Cool and collected as always, Cerati signs autographs after the press conference.

Gustavo Cerati, famous for his inspiring, sometimes metaphysical lyrics and progressive electronic sound, hasn't missed a beat since he left behind Soda Stereo in 1997. He proved as much when he performed in front of an awe-struck crowd at Quito's La Casa de la Cultura on May 26. Since venturing out on his own, Cerati has managed to become even more illustrious than his former band, and he is at least as popular as comparable international Trip Hop sensations Massive Attack and Portishead.

At the age of twelve, Cerati pulled together a trio and started playing at family gatherings. Within a few years he graduated from back yard barbecues to clubs, and after a few more he hit the international music scene with a vengeance. Cerati's musical career began in earnest shortly after he met future Soda base player Hector "Zeta" Bosio at the University of El Salvador in 1979. While he studied, Gustavo experimented with various forms of music and played in both a rock and a jazz band, all of which influenced the unique sound that emerged when he and Bosio finally teamed up with Charley Alberti in 1983 to form Soda Stereo.

The consumate entertainer, Cerati feels the crowd and gives them what they want: more Bocanada!

CBS Records approached Soda inside of few months of the band's birth, and in December of 1984 the album "Soda Stereo" was released to the public. Before the band dissolved, it recorded nine original LPs, several collections of its most popular songs, and a few remixes. During his tenure with Soda, Cerati also recorded solo albums such as "Amor Amarillo", but it wasn't until June 1999 that he released "Bocanada", the first and long awaited album of his official solo career. With hybrid folk-electric song "Raiz" and the complex recording of "Verbo Carne", that required 48 musicians, it's no wonder that "Bocanada" went gold almost immediately.

Gustavo gettin' jiggy with it.

Cerati's prolific career seems to be ever rising, however, even this talented Argentinean will have trouble bettering the year he had in 1999. Rounding out the decade with such honors as best soloist of the year and artist of the decade, Cerati very well may have reached his height. Gracias por venir a Quito Señor Cerati, we hope you can top yourself yet again.

We would like to thank Jose Luis Iturralde, Hernan Cueva, and Christian Cruz from Team Producciones for bringing Cerati to Quito and for their help, without which this article would not have been possible.