An oral history of Nacional Records, the indie label that has shaped Latin alternative for 20 years

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

When Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Tomas Cookman founded Nacional Records 20 years ago, the label immediately established itself as the defining voice of Latin alternative in the U.S.Cookman’s inaugural release was the luminous, self-titled solo debut by Andrea Echeverri, lead singer of Colombia’s pioneering Rock en Español act Aterciopelados.He followed it up with “Tijuana Sessions Vol.

3,” the much anticipated sophomore effort from Latintronica outfit Nortec Collective.(As it turns out, the band never recorded a Vol.

2.)Released in March and July of 2005, respectively, the two albums introduced Nacional as a boutique imprint with a finger on the pulse of the Latin music zeitgeist.But the label’s aesthetic was never about a specific sound.

What it offered instead was a point of view, one that was visionary and omnivorous.In the years that followed, Nacional shepherded future stars (Ana Tijoux, Bomba Estéreo, ChocQuibTown), invested in beautiful failures (Liquits, She’s a Tease) and lured genre legends into its fold (Manu Chao, Aterciopelados, Fabulosos Cadillacs, Los Amigos Invisibles).

It also released excellent records by non-Latin artists such as Talking Heads side project Tom Tom Club, and Japan’s iconic Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.In the process, the label amassed over 100 Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations, and co-founded the Latin Alternative Music Conference, which takes place every summer in New York.When the rock-based alternative movement all but collapsed during the 2010s, replaced by the urgency of trap and reggaetón, Nacional recalibrated its curatorial approach and became more eclectic than ever.

It delved into tango, música Mexicana and urbano stylings.The label is celebrating its 20th birthday with the release of “The Story of Nacional Records,” a two-volume, double-LP vinyl compilation of 51 tracks selected by Cookman himself, out n...