Rodrigo y Gabriela

Formed in Mexico in the mid-1990s, Rodrigo y Gabriela bring together guitarists Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero, who initially played in a metal band before turning to acoustic guitar. After early performances on Mexico City’s rock stages, the duo moved to Dublin in the late 1990s, gained attention in pubs and on the street, and gradually developed an entirely instrumental repertoire. Rodrigo y Gabriela’s music blends flamenco- and Latin-inspired rhythms, a rock and metal heritage, and folk-tinged melodic motifs, driven by the interplay between Rodrigo Sánchez’s lead guitar and Gabriela Quintero’s rhythmic, percussive accompaniment. The duo released re-Foc in 2002, then Rodrigo y Gabriela in 2006, which launched a period of international touring, followed by 11:11 in 2009 and Area 52 in 2012—a project recorded with the Cuban ensemble C.U.B.A. focused on new orchestral arrangements of their compositions. With 9 Dead Alive in 2014, Mettavolution in 2019 and In Between Thoughts... A New World in 2023, Rodrigo y Gabriela have continued to explore an acoustic guitar sound that is both melodic and highly rhythmic, regularly showcased at rock, jazz and world-music festivals in Europe, North America and Latin America, as well as in occasional collaborations for film soundtracks.