Por la ciudad

Por la ciudad sounds like that unique blend that only La Vela Puerca can pull off: the catchy rhythm of ska intertwines with the weight of rock and the warmth of reggae, but what stands out most is the brilliance of the trumpets and trombones. It's not a track that stays purely instrumental; the song progresses with a cadence that seems to trace the movement of a city, as if each note were a step through its streets. The bass and drums give it that constant pulse, but it's the brass section that adds the color, the detail that makes it sound like nothing else.

The story behind Por la ciudad begins in the studios where La Vela Puerca recorded their debut album, Deskarado, in 1996. The material was born almost by chance: the Generación '96 contest gave them the push to record, but it was the label Obligado Records that opened the doors with more studio time and the guidance of Claudio Taddei, a producer who already held weight in the Uruguayan scene. By the time the album reached Gustavo Santaolalla’s hands, it had already made its way around Uruguay, Argentina, and even slipped into radio stations in Montevideo with force. Santaolalla not only remixed the album but re-released it in 1999 under the Surco/Universal label, giving it a reach it hadn’t had before. The song, clocking in at three minutes, ended up being a reflection of that moment: a track that sounded like a journey, like movement, like the energy that took them on tour along the Uruguayan coast, even opening for Los Piojos at the Teatro de Verano, the venue that marked a before and after for the band.