French music magazine “Cocazine” once asserted that Ocho y Media were the most active band on the Parisian salsa-ragga-ska scene. Their repertoire of lively, upbeat tunes, coupled with their positive, good-vibe energy and stage presence, has lead to Ocho y Media's conquest of some of the biggest venues in France and beyond for quite some time. The result: Everyone from Salsa lovers to Rockers alike, have been responding with nothing but bags of enthusiasm and zeal.
In 2003, Ocho y Media were hailed a “revelation” at the “La Noche” festival in Lille, France, when they brought the house down with a knock-out performance before a crowd of more than 4,000 revelling fans. Their rapturous set was sandwiched between the performances of legendry Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez and Spanish group Amparanoia.
In 2004, they passed a crucial milestone with the release of their celebrated first album “Llego la hora!”, a collection of 12 songs - 10 of which were original works. With no marketing funds to speak of for the album - period, they still managed to sell more than 500 copies directly to the public, and a further 5,000 copies just on the back of positive articles and radio exposure (Radio Nova, Latina, Fip, amongst others). This first album also proved a huge success in Colombia, and especially in the clubs and radio stations of downtown Cali. Their success was crowned there when their hit single “Pesadilla” was awarded “Best Salsa Song” in 2005!
Still on a roll back in Europe, the band continued to shine throughout 2004, filling esteemed venues like the Villette summer scenes festival in Paris with crowds in excess of 4,000. And in 2005, they played the most renowned salsa festival in Europe - “Tempo Latino” in Vic-Fezensac, France.
