Arístides Moreno

A Gran Canaria singer-songwriter born in Gáldar, active since the mid-1990s, whose music combines authorial song, humour, social criticism, Atlantic rhythms and a distinctive view of Canary Islands issues.

Arístides Moreno
Roles
Singer-songwriter · Composer · Performer · Guitarist
Genres
Singer-songwriter music · Musical humour · Atlantic fusion · Contemporary Canarian popular music · Samba, bossa nova, reggae and ska
Instruments
Voice · Guitar
Activity
1995

Biography

Arístides Moreno Medina is a Gran Canaria singer-songwriter born in Gáldar in 1972, known for work combining humour, social criticism and contemporary popular song linked to the Canary Islands.

Open biography

Music career

Arístides Moreno’s public career begins after his period with Tatueque, his first group, which ended in 1995; in that same year he began giving concerts at the former Centro Insular de Cultura in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. In 1998 he released the live album Samba de Otro Mundo and consolidated a repertory in which Horcon Boys became a reference song for explaining social and agricultural problems in the islands. El corsario de la biosfera, Espectro Lumínico and Economía Sumergida followed, with appearances at Spanish and international festivals and a Mexican mini-tour supported by Canarias Crea.

Contribution

His contribution to the Canary Islands music catalogue lies in bringing a humorous, critical and recognisable voice linked to everyday Canarian issues into contemporary popular song. He enjoys great popularity in the archipelago, has circulated through festivals such as WOMAD Canarias, Territorios Sevilla, Mercat de Música Viva de Vic and Ollín Kan, and has written widely resonant songs such as Horcon Boys, Posición horizontal and Felicidad. The 2025 Premio SER Canario recognised the continuing social relevance of lyrics written almost three decades earlier.

Style

His music is hard to label and shaped by humour. He himself defines it as European by education, African by geography and South American by heart. His stylistic range runs from samba, bolero, ballad and mambo to reggae, ska and Jamaican sounds in Economía Sumergida. His idea of “accidental music” incorporates games with other people’s music inside his songs, and his 101 Brass Band stage transforms that repertory into a brass-band format.

Repertoire

His repertory includes Samba de Otro Mundo and Horcon Boys as the first public core, songs such as Posición horizontal and Felicidad, the Espectro Lumínico cycle, Economía Sumergida with Agua viva, Cambullón and Cuando suba la marea, and the later Shinco stage and Abrasongs/BRASSong project with 101 Brass Band.

Legacy

His legacy can be seen in the continuity of a critical songbook that still works decades after its emergence. Horcon Boys retains value as a song about small banana farmers; Felicidad also circulated through La Cabra Mecánica; and recent concerts, the Premio SER Canario and collaboration with 101 Brass Band show work that has not remained confined to the 1990s.

Canary Islands connection

His Canarian connection rests on his birth in Gáldar, the start of his concerts in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, lyrics about social problems in the archipelago, his presence at Canary Islands festivals and institutional Canarias Crea support for external circulation.

Works and recordings

1998

Horcon Boys

Canción de Samba de Otro Mundo, defensa de los pequeños agricultores plataneros y uno de sus éxitos de amplio calado.

Posición horizontal

Uno de sus temas de mayor difusión pública.

Felicidad

Tema difundido también en una versión de La Cabra Mecánica con participación de Arístides Moreno.

Agua viva

Tema de Economía Sumergida con colaboración de Aterciopelados y relación con el festival canario Aguaviva.

Cangrejiando

Canción considerada entre los clásicos de la cultura musical de las islas dentro de su repertorio.

Timeline

  1. Nacimiento

    Nace en Gáldar, Gran Canaria, en 1972.

  2. Inicio en solitario

    Tras Tatueque, ofrece sus primeros conciertos en el antiguo Centro Insular de Cultura de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

  3. Samba de Otro Mundo

    Publica su primer disco, con Horcon Boys como una de las canciones centrales de su repertorio social.

  4. Espectro Lumínico

    Este tercer disco marca su punto de mayor reconocimiento dentro y fuera de las islas.

  5. Economía Sumergida

    Publica Economía Sumergida, disco que articula la gira española previa y la mini gira mexicana de 2009.

  6. Festival Ollín Kan

    Actúa en México D.F. dentro del Festival Ollín Kan con apoyo de Canarias Crea.

  7. Abrasongs / BRASSong

    Presenta nuevo disco y espectáculo junto a 101 Brass Band en Gáldar.

  8. Premio SER Canario

    SER Las Palmas anuncia su Premio SER Canario en categoría individual.

Sources

Arístides Moreno, un canario en el Festival Ollín Kan de MéxicoGobierno de Canarias ↗Arístides Moreno, premio SER CanarioCadena SER ↗Arístides Moreno: "El humor me permite comunicar cosas que de otra manera no podría hacerlo"Diario de Avisos ↗Arístides Moreno: "El arte es todo aquello que se hace con amor y esmero"Periodismo ULL ↗Arístides Moreno en la CanelaAyuntamiento de La Orotava ↗Economía SumergidaApple Music ↗Samba de Otro Mundo (En Vivo)Apple Music ↗Espectro LumínicoApple Music ↗