Aterciopelados Revamped, Ready

The last time Colombian rock group Aterciopelados played at J.C. Fandango in Anaheim--the steady haven for Pan American bands in Orange County--singer Andrea Echeverri threw herself off the stage into the crowd. Fans held her above their heads like the hallowed diva, the “florecita rockera” (little rock blossom), she is for most Spanish-speaking rockers.

Since that 1997 concert, Aterciopelados was nominated for a Grammy Award in the newly established Latin Alternative Rock category for their 1996 Phil Manzanera-produced “La Pipa de La Paz” (The Peace Pipe); this summer, the group released its fifth CD, “Caribe Atomico,” both on the BMG Latin label.

In contrast to the mestizo rock of previous albums, Aterciopelados--paired down to its two primary members: Echeverri and bassist Hector Buitrago--has fused Latin nostalgia with post-millennium electronic visions.

“We wanted to make songs that could be listened to as if they were old songs in the year 2010,” said Echeverri, a slender 32-year-old with defiant tattoos on both arms.

Revamping the group allowed Echeverri to explore with her folksy soprano voice--Alex Duque’s punk-heavy drums are noticeably absent. It also gave Buitrago more freedom to create new textures through technology (loops and samples) without having to compete with other musicians, they said.

Previous albums told allegorical and humorous stories of urban and global social conflicts (read: women’s rights and environmental concerns). The sound was sometimes a grinding punk, often rock-steady meshed with South American coastal traditions that included their country’s own vallenato, or even Mexican mariachi.

“Caribe Atomico,” which was recorded last spring in New York and Bogota and produced by Andres Levin, explodes to all corners of the world with a stylized sound both daunting and festive.

“We felt we wanted to make a record with a unifying concept that reflected how we were feeling about the world,” Buitrago, 32, said. “It has an apocalyptic vision of a radioactive Caribbean. . . . it’s also a voice of alarm.”

Aterciopelados’ live sound, which will be heard again Sunday when the group returns to J.C. Fandango, hasn’t suffered despite its toned-down feel. Guitarist Alejo Gomezcaceres, who recorded with the duo on the previous album and subsequently toured with them, continues in the lineup. He’s joined by percussionist Nene Vasquez, and drummer Mauricio Montenegro.

Breaking out of their conservative upper-class upbringings, Echeverri and Buitrago helped forge the rock scene in Bogota a decade ago when they started Delia y los Aminoacidos (Delia & the Amino Acids), a psychedelic punk outfit with a screeching Echeverri on vocals.

In the last couple of years, the fertile Colombian scene, which boasts a massive summer music festival, has produced such fusion bands as Bloque and Ekhymosis along with radio-friendly pop singers Shakira and Soraya.

*

At the time Delia was playing, Echeverri was a ceramic-arts student, Buitrago a hard-core punk bassist. She didn’t start writing songs until Aterciopelados formed in 1990. Three years later the group released its first album, “Con el Corazon en la Mano” (With Heart in Hand).

The next album, “El Dorado,” defined the group musically with an ethnic rock sound, and less scattered lyrics that bore several hits, including “Florecita Rockera.”

That song, and Echeverri’s image, have become symbolic to young Latina rockers of emancipation from machista rigidity. The theme was evident on “Pipa de la Paz” with the song “Baracunatana,” and now on “Cafe Atomico” with “El Estuche.” One song tears apart societal standards of gender roles with a folksy tongue-and-cheek approach, the other rebukes lusting after superficial beauty.

“It’s always been important for us as a band to have meaningful lyrics that would break down antiquated standards for women,” Echeverri said, explaining how alternative lifestyles in Bogota can sometimes mean wearing a nose ring and a tattoo. “We’ve always found that humor is the best way to tackle these issues.”

* Aterciopelados and Hijos del Sol play Sunday at J.C. Fandango, 1086 N. State College Blvd., Anaheim. 8 p.m. $20. (714) 758-1057. Also Tuesday with Volumen Cero at House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 8 p.m. $20. (213) 848-5100.