An oral history of Nacional Records, the indie label that has shaped Latin alternative for 20 years

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When Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Tomas Cookman founded Nacional Records 20 years ago, the statement instantly established itself arsenic the defining dependable of Latin alternate successful the U.S.

Cookman’s inaugural merchandise was the luminous, self-titled solo debut by Andrea Echeverri, pb vocalist of Colombia’s pioneering Rock en Español enactment Aterciopelados. He followed it up with “Tijuana Sessions Vol. 3,” the overmuch anticipated sophomore effort from Latintronica outfit Nortec Collective. (As it turns out, the set ne'er recorded a Vol. 2.)

Released successful March and July of 2005, respectively, the 2 albums introduced Nacional arsenic a boutique imprint with a digit connected the pulse of the Latin euphony zeitgeist. But the label’s aesthetic was ne'er astir a circumstantial sound. What it offered alternatively was a constituent of view, 1 that was visionary and omnivorous. In the years that followed, Nacional shepherded aboriginal stars (Ana Tijoux, Bomba Estéreo, ChocQuibTown), invested successful beauteous failures (Liquits, She’s a Tease) and lured genre legends into its fold (Manu Chao, Aterciopelados, Fabulosos Cadillacs, Los Amigos Invisibles). It besides released fantabulous records by non-Latin artists specified arsenic Talking Heads broadside task Tom Tom Club, and Japan’s iconic Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. In the process, the statement amassed implicit 100 Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations, and co-founded the Latin Alternative Music Conference, which takes spot each summertime successful New York.

When the rock-based alternate question each but collapsed during the 2010s, replaced by the urgency of trap and reggaetón, Nacional recalibrated its curatorial attack and became much eclectic than ever. It delved into tango, música Mexicana and urbano stylings.

The statement is celebrating its 20th day with the merchandise of “The Story of Nacional Records,” a two-volume, double-LP vinyl compilation of 51 tracks selected by Cookman himself, retired now.

This is the communicative of Nacional, the small grounds statement that could, arsenic told to De Los by the radical who built its legacy.

Tomas Cookman, founder: I’ve ever felt that the Nacional Records communicative is simply a Los Angeles story. This is wherever we decided to bash it, wherever we’ve been each these years, wherever we brought the artists and made it a existent marketplace for people. I emotion L.A. I wouldn’t privation to unrecorded anyplace else.

Andrea Echeverri, Aterciopelados: We knew Tomas from the ’90s, erstwhile Aterciopelados was perpetually touring with the likes of Fabulosos Cadillacs, Café Tacvba and Maldita Vecindad. We were with BMG astatine the time, but the large labels won’t adjacent telephone you backmost if you’re not connected a Luis Miguel-level of stardom. It was a analyzable moment, and Tomas truly came done for america erstwhile we signed with him.

Cookman: Running a grounds statement is not easy, and erstwhile I archetypal started reasoning astir it 21 years ago, it was adjacent harder. This was earlier Apple and Spotify. Back then, it was much costly to grounds and manufacture carnal product. With each caller release, we’d nonstop albums to 800 people, and that was expensive. Back successful those days, thing made maine happier than seeing each the boxes going to the station office. It felt like, “Oh, present we’re truly doing it.”

Jennifer Sarkissian, wide manager of Nacional and LAMC: There’s a definite sensibility that Tomas brings to the A&R process. He gives artists the originative state to go the champion mentation of themselves. Musicians are ever uncovering their way, and their groove changes implicit time. Tomas tries to nurture immoderate it is successful their dependable that archetypal attracted him successful the archetypal place.

Cookman: I started my vocation arsenic a musician. Blondie’s drummer, Clem Burke, was my manager and produced my archetypal record. My schoolhouse was the CBGB nine successful New York.

Julio Briceño, vocalist of Los Amigos Invisibles: By the clip we signed with Nacional, we had already experienced the saccharine perks of being with a large statement [David Byrne’s Luaka Bop]. After that, we went wholly autarkic for a azygous album, and realized that we could payment from the label’s contacts and promotional arm.

Cookman: Craig Kallman, who is present CEO of Atlantic Records, told me, “I’m gonna acceptable up a gathering for you astatine ADA [Alternative Distribution Alliance]. They’re going to springiness you immoderate wealth truthful you tin commencement your ain label.” So I went to ADA and I got fractional a cardinal dollars, which is really a humble amount. I went retired and signed Nortec Collective and Aterciopelados. But the wealth dried up existent quick.

Cheo, erstwhile guitarist/songwriter with Los Amigos Invisibles, present a Nacional solo artist: What is Tomas similar arsenic a grounds statement chairman? Tony Soprano, papi [laughs]. Something that fascinates maine astir the full Nacional unit is that, adjacent though what they run is intelligibly a business, they besides emotion music. Tomas inactive sends maine songs and playlists connected a play basis. When I started rerecording immoderate of the aged Amigos Invisibles songs, it was his thought to crook the conception into a bid of EPs. Even Jennifer tells me, you shouldn’t spell onstage dressed similar that — it doesn’t look similar you. Their feedback is ever valuable.

Briceño: Something that I ever valued astir Cookman was that helium ne'er sold america immoderate castles successful the air. He is simply a down-to-earth guy. He liked the set and was transparent astir everything. “I don’t person the fund for an album,” he’d say. “Go up and grounds it yourself, and past I’ll licence and beforehand it.”

Cookman: Fortunately, I already had a company. I was managing artists similar Gustavo Cerati, La Ley and Fabulosos Cadillacs earlier Nacional. The infrastructure was there. Instead of talking astir Manu Chao’s tour, present we were besides discussing the caller Aterciopelados album.

Briceño: That was 1 of the selling points that made america motion with him. Our archetypal LAMC amusement was astatine Central Park. We did immoderate important concerts portion astatine Nacional, opening for Manu Chao and playing with Aterciopelados and Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas. He decidedly brought a value to the array that we didn’t person before.

Ana Tijoux, rapper: The archetypal clip I visited the Nacional offices successful North Hollywood, it made a heavy content connected me. It was an astonishing abstraction with a truly chill aesthetic: a operation of Chicano, Mexican and different Latino elements, but successful the mediate of Los Angeles. They had a truly absorbing roster erstwhile I signed with them: Manu Chao, Aterciopelados, ChocQuibTown. Great taste.

Cookman: When I met Ana, she was a struggling rapper from Chile and a azygous mother, but I knew that she was special. When the creator succeeds, it’s wonderful. And erstwhile they don’t, I’m ever like, “What the f—, however tin radical not recognize however large this is?”

Echeverri: It was a fantastic time. Tomas had a small house, and helium fto america enactment determination erstwhile we were successful L.A. He besides lent america a car. No WhatsApp backmost then, obviously, truthful we were ever fixed a clump of printed pages with elaborate directions connected however to get to places. We made a fewer large albums with Nacional, and we would beryllium fixed cellphones for the U.S. tours. Everything was truly well-organized, and Jennifer would travel on connected tour. We became truly bully friends aft that.

Bostich, Nortec Collective: There was a question of emerging caller sounds. Technology was a large state of the Nortec Collective — it allowed america to deconstruct the norteño dependable and make thing new. I noticed that astir of the artists connected the statement were progressive successful experimentation and each sorts of unexpected fusions. Before 2004, the mainstream festivals were either astir rock, reggae oregon electronica. After 2005, you could blend thing and everything.

Cookman: When you tally an autarkic label, you request to person a mates of hits on the way. Whenever we didn’t person immoderate vigor hits, we made up for it with overseas income and [sync licensing]. The sync assemblage has ever been a large protagonist of Nacional, and that helped. When you get a 7-Eleven commercialized and you’re capable to springiness Ana Tijoux $50,000 and marque immoderate wealth yourself arsenic well, that’s fantastic. We haven’t released an Ana Tijoux grounds successful 7 years, and she inactive gets an astonishing royalty cheque a mates of times a year, which makes maine truthful happy.

Nacional had the borderline of a chill indie label, but it was embraced by the mainstream from Day 1. Its artists became a regular beingness astatine the unrecorded sessions held by KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic.” Both the Grammys and Latin Grammys rewarded the uncompromising brilliance of their vision. Echeverri’s debut — the imprint’s inaugural merchandise — was nominated for some awards, portion Aterciopelados’ “Oye” won a Latin Grammy successful 2007. Many much would follow.

Cheo: The pinnacle of my Nacional acquisition was erstwhile “Commercial” won a Latin Grammy successful 2009. The statement was 100% instrumental successful that. That year, I was besides nominated arsenic a composer for “La Que Me Gusta.” I had gone done a divorce, the breakneck docket with Los Amigos had exhausted me, and I decided to instrumentality a interruption and be the Latin Grammys. It was past that I had a speech with Tomas that motivated maine to yet instrumentality the step, permission the set and spell solo.

Pepe Mogt (Fussible), Nortec Collective: At 1 point, Tomas fostered an relation with Because Music, a French statement that promotes physics bands. It was due to the fact that of that that the Nortec albums started being released successful France and that we got to circuit Europe for the archetypal time. None of that would person happened without him.

Bostich: Twenty years later, the concern is overmuch much analyzable for a statement similar Nacional. Music has go truthful volatile. We’re bombarded with caller trends that whitethorn beryllium forgotten a week later.

Fussible (left) and Bostich (right) of Nortec Collective.

Like galore indie labels with a finite reservoir of cash, Nacional mislaid a fig of prestigious artists who made it large and were lured distant by large manufacture players with deeper pockets.

Cookman: We’ve mislaid artists implicit the years. Bomba Estéreo, ChocQuibTown, Diego García. In each those cases, idiosyncratic said, “I’m going to springiness you $200,000,” and the creator comes backmost to maine and goes, “Well, what’s your counteroffer?” My counteroffer was, don’t walk it each excessively quickly, and convey you precise overmuch for the clip that you were with Nacional. I knew that we weren’t going to compete. I person responsibilities: paying payroll, royalties and worldly similar that.

Briceño: Eventually we realized that being with Nacional didn’t adhd that overmuch to the equation. We could spell indie again — which we did — and it would beryllium astir the same. I’m inactive a instrumentality of the label, and everything that it contributed to the Latin scene.

Tijoux: Being a Nacional creator enriched my career, but yet I felt the request to determination into a antithetic benignant of energy. It was a rhythm that ran its earthy course. Still, I look backmost astatine that clip with large fondness.

Cookman: We brought backmost Cheo from Los Amigos Invisibles, who was acceptable to spell bash thing else. One time helium played maine a truly beauteous opus called “Todo el Día en la Cama,” and we decided to enactment it out. Now he’s making a surviving again with music, and that makes maine happy. People similar Cheo, who has enactment truthful overmuch psyche and bosom and clip into his music, helium amended beryllium making a surviving successful the industry.

Echeverri: I retrieve a meal astatine Tomas’ location with Vicentico [lead vocalist of Fabulosos Cadillacs], Kevin Johansen and Jorge Drexler. It was specified an unforgettable moment. When I deliberation astir my days with Nacional, I lone person feelings of gratitude and truthful galore beauteous memories.

The statement has managed to past by adapting to the realities of an progressively fragmented market, flexing its absorption limb — Cookman represents Argentine rap superstar Trueno — and releasing merchandise by the benignant of artists who inactive marque lawsuit albums, similar indie stone trailblazers Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado.

Sarkissian: At the extremity of the day, Tomas loves listening to music, feeling the spark and anticipation successful a song. That’s the top motivator for what helium does. I retrieve erstwhile we archetypal started moving with Bomba Estéreo, and astatine 1 constituent Tomas said to me, “Look astatine Li Saumet. She’s a star.” That 1 ever stuck with me.

Cookman: Most entrepreneurs are successful it for the thrill of gathering something, reaching their goals and hopefully making wealth on the way. When you are a euphony lover, this goes beyond starting a business. It’s what I do. Luckily, I realized that I was a amended creator manager and statement proprietor than a vocalist oregon drummer. This is wherever euphony led me, but it was ever the driving unit — not the opportunity. I conscionable had to larn however to beryllium the caput of a statement on the way.

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