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Gustavo A. Santaolalla (b. 1952) is an Argentine musician, film composer and producer whose musical style frequently combines elements of rock, soul, African rhythms and Latin American folk. His work has won him two Academy Awards.
BiographySantaolalla's professional music career began in 1967, when he co-founded the group Arco Iris, an Argentine band that pioneered the fusion of rock and Latin American folk as part of 'rock nacional'. The band adopted the lifestyle of a yogic commune guided by former model Danais Wynnycka (known as Dana) and her partner, musician Ara Tokatlian. The band had a few hits, such as Mañana Campestre ("Country Morning"), and made inroads into different forms of expression (notably a ballet piece for Oscar Aráiz), but Santaolalla felt constricted by the strict requirements of Dana's teachings, which forbid meat, alcohol and drugs, and mandated abstinence from sex. He left the group in 1975.
As a solo artist, he has recorded three albums. His first self-titled album, Santaolalla (1981), broke new ground by incorporating the "eighties" sound into rock in Argentina for the first time. He was joined by Lerner and the Willy Iturry-Alfredo Toth rhythm section, who were two-thirds of the band GIT. His second album, titled Gas, was released in 1995. His most recent solo album, titled Ronroco (1998), contained several tracks with the characteristic sound of the charango, a folk string instrument, that poured into what constituted his next significant endeavor: music for movies. Ronroco also contains his (nearly)-solo piece for charango Iguazu, which has been used for the films The Insider by Michael Mann and Babel by Alejandro González Iñárritu and the track De Ushuaia a La Quiaca used by Walter Salles in his The Motorcycle Diaries. Santaolalla aided the development of Rock en Español by acting as producer for Mexican acts Fobia, Molotov, Café Tacuba, Julieta Venegas, the Colombian singer Juanes, Argentine rock bands Divididos and Bersuit Vergarabat and León Gieco's "De La Quiaca a Ushuaia" (1 and 2), among many others. Santaolalla transferred his efforts to film soundtracks in the late 1990s, producing albums for the films Amores Perros, 21 Grams and The Motorcycle Diaries. Currently based in California where he first moved in 1978, one of his more recent contributions has been to the instrumental music for the soundtrack to the 2005 Ang Lee film, Brokeback Mountain, from which "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" won the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Santaolalla has received a 2006 Academy Award for Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) for Brokeback Mountain. In 2007, he received his second Academy Award for the film Babel. He dedicated the award to his father and to his country Argentina.
In addition to his film work, Santaolalla has acted as the producer of Gaby Kerpel's Carnabailito and co-produced the Kronos Quartet's Nuevo, an album which renders homage to the rich musical heritage of Mexico. He has also been part of the resurgent neo-tango movement, as prime mover behind the Bajofondo Tango Club collective. He is also mentioned as the producer of Calle 13's song "Tango del Pecado", from their upcoming album "¿Residente o Visitante?".
Filmography
Awards and nominationsAwards
Nominations
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