Los Amigos Invisibles (Spanish for "The Invisible Friends") is aVenezuelan band which plays a blend ofdisco,acid jazz andfunk mixed with Latin rhythms. In addition to releasing eleven critically acclaimed albums, the band have been lauded internationally for their explosive, live shows, spanning nearly 60 countries. They are considered the Venezuelan band with the greatest international recognition.^[1]

Los Amigos Invisibles
Background information
Origin	Venezuela
Genres	Acid jazz Disco Funk
Years active	1991–present
Labels	EMI Luaka Bop Gozadera Records Nacional Records
Members	Julio Briceño José Rafael Torres Juan Manuel Roura
Past members	Armando Figueredo José Luis Pardo Mauricio Arcas
Website	Official website

In 1995, EMI released their debut album,A Typical and Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance Band, which was a huge success in their home country, enabling them to sell out clubs around Caracas for the next couple of years. In 1996,David Byrne'sLuaka Boprecord label signed the group after discovering a CD they had planted in a New York City record store.^[2] Shortly thereafter, they went into the studio to work on their sophomore record,The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera, which was released in 1998. Two years later and under the direction of famed producerPhilip Steir, they releasedArepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey into Space, which received aGrammy nomination in the category of "Best Latin Alternative Album" and aLatin Grammy in the category of "Best Rock Album." Following the success of this release, the band relocated toNew York City and began work onThe Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol. 1, produced by"Little" Louie Vega ofMasters at Work. Initially, the album was released in theUK and Japan through Long Lost Brothers Records, although a year later Luaka Bop released the album in theUS, resulting in another Latin Grammy nomination in the category of "Best Alternative Latin Album."

After ending theirrecording contract with Luaka Bop, Los Amigos Invisibles started their own label, Gozadera Records. The first release,Chill Out Venezuela, was a multiple-genre collection of Venezuelan artists, produced by Los Amigos Invisibles. For Gozadera's next release and the band's fifth studio album, they enlistedDimitri from Paris to produce a collection of Venezuelan cover songs entitled,Super Pop Venezuela, which was initially offered in their native country only. In 2006, the album was released in the US, landing the band another Grammy nomination, in the category of "Best Urban Latin Alternative Album."

After three more years, Los Amigos Invisibles released their album,Commercial, in a joint production between Gozadera Records andNacional Records. In an interview with America'sNational Public Radio,^[3] the band explained that the change in style was not by accident, nor was the decision to name the latest projectCommercial. Rather, it was a tongue-in-cheek reference to band's former musical self.^[3] The release was a hit in Venezuela, debuting at #1 on the music charts. During the week of July 7, 2009, their song, "Vivire Para Ti" featuringNatalia Lafourcade, was offered as Single of the Week in theiTunes music store and in November 2009,Commercial won the Latin Grammy in the category ofBest Alternative Music Album.

Following theirGrammy win, 2010 saw festival appearances and shows throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

In 2011, the band releasedNot So Commercial, anEP of outtakes from theCommercial album. This album was a nominee for theGrammy Award for Best Latin Pop, Rock or Urban Album in 2012.

In April 2013,Repeat After Me was released.^[4] This album received aGrammy nomination in the category of "Best Latin Alternative Album" and aLatin Grammy in the categories of "Best Alternative Album", "Song of the year" and "Best Cover".

In 2014, the band were named Pop Artist of the Year at thePepsi Venezuela Music Awards.^[5] That year, keyboardist Armando Figueredo and guitarist José Luis Pardo (Cheo) left the band. Both were original members.

In 2015, the band releasedAcústico, a compilation of their greatest hits played in an acoustic style.

2017 saw the release of the albumEl Paradise. This was followed by a concert tour in the United States.

In 2019 they won aLatin Grammy Award again, this time in the category "Best Alternative Song" with the song "Tócamela".

• Julio Briceño (a.k.a. "Chulius", vocals, percussion, songwriting)
• José Rafael Torres (a.k.a. "Catire", bass, songwriting)
• Juan Manuel Roura (a.k.a. "Mamel", or "Mamulo," drums, percussion, songwriting)

• Armando Figueredo (a.ka. "Armandito", keyboards, background vocals)
• José Luis Pardo (a.k.a. "Cheo" or "DJ Afro", guitar)
• Mauricio Arcas (a.k.a. "Maurimix", percussion, background vocals)

• A Typical and Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance Band (1995)
• The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera (1998)
• Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey into Space (2000)
• The Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol. 1 (2003)
• Super Pop Venezuela (2005)
• Super Pop Venezuela, Remixes (2008)
• En una noche tan linda como ésta (2008)
• Commercial (2009)
• Not So Commercial (2011)
• Repeat After Me (2013)
• Acústico (2015)^[4]
• El Paradise (2017)
• A Typical and Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance Band Remastered (2020)
• Cool Love (2022)

• Venezuelan music

• Official website
• Los Amigos Invisibles' myspace website
• Los Amigos Invisibles at Yahoo Music