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     “Monareta’s “Picotero” is one of 2008’s most underrated releases.” - URB

     "The snaking melody takes its cues from Colombian cumbia music, while the snapping rhythms mimic the hip-hop break beats of the Bronx. Add to that bits of British synth-pop, Jamaican reggae and Caribbean jazz, and you've got the fierce jumble that is Monareta, Colombia's most progressive deejay duo of the moment." NY DAILY NEWS

     "Nods to forró, spectral dub and super-retarded '80s synth-pop show of versatility that would most certainly bloom into Day-Glo intensity with a booming system and a sweaty dance floor." - TIME OUT NEW YORK

     "The Colombian-born team have been churning out their style of danceable electro-cumbia and breakbeat since 2000, influenced both by their home country and Brooklyn's electro scene; their new album proves just as cutting edge." - RCRD LBL

     “Monareta has worked hard to stay ahead of the curve with its cinematic sounds indebted to '80s breakdance and hip-hop and the street culture of their native Bogota.” - BOSTON GLOBE / “Nine to watch in ‘09”

     Nacional Records and EMI are proud to announce that Colombian electronic duo Monareta will release their physical debut, ‘Picotero’, on August 18 in U.S. and MEXICO. The group has previously released two digital albums, ‘La Bonanza’ and a self-titled release, via Nacional’s digital label. Their music has been featured in the soundtracks for movies like “La Mujer de Mi Hermano” and TV shows like mun2’s “Chicas Project”. Monareta also has a new song on the soundtrack for the upcoming Warner Pictures film “Pride & Glory”.
     Monareta first came together when composer, producer and vocalist Andres Martinez started mixing break beats and hip hop flows with keyboardist Camilo Sanabria in clubs and electronic music festivals throughout their hometown of Bogota. “Growing up, even as young as 11, I was really involved in the local freestyle streetbike scene,” Martinez recounts. “It was the 80s and all the streetbikers in Colombia were heavily influenced by the break-dance and electric boogaloo music styles arriving from the U.S. We heard groups like the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy and they completely changed our lives. The brands of our bikes were not Mongoose or GT. We had Monaretas. And so that’s how we got the name for our group—it’s a homage to the ’80s break-dance, hip hop, BMX and fashion scene sounds that came from abroad to influence us in South America.”
     Once Monareta began to develop their sound, Martinez received a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a Master of Arts in composition and film scoring at New York University. He moved from Bogota to New York City and immersed himself in the local scene. Monareta found a receptive crowd in the electro haven of Brooklyn and Martinez integrated what he was learning with his studies into the group’s cinematic sound.
     “It’s the whole idea of telling a story without showing images,” Martinez says. “In our case, we don’t use many lyrics either. Instead, we use sound textures to build atmospheres and allegories to certain images and ideas.”
     While fellow Colombians Sidestepper combine electronic music with salsa, Monareta mixes electronic music with cumbia and champeta, the Afro-Colombian genre native to the streets of the country’s Caribbean coast. They also incorporate the reggae, dub and calypso sounds popular in the coastal cities. On ‘Picotero’, the track “Llama” displays this fusion, where the cumbia upbeat flows seamlessly with a reggae groove and dub vocals.
     Recently, the group has split time living in Colombia and Brooklyn, while performing across the U.S. Earlier this year, Monareta showcased at South by Southwest and LAMC's 10th Anniversary.