Los Prisioneros

Background

Los Prisioneros was a Chilean rock band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, in 1982. Considered one of the most influential Latin-American bands of all time, they've been evaluated as pioneers of Rock en español by Latin American media and musicians, and one of the strongest socio-political impactful bands in Chile. The group developed a new wave sound that had its roots in British punk rock, in particular the Clash, and incorporated rockabilly, reggae and ska influences, and later synthpop. They became known for their controversial, witty and subversive lyricism that criticized the socio-economic structures, education and societal attitudes of dictatorship-era Chile and Latin America as a whole. This would cause their music to be banned by the Chilean mainstream media between 1985 and 1990, but their music would continue to spread there, aided by word of mouth and shared homemade cassette tapes.