We are Son de Aquí! Son de Aquí is a World music band that has its roots in Mexico City and is based in Rotterdam since 2017. You may have seen Son de Aqui festivals as Zwarte Cross 2019, Bevrijdingsfestival Wageningen, Afro-Latino (BE) and Over de Top Festival. The music is powerful, danceable and all about enjoying life. The band loves to make people smile and sweat, but also cares about the content and the show. Because of this, the audience can enjoy it on the dancefloor as well as in their seats.
Son de Aquí finds its origin around the year 2000 when a group of friends got together to jamm in Mexico City. Over time, this group became more serious and in 2004 they released their first album “Traigo Sabor”. With this album they presented original music in which they explored the son and timba.
After the success of the first album, the band had a period where the members explored other (solo) projects. A few years later, Leonardo Prieto (the musical leader) took the initiative to make a new album and in 2010 they released “De Aqui Son”. With this album, they found the original ‘Son de Aquí sound’. De Aqui Son contains original repertoire which is based on the traditional music of Mexico, Cuba and Colombia and has links to their instrumentations, lyrics and dances. What the sound of Son de Aquí makes it so unique is that these compositions are filled with modern elements like reggae, funk, hip-hop and electronic sounds. This balance between folklore and modern styles became distinctive for Son de Aquí.
De Aqui Son was a big success. The band played at all major festivals around Mexico, did a tour in France and presented their music on TV and radio. One of the highlights was a concert at the “Teatro de la Ciudad, Esperanza Iris” and the opportunity to present the album to the Ministry of Culture. On YouTube you can find videoclips of different tracks from the album.
In 2017 Leonardo Prieto moved to The Netherlands to do his master’s degree at the conservatory of Rotterdam. In order to keep Son de Aquí alive, he started the European version of Son de Aquí with local musicians. With different nationalities like Dutch, German, Spanish and Mexico, the band became a group of international musicians and friends that shared their love for the Son de Aquí music.
In 2018 the band started a collaboration with Gideon Rozendaal of Bravissimo Music. Just one year later Son de Aquí managed to play at some of the major festivals in Holland and Belgium like Zwarte Cross, Bevrijdingsfestival Wageningen, Afro-Latino, Over de Top festival, Nijmeegse Vierdaagse, Carambá, Embassy Festival, Muziek aan de Rotte, Werelds Delfshaven festival and more.
To continue their success, Son de Aquí was planning a year full of concerts and the recording of a brand-new album. Unfortunately, the corona crisis prevented them to play any concerts in the summer of 2020. However, they received a fund from SENA that made it possible for them to continue working on their new album, “Al Otro Lado Del Mar,” which was released in Rotterdam in May 2022. Following the release of the album, the band embarked on a successful tour to Mexico in October 2022.
Keep an eye on their social media to stay updated on their latest news and releases.
