Monareta first came together when composer, producer and vocalist Andres Martinez started mixing break beats and hip hop flows with keyboardist Camilo Sanabria in clubs and festivals throughout Bogota. The bikes they rode were neither Mongoose nor GT, but Monaretas. Influenced by groups like the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, Monareta pays homage to the '80s break-dance, hip hop, BMX and fashion scene sounds that came from abroad, and captures how it all came to influence the youth in South America. Splitting time between Colombia and Brooklyn, the group just capped off the U.S. tour for its 2008 release, Picotero.

Contributed by: Ian Merkel