简介：Despiteitsdemographicsizeandsocio–culturalimportanceinLatinAmerica,andunlikeBrazil,MexicoorColombia,Argentinadidn'tproducemanyfirstratehardcoreandpunkbandsduringthe80's.Butstill,LosVioladoresareprobablyamongthepioneersofPunkRockinthearea.GuitaristHariB.formedLosTesticulosinBuenosAiresin1978,whilethemilitarydictatorship(whoruledthecountrybetween1976–1983)wasatthepeakoftheirpower.Theregime,thatinacoupleofyearsmurderedmorethen30,000leftwingactivists(orthatweresuspectedtobeso),sawanyactofnon–conformityaspotentiallysubversive,soobviouslythefirstgenerationofArgentinianpunkswasverymuchunderground.Buttheystillmanagedtosurvive. In1980,HariB.,togetherwithdrummerGramatica,changedtheirnametoLosVioladores.Duetocensorship,theywereunabletopubliclyusethenew"offensive"nameforawhile,sotheyommittedjustoneletterandremained"LosVoladores"fortheearlyshowfliers.Aboutayearlater,theywerejoinedbyvocalistPilTrafaandbassistStuka.Afteroneofthefirstshowswiththislineup,about200hundredpersonswerearrestedandthebandmemberswerechargedwith"politicaldisturbance",thusgainingpublicnotorietyandmakingitclearthatPunkwasaliveinArgentina.Astheyputit"Wewantedtomakesomethingthatwaspunkbutstillrootedinourreality.Wedidn'twanttobepartofthecomplacentArgentinianrockscene,whichwassilentduringthedictatorshipandthuspartnerfortheatrocities".TheywereoneofthefewbandswhichrefusedtotakepartinahugerockconcertsponsoredbythemilitarydictatorshipaspartoftheFalkland/Malvinaswarpropagandacampaign,eventhoughtheyweresurprisinglyinvitedtoparticipate.Ironically,manyofthosewhodidappeartherewereactuallyselfprofessedhippies,whoprobablysawpunkassomething"violentandfascistic".LosVioladorespointedatthathypocritical"hippyideology"astheirsecondmainenemyafterthemilitaryregime. Alsoin1982theyrecordedtheirfirst(selftitled)LP,whichcouldonlyhitthestreetsinlate1983,afterdemocraticelectionstookplace.ItwasreleasedbytheArgentinianindependentlabelUmbralanditincludes12greattrackswithexcellentproduction.Unliketheraw,thrashyhardcoreproducedinneighboringBrazil,LosVioladoresaremore'77influenced,althoughtwithanupdatedsound,kindalikeGenerationXmeetsDOA. Afterthereturnofdemocracy,HariB,whothoughtthatthemainreasonofexistanceforthebandwastofightthedictatorship,quit.HeplayedforashorttimewithArgentinian'sOi!pioneersComandoSuicida,longbeforetheybecamefull-fledgedboneheads.In1984,LosVioladoreswereaskedtocontributeatrackforthenowlegendaryP.E.A.C.E.compilation,beingthesolerepresentativesofLatinAmericanpunkamongthe40otherbandsandmaybemakingasmallnameforthemselvesintheinternationalpunkcommunity.Infact,ArgentinianrockmagazinesreportedthattherewaslotsofinterestinthebandfromEuropeandthattheysoldthousandsofcopiesinthe"oldworld",butthatseemsprettyunlikely. Bythen,theywerealreadychangingdirectiontowardsamorecommercialone,somethingtypicalformanybandsfromtheera.TheirsecondLPYAhoraQuePasa,Eh?isdefinatelymorerock/popinfluenced,butinmyopinionstillenjoyable.Theykeptplayinguntiltheearly90'sandevenafterthat,theyreformedseveraltimes,buttheiroutputistotallyirrelevanttothesepages.TheiroldmaterialwasreissuedonCDbythemajortheyhadsignedwith,buttheirfirstLPwasbootleggedonvinylacoupleofyearsago.…