía LácteaMemo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía LácteaMemo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea is the third studio album by Mexican rock band Zoé. The record shows a noticeable synth-pop influence.It debuted at #1 in Mexican stores sales achieved for the first time by the band...
(2006) - ReptilectricReptilectricReptilectric is the fourth studio album by Mexican rock band Zoé. Released in October 2008 through EMI Music, it was produced by Phil Vinall, who has previously worked with Radiohead and Placebo. The first single of the album was Reptilectric, which has its own music video...
(2008)
Compilations
- Grandes Hits (2005)
- Noiselab 001 (2002)
- Zoé Hits 01–06 (2006)
- "Beat Breaker (BN Loco remix)"
- "01-10" (2010)
Singles
- "Deja te Conecto" (2002) ("Let Me Connect You")
- "Asteroide" (2002) ("Asteroid")
- "Miel" (2002) ("Honey")
- "Peace and Love" (2003)
- "Love" (2004)
- "Veneno" (2004) ("Poison")
- "Dead" (2005)
- "Vía Láctea" (2006) ("Milky Way")
- "No me Destruyas" (2006) ("Don't Destroy Me")
- "Paula" (2007)
- "Reptilectric" (2008)
- "Nada" (2009) ("Nothing")
- "Poli" (2009)
Awards and nominations
| 2007 | Premios OYE! | Mejor Artista Rock | Winner |
| Premios LUNA | Mejor Grupo de Rock Mexicano | Winner | |
| Premio Latin Grammy | Album Alternativo | Nominated | |
| Premios de la Musica de España | Revelacion Latina | Winner | |
| 2009 | Premios Principales de España | Mejor Artista Mexicano | Winner |
| Premios OYE! | Mejor Album | Winner | |
| Indie-O Music Awards | Mejor Banda | Winner | |
| Premios OYE! | Mejor Artista Rock | Winner | |
| Premios OYE! | Mejor Video | Winner | |
| Premios Telehit | Mejor Album de Rock | Winner | |
| iTunes México, España y USA | Mejor Album | Winner | |
| Premios MTV Latino | Grupo de Rock | Winner | |
| Premio Latin Grammy | Mejor Album de Música Alternativa | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Premio Latin Grammy | Mejor Album de Música Alternativa | Winner |
| Premio Latin Grammy | Mejor Canción de Rock | Winner | |
External links
- Zoé (official site)
- Zoé - Feature Interview (9/2007)
- Zoé at Rock en Espanol (Zoe @ RockEnEspanol.com)