Well, not entirely brand new. Belanova first came on my radar a couple of years ago when they were touring and promoting their mega-hit album Dulce Beat. That album included chart toppers like Me Pregunto, Por Ti, Rosa Pastel and Niño, which all did relatively well considering they were sort of a brand new sound in Spanish pop music. Belanova’s music can best be described as a fusion between pop, electronic and Latin beats. It’s often referred to as synthpop, which basically means the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument used by the Mexican group.
The three member band first began their work together in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2000. Denisse Guerrero (the vocalist), Edgar Huerta (keyboards and programming), and Ricardo “Richie” Arreola (bass and guitar) have since toured the world, releasing album after album, hit after hit. However, for all their success they are still very much an underground musical phenomenon.
On their current US tour, for example, rather than playing at huge venues with capacity for tens of thousands of fans, the trio is playing much smaller venues that can all probably hold a couple of hundred people, if that.
They are promoting their latest studio effort by the name of Sueño Electro, which they have released simultaneously in two parts and which features many new sounds for the group, including some mariachi-inspired sounds. I may be biased as a fan, but I’m kind of digging both of the Sueño Electro I and Sueño Electro II. The beat is familiar, but new in a surprising way in tracks like Tic – Toc. This single sounds a little like Kylie Minogue at times. Anywho, check out some of the tracks for yourself:
