*** PRESS RELEASE ***
Thanks to a special distribution made possible by Hip Recordings (a subdivision of Hip Merch, LLC, created by Hugo Gonzalez) and Machin Entertainment, long-awaited music by Los Angeles punk/rock/disco band Las 15 Letras, as well as Mexico City’s Illy Bleeding & Los Robotes Trucosos will now be available on digital platforms as well as in vinyl and cassette formats. Each band has a cult-following that has eagerly awaited this moment.
Golosinas, by Las 15 Letras, was originally and independently released by Sindiskera Records in 1997 and produced by Ernesto Ramirez (Maria Fatal), Jose Vergara (Los Olvidados), and Ruben Tucupa Delgado (Los Olvidados). The album contains classics like “Super Tortas,” “Tita,” and “Comunista.” Las 15 Letras’ second album, Ya Era Tiempo, which was produced by John Avila (bass player of the legendary band, Oingo Boingo) is also now available on Spotify and other digital media after its original indie release on Sindiskera Records in 2001.
About Las 15 Letras
Uniting Spanish lyrics with punk, alternative rock and ska, Las 15 Letras is one of the prominent Mexican-American bands that came out of L.A.’s rock en español scene in the 1990s. The band was formed in 1993 and its name comes from a special incident in Mexican history – it was in front of a bar called Las 15 Letras (which is Spanish for the 15 Letters) that Mexican freedom fighter Pancho Villa killed someone who betrayed him. That year, the band started playing around Southern California, Mexico City and Guadalajara, and it soon acquired a following with its energetic and melodic songs. Las 15 Letras’ debut album, Golosinas, was released on the independent Sindiskera label in 1997, when its lineup included singer Roberto Negrete (who brings to mind John Lydon, although all of his vocals on Golosinas are in Spanish), guitarist Martin Sanchez, bassist Abel Sanchez, saxophonist Edgar Briones and drummer Jorge Briones.
About Illy Bleeding & Los Robotes Trucosos
Illy Bleeding and Los Robotes Trucosos was founded in 2008 in Mexico City. The indie rock/new wave quartet consisted of Jaime Keller (Illy Bleeding) on vocals, Juris Tipa on bass, Sidney Robote on guitar and vocals, and guitarist Ian Rödd. The band unexpectedly came to an end on October 23, 2010 when lead singer Illy Bleeding had a car accident and died three days afterwards. In addition to serving as the band’s frontman, Illy was also a visual artist as well as a founder and singer of the mythic 90s punk/synth band Size and the band Multiple Side Effects.
Illy Bleeding and Los Robotes Trucosos’ debut, self-titled album was released just one month after his death. The band’s short yet influential trajectory helped usher in a revitalization of the Mexican “dark” and post-punk revival scene, and a renewed interest in Mexico City’s underground scene of the 1980s.
