Divididos

Their debut album, 40 Dibujos Ahí En El Piso (1989), recorded at Panda Studios, already showed that mix: eleven original songs, a cover of The Doors’ «Light My Fire,» and a poem by T. S. Eliot. But it was Acariciando Lo Áspero (1991) that solidified their identity. Tracks like «El 38» and «Ala Delta» took funk-rock to another level, with a groove reminiscent of bands like Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota. Their tour led them to sell out Estadio Obras Sanitarias in 1992, but it was La Era De La Boludez (1993) that catapulted them. Produced by Gustavo Santaolalla and mixed in the U.S., the album included «¿Qué ves?» and a cover of Atahualpa Yupanqui’s «El arriero,» which became an unexpected anthem. The record hit number one in sales, forcing a reissue, and the band closed the year with thirteen sold-out shows at Obras and a record 20,000 people at Vélez Sarsfield stadium.

Yet success didn’t come without tension. Their label denied them support for «lack of budget,» and in 1994 they refused to open for Carlos Vives at a show in Vélez. That same year, in February 1995, they drew 40,000 people to a free concert on ATC, but internal strife—including Gil Solá’s departure and his replacement by Jorge Araujo—threatened the group’s continuity. Recording Otro Le Travaladna in New York in 1995 reflected that turbulence: the title, read backward, sounds like «A nadar le traba,» and the album explored everything from hard rock to tango, with critics calling it «a creative mess» but well-executed. By then, Divididos was no longer just a band: it was a rock machine that asked for no one’s permission.