El Macha: The Multifaceted Chilean Crooner
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- 02 Aug 2024
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Chilean singer, songwriter, and guitarist Aldo Enrique Asenjo Cubillos, better known as El Macha, was born in Villa Alemana, Chile, on August 4, 1968. Over his multifaceted career, El Macha has become a national icon, bridging generations and genres with his eclectic musical endeavors.
In 1991, after nearly two decades of dictatorship, Chile embarked on a gradual path towards democracy. Following a prolonged period of political and cultural suppression, a new generation rekindled their inclination for provocation and the thrill of protest. In the Valparaiso suburb of Villa Alemana, a twenty-one-year-old named Macha, also known as Aldo Asenjo, established La Floripondio, a band that seamlessly combined punk, hardcore, and ska with the fiery exuberance of youth challenging a deeply conservative society.
La Floripondio’s initial concerts resonated immediately, forging their own distinctive style, termed “Perkusive Punk Mariachi” or “Wild Style,” and in a few years, they would become a leading act within the underground club circuit. Their success extended beyond Chile, with fervent followings in Berlin and elsewhere. While La Floripondio’s punk spirit mirrored Macha’s iconoclasm, he also harbored an affection for the lyrical charm of popular dance music from his childhood, especially the cumbias that defined neighborhood festivities in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1999, Macha embarked on his next musical endeavor, forming Chico Trujillo. Their repertoire comprised covers of classic Chilean and Colombian songs, with a mission to reintroduce this music to a new generation by infusing cumbia with the vitality of rock and protest. Their success was meteoric, with Macha’s song “Loca” becoming a surprise hit across South America, propelling the band from underground clubs to stadiums in a matter of years. Chico Trujillo became a bridge between the era before and after Pinochet. Their records were indispensable for any party, and El Macha emerged as a national icon while preserving his absolute independence.
He eschewed record companies, publishers, and managers, and shied away from interviews, not out of disdain but humility. He preferred to communicate directly with his audience on stage rather than in the media. Macha’s schedule was relentless, at times featuring up to three concerts in a single day, occasionally capping the night with an impromptu La Floripondio performance at a local club after a Chico Trujillo show.
In recent years, Macha’s interest gravitated toward old ballads, Peruvian waltzes, and boleros that resonated in the port of Valparaiso, the beloved canciones de desamor or despecho (songs of heartbreak or spite), songs cherished by all Chileans and occasionally sung at the end of the evening, before the closure of bars. Macha had always envisioned singing these tunes on stage when he grew older, but why wait? During a European tour in 2012, Chico Trujillo began dedicating a segment of their set to these songs, aptly named El Bloque Depresivo, the depressive set. It was a stark departure from the typical festival vibe of merriment, yet it gained popularity. In customary fashion, Macha embarked on yet another musical venture, and Bloque Depresivo was born.
In a powerful act of resistance, historical remembrance, and reclamation, Macha and Bloque Depresivo solidified their place in the heart of Chilean culture through the Festival Arte y Memoria Víctor Jara. This festival, held in September 2018, commemorated the memory of Chilean singer-songwriter Víctor Jara, who was tragically murdered by soldiers of the Pinochet regime in the same stadium 45 years prior.
