ABOUT | ATAJO

Photo by Olaya Tapia, 2022

Atajo shared stages with international Latin American groups such as: Aterciopelados (Colombia), Manu Chao (France), Cultura Profética (Puerto Rico), Sargento García (France), Facundo Cabral (Argentina), Molotov (Mexico), Café Tacuva (Mexico), Sheriff Dub Killa (Colombia), Arturo Meza (Mexico), Nito Mestre (Argentina), David Lebón (Argentina), Philip ¨Citizen¨ (Senegal). El Callegüeso and la mambanegra (Colombia), Mauresca (France) and others.

Latest festival performance in Sweden:

NGBG Gatufest Malmö 2023.
Kuluturnatten Lund 2019, 2021, 2023.
Lundakarnevalen 2022.

Atajo is not a style of music, but a way of traveling the world making music and living it, ¨To reach people's hearts, touch their souls and ignite their minds¨.

Atajo burst in to the scene as a multicultural band in the mystical and rebellious city of La Paz, Bolivia. This project was born, grew, and evolved from its very inception, driven by the initiative, vision, and passion flowing through the veins of 'Panchi Maldonado.' He chose not to name the project after himself, and for this reason, in 1996, he baptized the band as Atajo. A name they would use as a reference and always choose on the path of life, a 'shortcut' - The shortest and most direct path to any projection one may have.

Since then, numerous Bolivian musicians and individuals from different parts of the world have joined in this entire adventure, undoubtedly contributing with their professional, human, and cultural talent, under the guidance and direction of Panchi.

The roots of the band are deeply embedded in Bolivia, but over time, Atajo learned to move and expand to other corners, other lands, and break boundaries. Currently, from Scandinavia, Sweden, Atajo continues its journey, this time with a band composed of musicians hailing from Cuba, Bolivia, and Sweden.

Atajo is not confined to a single musical genre; rather, it has explored various Latin American rhythms, blending them with rock, blues, dub, and reggae. It has skillfully woven together elements of cumbia, huayno, candombe, son, festejo, and saya. It has opened the doors to the entire cultural diversity yet to be discovered, enriching our musical spectrum. The result of all this work has successfully forged a distinctive hybrid character, fusing all these cultural expressions in each of Atajo's works.

Photo by Noah Friedman, 2017

Since its inception, Atajo has been a powerful and representative voice in its social environment. Panchi has been the heart and the pen behind the impactful lyrics that characterize the band. Atajo has remained one of the most relevant dissenting bands in Bolivia and Latin America, staying true to its ethics throughout its trajectory.

Atajo believes in cultural diversity, as it is the essence with which it was born and the path it has traveled, always in harmony with different ways of thinking and being. Its goal has been one: to reach people's hearts, touch their souls, and ignite their minds.

Atajo is a multicultural reference in Latin American music, capable of challenging and questioning those in positions of power, but also of connecting with the most authentic and straightforward cultural expressions of society. Their music not only prompts reflections and highlights the injustices of an exclusive and colonial society but also invites everyone to be a part of this journey through the Atajo. That's why so many young and not so young individuals continue to follow and passionately dance to the beat of their music.

After all these years since that distant 1996 when this dream began, Atajo continues its journey around the world, never pausing in its musical exploration and creation. Always under Atajo's guidance, which has become synonymous with Panchi Maldonado, we move forward, writing our story and bringing our music to every possible corner.

Atajo, Sweden.