Hocico () is a Mexican
electro-industrial
Electro-industrial is a music genre that emerged from industrial music in the early 1980s. While EBM (electronic body music) has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial tends to have a grittier, complex and layered sound ...
duo that was formed in 1993 in Mexico City.
History
Hocico was officially formed in 1993 by cousins Erik Garcia (aka Erk Aicrag) and Oscar Mayorga (aka Racso Agroyam), with Erik writing lyrics and performing the
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
and Oscar responsible for the
programming. They had experimented with
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
since they were teenagers and were influenced by
industrial
Industrial may refer to:
Industry
* Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry
* Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems
* Industrial city, a city dominate ...
artists such as
Skinny Puppy.
Their interest in the industrial and
EBM genres led them to begin their musical career in 1989 in a group called Niñera Degenerada.
In 1992 the two cousins left the band and went on to form Hocico de Perro.
Soon after they dropped the "de Perro" and continued simply as Hocico. The Spanish word "hocico" translates to '
snout' or 'muzzle' in English, and is used in Mexico as a disrespectful way to describe someone's comments coming out of their mouth. In certain contexts, "callate el hocico" could be interpreted as, essentially, "shut up your fucking mouth or we’ll kick your fucking ass," which the band thought described their musical attitude well.
Between 1993 and 1996 the band produced several cassette demos - ''Misuse, Abuse And Accident'', ''Autoagresión Persistente'', and ''Triste Desprecio''.
In 1997 the band released their first full CD, ''Odio Bajo El Alma'',
on the label Opción Sónica with European distribution through
Out Of Line
Out Of Line Music is an independent record label located in Berlin, Germany. Out of Line is distributed by Rough Trade (Believe Digital) and exclusive partner to publishing giant BMG Rights Management, through sister company Edition Layer Cake. ...
.
The release of ''Odio Bajo El Alma'' was well received in Europe and America but caught the Anglo- and Euro-centric scene by surprise, with many unaware that the band's style of electronic music was happening in Mexico.
In fact, before 1997, Hocico along with many other Mexico City based electronic bands had been part of a collective called La Corporación that attempted to support and promote their type of music across Mexico. Other bands involved in La Corporación included
Cenobita
Cenobita is an aggrotech/cyberpunk band based in Mexico City, created in 1994 by Claus Bita (programming, vocals and production) and former band member Omar Flo (vocals).
History
Cenobita formed as a duo of Claus Bita and Omar Flo in August of 1 ...
OgoEncefálisis an
Deus Ex Machina
The end of the 1990s saw two more albums released on Out Of Line: the live album ''Los Hijos Del Infierno'',
recorded during the band's 1998 European tour, and ''Sangre Hirviente''.
In 1999, the band played at the
Zillo festival
''Zillo'' (or ''Zillostrierte'') was a German alternative music magazine, published monthly, originally edited by Rainer "Easy" Ettler. It was in circulation between 1989 and 2014. The headquarters of ''Zillo'' were in Lübeck.
History
The magaz ...
in Germany and the Euro Rock festival in Belgium.
The band returned to Europe in 2000 to play the Elegi Festival in Paris and the Woodstage Festival in Germany, the latter having an attendance of more than 20,000 people.
In 2001, Hocico opened for German band
Rammstein
Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...
during their Mexican tour.
In 2002, the band released the album ''Signos De Aberracion''
(translated: ''Signs of Hatred''), the subject matter of which treated on disturbing events within their social scene at the time.
After the release of their 2004 album, ''Wrack And Ruin'',
the band took a short hiatus from producing new work. During this interlude, the band took time to finish their first DVD, ''A Través De Mundos Que Arden'', and to help produce other Mexican bands, while Erik also focused on his solo project, Rabia Sorda.
Erik also relocated during this time to Leipzig, Germany while Oscar remained primarily in Mexico City.
In 2008, Hocico returned with the album ''Memorias Atrás'',
with the theme of "leaving memories behind." The album was released in three versions, one of which was a box set with 3D cover artwork.
Since 2008 the band has released an album roughly every two years, interspersed with various live albums, compilations, and singles. 2017's release, ''The Spell of the Spider'', reached #42 on the German national charts.
2019's ''Artificial Extinction''
deals with the concept of artificial intelligence as a threat to humanity and features artwork by German artist Jochen Schilling.
''Artificial Extinction'' reached #30 on the German national charts.
Style and influences
Hocico's songs are performed in both
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. The band prefers to use English in order to reach a greater audience, but also wrote songs in Spanish to connect specifically with their home audience.
The band is known for producing an aggressive style of electronic music, which they attribute to their experiences growing up and living in Mexico City. In a 2003 interview,
the band stated:
Stylistically, the band's music is centered in the
electro-industrial
Electro-industrial is a music genre that emerged from industrial music in the early 1980s. While EBM (electronic body music) has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial tends to have a grittier, complex and layered sound ...
and
EBM genrea and, in particular, the "aggrotech" sub-genre. In later years the band have also produced tracks in an aggressive, industrial style of
drum and bass.
Hocico has toured extensively over their career with their live shows projecting the same sort of aggressive energy of their musical style, sometimes to the point of physical injury. Their two-person stage presence has taken more of a visual presence over the years including, at times, the addition of performers such as
mariachi musicians and Aztec-themed dancers.
The band's musical influences include electronic and industrial bands such as
Skinny Puppy,
Leæther Strip
Leæther Strip is a Danish musical project founded on 13 January 1988 by Claus Larsen. Its influence has been most felt in the electronic body music and electro-industrial genres. Leæther Strip was one of the earliest and most prominent acts ...
,
Pouppée Fabrikk
Pouppée Fabrikk is a Swedish EBM band, started in 1988 by Henrik Björkk and Leif Holm, who both hail from Karlskoga.
History
The band name has no meaning. It was constructed from a combination of the French word "Poupée" (''doll'') and Nor ...
,
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
,
Cat Rapes Dog
Cat Rapes Dog is a Swedish electropunk, EBM and heavy metal band, formed in 1984 by Joel Rydström and Magnus Fransson.
Initially the band self-released a number of albums on cassette, (then a trend followed by many independent acts of the ...
, and
Depeche Mode as well as punk bands like
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stor ...
and
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run.
Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...
.
The band also has an affinity for
heavy metal and, although typically billed live with other industrial/EBM acts or similarly curated events, they have played at metal music festivals such as Force Metal Fest 2015 in Guadalajara along with
Judas Priest and
Overkill.
Side projects and collaborations
Aicrag has a side project called
Rabia Sorda while Agroyam has one called Dulce Liquido.
In 2002, Aicrag contributed vocals to the
Tristesse de la Lune
Tristesse de la Lune ( French: "Sadness of the Moon") was an electropop group founded by German musicians Kati Roloff and Gini Martin after they left Blutengel in 2002. Their songs typically have romantic lyrics and draw inspiration from their ...
track, ''Eiskalte Liebe''.
In 2016, Aicrag contributed music and vocals to the Ost+Front album ''Ultra'' and their "Fiesta De Sexo" Maxi.
In April 2020,
Blutengel
Blutengel (german: Blood Angel) (stylized as BlutEngel) is a German electronic music group formed by singer Chris Pohl (also of the groups Terminal Choice, Tumor, and Miss Construction and the owner of the Fear Section label) after he had to le ...
and Hocico jointly created a track named "Obscured" and released it as a maxi single in preparation for their European "Living the Darkness" tour.
Discography
Demos
*Misuse, Abuse and Accident (1993)
*Autoagresión Persistente (1994)
*Triste Desprecio (1996)
Albums
*Odio Bajo El Alma (1997)
*Sangre Hirviente (1999) – #19
CMJ
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...
RPM Charts (U.S.)
*Signos de Aberración (2002)
*Hate Never Dies: The Celebration 4CD (2003)
''Limited to 2500 copies Featuring the band’s Demos''
*Wrack and Ruin (2004)
*Memorias Atrás (2008)
*Tiempos de Furia (2010)
*El Ultimo Minuto (2012)
*Los dias caminando en el fuego (2013)
*Ofensor (2015)
*The Spell of the Spider (2017)
*Artificial Extinction (2019)
*Hyperviolent (2022)
EPs
*El Día De La Ira (1998)
*Cursed Land (1998)
*Aquí Y Ahora En El Silencio (2000) – #16 DAC Top 100 Singles of 2000, Germany
*El Día De La Ira
Re-released (2002)
*Silent Wrath (2002)
Available in Signos de Aberración Limited Edition
* Inquebrantable (2003)
*Maldiciones Para Un Mundo En Decadencia (2004)
Available in Wrack And Ruin Limited Edition
*Scars (2006)
Available in A Traves De Mundos Que Arden DVD Limited Edition
*About A Dead (2007)
*The Day the World Stopped (2008)
Available in Memorias Atrás Digipack Edition
Singles
![Hocico_Castle_Party_2012_0_77](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Hocico_Castle_Party_2012_0_77.jpg)
*Untold Blasphemies (2001)
*Born to be Hated (2004)
*Not Like You (Apestas! Version)(2006)
Promo Single – #3 DAC Singles, Germany
*The Shape of Things to Come (2007)
Limited Edition 1000 copies
*Dog Eat Dog (2010)
Limited Edition
*Bite Me (2011)
*Vile Whispers (2012)
*In the Name of Violence (2015)
*Forgotten Tears (2015)
*I, Abomination (2017)
*Spider Bites (2017)
*Dark Sunday (2019)
*Psychonaut (2019)
*Cross the Line (feat. Tragedy of Mine) (2019)
*Obscured (with Blutengel) (2020)
*Lost World (2021)
*Backstabbers (2021)
Live recordings
*Los Hijos Del Infierno (1998)
*Tierra Eléctrica (1999)
*Blasphemies in the Holy Land (Live in Israel) (2005)
Limited to 2000 copies Recorded Live By Maor Appelbaum
*Tora! Tora! Tora! (2008)
*Blood on the Red Square (2011)
*Die Hölle Über Berlin (2014)
*Blasphemies in the Holy Land Part 2 (Shalom from Hell Aviv) (2018)
Vinyl
![20170723_Köln_Amphi_Hocico_0250_Hocico](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/20170723_K%C3%B6ln_Amphi_Hocico_0250_Hocico.jpg)
*Born to Be (Hated) (2004)
*Wrack and Ruin 2LP (2004)
Boxset Limited to 1000 copies
*Dog Eat Dog (2010)
Limited to 666 copies
DVD
* A Traves De Mundos Que Arden (2006)
* Blood On The Red Square (2011)
* Die Hölle über Berlin (2014)
References
External links
Official siteInternational site*
{{Authority control
1993 establishments in Mexico
Electro-industrial music groups
Mexican electronic musical groups
Mexican industrial music groups
Mexican musical duos
Musical groups established in 1993