Campo is essentially a creative collective led by Juan Campodónico, a musician, producer, and composer from Uruguay whose musical vision blends cumbia, hip-hop, alternative rock, and techno into a potent and commercial international fusion. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1971, Campodónico spent a good part of his childhood in Mexico in exile with his family after the 1973 coup in his home country, and when general elections were finally held in 1984, he returned home to Montevideo and immersed himself in the local music scene. He formed a band, El Peyote Asesino, in the mid-'90s, and the group, which mixed hip-hop and grunge, released two albums and generated a bit of international attention before splitting up, and Campodónico turned his attention to production for a time. He formed the group Bajofondo with fellow musician and producer Gustavo Santaolalla as the decade closed, and the band released several successful albums that generated both local and international interest. Campodónico and Santaolalla started the Campo recording project a decade or so into the 21st century, using the musicians from Bajofondo and also the talents of Swedish singer Ellen Arkbro, Annibel Kerpel, songwriter Martin Rivero, and engineer Joe Chiccarelli. The collective, calling itself Campo, released an independent album on Bizarro Records, simply called Campo, in 2012. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi