King África (born June 7, 1962) is an Argentine dance music project that was founded in the early 1990s by DJ Martin Laacré. The group caught interest in 2000 due to the remake of their own 1993 song "Salta" ("Salta 2000" ft. Mr. Pringles), and also for their cover version of "La Bomba" by the Bolivian group Azul Azul.
History
King África was started by Argentinian frontman Martin Laacré. His first appearance on record was in August 1992 with the album DJ Dero - Volume 1 with the track "EOE".[1] This was followed in the summer of 1993 with "Póntelo Pónselo".[1] Their debut album, El Africano, went on sale in mid-1993, reaching platinum status in Argentina and Chile.[1]
His album Al Palo was released in late 1994. The singles "Al Palo" and "Mamá Yo Quiero" climbed charts across Latin America.[2] King África was invited and took part in the 1995 International Song Festival of Viña del Mar in Chile.
In 1997, Laacré quit the project, citing artistic and economic differences.[3]
Efforts to gain international fame came with the hit song "La Bomba" and with the European launch of the Greatest Hits album La Bomba (Grandes éxitos), which reached the top of the Spanish Top 40.[1]
Alan Duffy is active as King África, having shows all across South America. His media range has augmented, appearing in television shows, such as Top Show Buenos Aires as a television presenter, or voicing characters in Spanish dubs for movies, such as Olaf for Frozen and Mike Wazowski in Monsters University.[4] In 2017, he collaborated with DJ Unic and DKB on the medley track "El Tembleque/El Cocodrilo". Duffy remains close friends with the frontman of DKB, Ariel Rodriguez, a Cuban-based DJ. Past member Martin Laacre has resumed performing under the moniker "King Africa Music", but evidently achieves less success than his counterpart.[5]
Discography
Albums and EPs
- 1993 El Africano
- 1994 Al Palo
- 1996 Remix
- 1998 Animal
- 2000 La Bomba (Grandes éxitos)
- 2001 Carnavalito EP
- 2001 Pachanga
- 2002 Energía
- 2003 Buena onda
- 2004 Reggaetón Mix
- 2005 Fiesta VIP
References
- ^ a b c d Bonacich, Drago "King Africa Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-07-23
- ^ Bargueño, Miguel Ángel (2024-07-21). "'King África, el hombre más allá de la 'Bomba': "Vivo con mi mujer entre Valladolid y Marbella"". Telecinco. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-05-18. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ King Africa Biography
- ^ King Africa se javio Fil Tilenu (in Croatian) by Dnevnik.hr
External links
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