Kapanga

The earliest incarnation of Kapanga, an Argentinean musical group from Quilmes, Buenos Aires, was formed in 1989 by Martín "Mono" Fabio and Marcelo "Balde" Spósito. Initially known as Kapanga y sus Yacarés, the band began performing at private parties. In 1995, they shortened their name to Kapanga and released their debut album A 15 cm de la realidad in 1998, which included hits like "Me Mata" and "El Mono Relojero". The album earned them a gold record later that year. Their second album, Un Asado en Abbey Road, featured guest appearances by Ricardo Mollo of Divididos and Andrés Giménez of A.N.I.M.A.L., and was released in 1999. They continued their studio run with Botanika (2002), ¡Esta! (2004), Crece (2007), Todoterreno (CD + film, 2009), Lima (2012) and Motormúsica (2015), while live releases like KapangStock (2006) and ¿Mamá dónde estoy? (2014) captured their reputation as a festival and touring staple. In 2019–2020 they returned to singles with “Todavía” featuring Nahuel Pennisi, then entered an anniversary phase: in 2025 the lineup of Mono Fabio, Maikel de Luna Campos, Javier Manera, Claudio Maffia, Juani Gorostidi and Gastón Sloomant released new versions of “El mono relojero” with Damas Gratis, “La crudita” with Los Caligaris and Los Estrambóticos and “Desearía” with Bandalos Chinos as previews of a 30th-anniversary album.