In the late 80’s and early 90’s, rock had its best moment in a good part of our country’s youth.
A time when there were over 40 groups that played this musical genre and those that, above all, due to the fact that they had the pressure Las Olimpiadas Rock, organized by Kim Sánchez.
“Rewind”, a documentary-concert that aims to tell what was lived in those years through the musicians who played in it, will be presented on Saturday, February 27 at 21:00 via streaming.
A special of over two hours of interviews and music in which Toque Profundo, Empihis, Cahobazul, I.0 participate. , Tribu del Sol, Coral Negro, Máx Martínez (New Page and Tabutek) Black Label, Transfusion, Penché, Razón Vital, JLS and Guaitiao, among others.
In this sense, this documentary will be like a kind of “Break it all”, the Netflix series that tried to tell the history of Latin American rock, but, as Tony Almont points out, they were lucky to have record labels that supports them.
This is why Allan Leschhorn, Lyle Reitzel, Máx Martínez and Tony Almont, four of the most important figures of local rock, talk about what was lived then and what this musical style made in the Dominican Republic means.
Members of the Empiphis troops; Mahogany; New Page / Tabutek and Toque Profundo, respectively, see in the Rock Olympics a spark plug that made it easier for young people in the eighties to decide to form bands. “It was a unique space for creating and disseminating new talent,” recalls Martínez, who led his New Page band in 1987.
A few years in which Leschhorn, guitarist for Empiphis, who recorded the album “Facing the Future” in 1987, appreciates the brotherhood that existed between the bands and the loyalty of a legion of followers.
Reitzel, along with Cahobaz, also remembers the large number of presentations they had to make. “The itinerary was so strong that it was at the level of meringues,” he explains, and that the performances of the performers from “Gazcue is art” (the title of the album released in 1989) not only in the capital, but also made several tours inland and have obtained the patronage of liquor stores.
There was a time without YouTube or Spotify when pasta records, cassettes and subsequent CDs were persecuted, and listening to the music that the young people of the time enjoyed was not as simple as it is now. “I was like a kind of tribe, but when La Nota came out different, we started to see a lot of rock samples in Spanish,” says Almont, the voice / leader of Toque Profundo, who in 1992 released his first album, “Dreams and Nightmares.” of the third world. ”.
Causes of decline
But all the boiling has subsided and both artists and fans, who are already about half a century old, have given way to other genres and sounds that have become masters of popular taste. “Perhaps we have disconnected from the way we communicate with the public. Add to that the invasion of other musical genres with the support of unlimited resources “, considers Leschhorn, whose band, Empiphis released in January the song” Everything is fine “, accompanied by a video.
Another element is the fact that many of the members of these bands studied and took that scene as a moment of youth, but did not seriously think about doing it in a professional way. “When they graduated from college, they had to make a decision on whether or not to continue with music, and because there was no precedent, some left,” said Almont, whose band Toque Profundo is still at the foot of the canyon. new music. and do shows.
Máx Martínez understands that the rock, like many other expressions, needed periods of regeneration to discover new shapes and adapt to new ears. “Locally, I think these changes took us by surprise without allowing us to readjust with the rest of the world,” says the singer, who is preparing his first solo album in which he continues to explore electronica / rock.
Lyle Reitzel, who has continued to make music on various projects, has just released his latest single, “En La Sombrita (Periplos de Cuarantena)”, is positive. Rock will never die. He went through many crises, but he always appears “, he confesses.
DETAILS
Document.
With the participation of over 14 bands, as well as important figures who contributed and influenced, “Rewind” will tell the history of rock made in the Dominican Republic.
What will you tell.
The origin and development of the most important period of local pop rock will be captured in this documentary that covers the events narrated by its protagonists and the interpretation of themes of the genre.