In Buenos Aires, This Band of Drummers Is a Hit with Both Locals and Tourists
La Bomba de Tiempo has been playing in the same spot—at the same time—for 17 years.
The lights went out, and my new friends and I fell silent. We and the rest of the crowd were standing in a courtyard with brightly painted, graffiti-covered walls, and the anticipation was palpable. The curtains rose to reveal the words “La Bomba de Tiempo” lit up on a screen, as well as a band of 14 drummers in red boiler suits being led by a conductor. Suddenly: an explosion of rhythms unlike anything I had ever heard.
The only thing I knew when I arrived at Ciudad Cultural Konex in Buenos Aires was that La Bomba de Tiempo, which is both the name of the band and their show, had been performing there every Monday for 17 years. What interested me, in particular, was that I’d heard the same suggestion to check them out from locals and travelers alike. It was a rare instance in which an experience was so intrinsic to a country’s culture that tourists couldn’t appropriate it.
I’d never previously considered that drums could be the main act of a musical performance, but was willing to give it a shot based on the overwhelming word-of-mouth. Typically, I aimed for less mainstream itineraries abroad, though my local Porteño friends insisted that if they could see La Bomba de Tiempo three or four times without being bored, I should at least watch them at least once. So, on an idyllic Argentine summer evening in December 2022, amid the World Cup finals, I found myself at a show so captivating that it ended up being the most extended amount of time in weeks I spent in a public setting without hearing a reference to Lionel Messi.
Before La Bomba de Tiempo formed in 2006, the drummers knew each other from the percussion music festival scene in Buenos Aires. Santiago Vázquez brought the band to life on the heels of having created what he called the system of “ritmo con señas”—which translates to something like “rhythm with signs”—a sign language designed explicitly for conducting musical compositions in real-time. He decided to recruit an eclectic group capable of producing danceable, potent music that genuinely represented the multifaceted culture of their city.
He would, naturally, serve as the conductor.
Vázquez managed to convince 17 established drummers to leave behind their gigs and comfort zones to create a new musical institution. And Luciano Larocca was one of them. He says that none of the bandmates would’ve found their freedom and purpose if it hadn’t been for Vazquez getting them to trust in their collective potential. Especially before they found their now-iconic sound. “I remember that the first two rehearsals, I brought different instruments, and they didn't work,” he says, “I couldn't quite find my place, and as a group, we were very far away from sounding good.”
A little wanderlust turned out to be the fix to Larocca’s problems. He traveled to the Bolivian jungle that summer and became infatuated with the Afro-Bolivian Saya rhythm. He returned home with a notched, gourd-shaped instrument from the güiro family. Upon listening, Vázquez declared he found his new instrument.
Other performers also conceded to certain agreements to ensure their collective success. And obviously, they all had to learn the system of ritmo con señas. But the challenge of performing while watching a conductor with a guided improvisation system was motivating. Meanwhile, getting a crew of adults to sync calendars presented its own set of issues; Monday at 7 pm turned out to be the only date and time everyone had available.
“The rest is history,” says Larocca, “Seventeen years later, we are still going to the same place at the same time.”
That isn’t to say there haven’t been changes—Vázquez left La Bomba de Tiempo in 2013 to pursue other musical passion projects based on his improvisational language. But the troop had his blessing and support to continue without him, and they began taking turns alternating as the conductor. Not to mention building on and improving their sound.
They have some famous fans, like Carlos Santana, who they opened for at the Dubai Jazz Festival, in 2016. They’ve also performed with national legends like Calle 13, Café Tacuba, and Jorge Drexler, as well as international favorites such as Coldplay. However, touring is limited to a few weeks out of the year because La Bomba de Tiempo's primary objective has always been to bring joy to Argentina. “I think the city needed a meeting ground like this,” says bandmate Gabriel Spiller. “One that provided a lot of freedom, to listen to music, dance as you want, meet new people, or drink with your friends. Our show created a space that could be a refuge against all evils.”
Spiller is referencing the fact that Argentina has been going through an unfathomable economic and political crisis in the past couple of decades—inflation has skyrocketed, the Argentine peso has plummeted in value, and the country is heavily divided by political power struggles and corruption. There’s no panacea for such deeply rooted national turmoil, but La Bomba de Tiempo has worked hard to ensure their self-managed cultural project keeps their beleaguered compatriots front and center.
La Bomba de Tiempo also intends to keep Ciudad Cultural Konex as their home base. The fact they’ve retained the same weekly venue despite their international demand is a testament to their patriotism and hearts as musicians. The group could have a residency anywhere, yet they continually choose to stay. They’re not motivated by fame and fortune but by celebrating and preserving their one-of-a-kind music.
Toward the end of the performance I witnessed in December 2022, the drummers started to countdown as the crowd all crouched to the floor. Soon enough, the conductor led the band into a final explosion and we collectively jumped into a hypnotic dance and screams.
"Otra!” the crowd yelled as the drummers began to walk off the stage. “One more!” From where I was standing, it felt like they were asking for much more than just another song.