When Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Tomas Cookman founded Nacional Records 20 years ago, the label immediately established itself as the defining voice of Latin alternative in the U.S.
Cookman’s inaugural release was the luminous, self-titled solo debut by Andrea Echeverri, lead singer of Colombia’s pioneering Rock en Español act Aterciopelados. He followed it up with “Tijuana Sessions Vol. 3,” the much anticipated sophomore effort from Latintronica outfit Nortec Collective. (As it turns out, the band never recorded a Vol. 2.)
Released in March and July of 2005, respectively, the two albums introduced Nacional as a boutique imprint with a finger on the pulse of the Latin music zeitgeist. But the label’s aesthetic was never about a specific sound. What it offered instead was a point of view, one that was visionary and omnivorous. In the years that followed, Nacional shepherded future stars (Ana Tijoux, Bomba Estéreo, ChocQuibTown), invested in beautiful failures (Liquits, She’s a Tease) and lured genre legends into its fold (Manu Chao, Aterciopelados, Fabulosos Cadillacs, Los Amigos Invisibles). It also released excellent records by non-Latin artists such as Talking Heads side project Tom Tom Club, and Japan’s iconic Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. In the process, the label amassed over 100 Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations, and co-founded the Latin Alternative Music Conference, which takes place every summer in New York.
When the rock-based alternative movement all but collapsed during the 2010s, replaced by the urgency of trap and reggaetón, Nacional recalibrated its curatorial approach and became more eclectic than ever. It delved into tango, música Mexicana and urbano stylings.
The label is celebrating its 20th birthday with the release of “The Story of Nacional Records,” a two-volume, double-LP vinyl compilation of 51 tracks selected by Cookman himself, out now.
This is the story of Nacional, the little record label that could, as told to De Los by the people who built its legacy.
Tomas Cookman, founder: I’ve always felt that the Nacional Records story is a Los Angeles story. This is where we decided to do it, where we’ve been all these years, where we brought the artists and made it a real market for people. I love L.A. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Andrea Echeverri, Aterciopelados: We knew Tomas from the ’90s, when Aterciopelados was constantly touring with the likes of Fabulosos Cadillacs, Café Tacvba and Maldita Vecindad. We were with BMG at the time, but the big labels won’t even call you back if you’re not on a Luis Miguel-level of stardom. It was a complicated moment, and Tomas really came through for us when we signed with him.
Cookman: Running a record label is not easy, and when I first started thinking about it 21 years ago, it was even harder. This was before Apple and Spotify. Back then, it was more expensive to record and manufacture physical product. With every new release, we’d send albums to 800 people, and that was expensive. Back in those days, nothing made me happier than seeing all the boxes going to the post office. It felt like, “Oh, now we’re really doing it.”
Jennifer Sarkissian, general manager of Nacional and LAMC: There’s a certain sensibility that Tomas brings to the A&R process. He gives artists the creative freedom to become the best version of themselves. Musicians are always finding their way, and their groove changes over time. Tomas tries to nurture whatever it is in their sound that first attracted him in the first place.
Cookman: I started my career as a musician. Blondie’s drummer, Clem Burke, was my manager and produced my first record. My school was the CBGB club in New York.
Julio Briceño, singer of Los Amigos Invisibles: By the time we signed with Nacional, we had already experienced the sweet perks of being with a major label [David Byrne’s Luaka Bop]. After that, we went completely independent for a single album, and realized that we could benefit from the label’s contacts and promotional arm.
Cookman: Craig Kallman, who is now CEO of Atlantic Records, told me, “I’m gonna set up a meeting for you at ADA [Alternative Distribution Alliance]. They’re going to give you some money so you can start your own label.” So I went to ADA and I got half a million dollars, which is actually a modest amount. I went out and signed Nortec Collective and Aterciopelados. But the money dried up real quick.
Cheo, former guitarist/songwriter with Los Amigos Invisibles, now a Nacional solo artist: What is Tomas like as a record label chairman? Tony Soprano, papi [laughs]. Something that fascinates me about the entire Nacional crew is that, even though what they operate is clearly a business, they also love music. Tomas still sends me songs and playlists on a weekly basis. When I started rerecording some of the old Amigos Invisibles songs, it was his idea to turn the concept into a series of EPs. Even Jennifer tells me, you shouldn’t go onstage dressed like that — it doesn’t look like you. Their feedback is always valuable.
Briceño: Something that I always valued about Cookman was that he never sold us any castles in the air. He is a down-to-earth guy. He liked the band and was transparent about everything. “I don’t have the budget for an album,” he’d say. “Go ahead and record it yourself, and then I’ll license and promote it.”
Cookman: Fortunately, I already had a company. I was managing artists like Gustavo Cerati, La Ley and Fabulosos Cadillacs before Nacional. The infrastructure was there. Instead of talking about Manu Chao’s tour, now we were also discussing the new Aterciopelados album.
Briceño: That was one of the selling points that made us sign with him. Our first LAMC show was at Central Park. We did some important concerts while at Nacional, opening for Manu Chao and playing with Aterciopelados and Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas. He definitely brought a weight to the table that we didn’t have before.
Ana Tijoux, rapper: The first time I visited the Nacional offices in North Hollywood, it made a deep impression on me. It was an amazing space with a really cool aesthetic: a combination of Chicano, Mexican and other Latino elements, but in the middle of Los Angeles. They had a really interesting roster when I signed with them: Manu Chao, Aterciopelados, ChocQuibTown. Great taste.
Cookman: When I met Ana, she was a struggling rapper from Chile and a single mother, but I knew that she was special. When the artist succeeds, it’s wonderful. And when they don’t, I’m always like, “What the f—, how can people not realize how great this is?”
Echeverri: It was a wonderful time. Tomas had a little house, and he let us stay there when we were in L.A. He also lent us a car. No WhatsApp back then, obviously, so we were always given a bunch of printed pages with detailed directions on how to get to places. We made a few great albums with Nacional, and we would be given cellphones for the U.S. tours. Everything was really well-organized, and Jennifer would come along on tour. We became really good friends after that.
Bostich, Nortec Collective: There was a wave of emerging new sounds. Technology was a great ally of the Nortec Collective — it allowed us to deconstruct the norteño sound and create something new. I noticed that most of the artists on the label were involved in experimentation and all sorts of unexpected fusions. Before 2004, the mainstream festivals were either about rock, reggae or electronica. After 2005, you could blend anything and everything.
Cookman: When you run an independent label, you need to have a couple of hits along the way. Whenever we didn’t have any radio hits, we made up for it with foreign sales and [sync licensing]. The sync community has always been a big supporter of Nacional, and that helped. When you get a 7-Eleven commercial and you’re able to give Ana Tijoux $50,000 and make some money yourself as well, that’s fantastic. We haven’t released an Ana Tijoux record in seven years, and she still gets an amazing royalty check a couple of times a year, which makes me so happy.
Nacional had the edge of a cool indie label, but it was embraced by the mainstream from Day 1. Its artists became a regular presence at the live sessions held by KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic.” Both the Grammys and Latin Grammys rewarded the uncompromising brilliance of their vision. Echeverri’s debut — the imprint’s inaugural release — was nominated for both awards, while Aterciopelados’ “Oye” won a Latin Grammy in 2007. Many more would follow.
Cheo: The pinnacle of my Nacional experience was when “Commercial” won a Latin Grammy in 2009. The label was 100% instrumental in that. That year, I was also nominated as a composer for “La Que Me Gusta.” I had gone through a divorce, the breakneck schedule with Los Amigos had exhausted me, and I decided to take a break and attend the Latin Grammys. It was then that I had a conversation with Tomas that motivated me to finally take the step, leave the band and go solo.
Pepe Mogt (Fussible), Nortec Collective: At one point, Tomas fostered an association with Because Music, a French label that promotes electronic bands. It was because of that that the Nortec albums started being released in France and that we got to tour Europe for the first time. None of that would have happened without him.
Bostich: Twenty years later, the situation is much more complicated for a label like Nacional. Music has become so volatile. We’re bombarded with new trends that may be forgotten a week later.
Like many indie labels with a finite reservoir of cash, Nacional lost a number of prestigious artists who made it big and were lured away by major industry players with deeper pockets.
Cookman: We’ve lost artists over the years. Bomba Estéreo, ChocQuibTown, Diego García. In all those cases, someone said, “I’m going to give you $200,000,” and the artist comes back to me and goes, “Well, what’s your counteroffer?” My counteroffer was, don’t spend it all too quickly, and thank you very much for the time that you were with Nacional. I knew that we weren’t going to compete. I have responsibilities: paying payroll, royalties and stuff like that.
Briceño: Eventually we realized that being with Nacional didn’t add that much to the equation. We could go indie again — which we did — and it would be almost the same. I’m still a fan of the label, and everything that it contributed to the Latin scene.
Tijoux: Being a Nacional artist enriched my career, but eventually I felt the need to move into a different kind of energy. It was a cycle that ran its natural course. Still, I look back at that time with great fondness.
Cookman: We brought back Cheo from Los Amigos Invisibles, who was ready to go do something else. One day he played me a really beautiful song called “Todo el Día en la Cama,” and we decided to put it out. Now he’s making a living again with music, and that makes me happy. People like Cheo, who has put so much soul and heart and time into his music, he better be making a living in the industry.
Echeverri: I remember a dinner at Tomas’ house with Vicentico [lead singer of Fabulosos Cadillacs], Kevin Johansen and Jorge Drexler. It was such an unforgettable moment. When I think about my days with Nacional, I only have feelings of gratitude and so many beautiful memories.
The label has managed to survive by adapting to the realities of an increasingly fragmented market, flexing its management arm — Cookman represents Argentine rap superstar Trueno — and releasing product by the kind of artists who still make event albums, like indie rock trailblazers Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado.
Sarkissian: At the end of the day, Tomas loves listening to music, feeling the spark and possibility in a song. That’s the greatest motivator for what he does. I remember when we first started working with Bomba Estéreo, and at one point Tomas said to me, “Look at Li Saumet. She’s a star.” That one always stuck with me.
Cookman: Most entrepreneurs are in it for the thrill of building something, reaching their goals and hopefully making money along the way. When you are a music lover, this goes beyond starting a business. It’s what I do. Luckily, I realized that I was a better artist manager and label owner than a singer or drummer. This is where music led me, but it was always the driving force — not the opportunity. I just had to learn how to be the head of a label along the way.
The post An oral history of Nacional Records, the indie label that has shaped Latin alternative for 20 years appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
