Ozomatli is a multi-genre, multicultural Grammy-winning band that has released eight critically acclaimed albums over the past 18 years. Shifting gears from electrocumbia to garage rock, hiphop, and Pérez Prado mambo, Ozomatli infuses a DJ party mix with dynamic live band chops and attitude.
Bursting onto the L.A. stage with their first album in June 1998, Ozomatli capitalized on being the talk of the live music scene, particularly their show-stopping gigs at venues such as Dragonfly, Opium Den, and The Viper Room. By 1999, they were touring with Carlos Santana and soon won the Grammy for “Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album” for 2001’s Embrace The Chaos.
They repeated history in 2004 by winning again in the same category for their album Street Signs, which also picked up the Latin Grammy for “Mejor Album de Musica Alternativa” in 2005. In the band’s nearly 20 years together, they have toured internationally, collaborated with the Boston and New York Pops orchestras, and served as Cultural Ambassadors for the U.S. State Department.
When they were formed, Ozomatli symbolized an emerging, multicultural Los Angeles. Over the years Ozomatli has become the ultimate jam band, pulling together the strands of creativity into a unique rhythmic machine. Learning to live together, like the city they represent, has made their music even stronger.
Ozomatli recently became the first band to be asked to speak at the TED Conference, sharing their ideas about music and identities in the global age.
We’ve worked hard to create a space for ourselves, our own place in the sun, so to speak,” said guitarist and composer Raúl Pacheco. “We’re coming out with this new record to remind people that we still care about making new music.
