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ABOUT US

While Birosca Carioca began as a vegetarian restaurant, it became a bar almost simultaneously, and quickly transformed into a dancehall where thousands visited weekly. Its clientele was a reflection of the unique population that Merida had in the 90s. Students, professors, artisans, professionals, politicians, artists, and entrepreneurs often gathered together weekly in lines that could stretch two blocks to get in. Birosca established itself as a live music venue presenting local, national and international bands which added to the story of this colonial house turned discotheque. A decade ago its legacy alone was enough for it to be considered a cultural phenomenon but Birosca continued to adapt, hosting art galleries, theatre productions and poetry readings. Still faithful to its original playlist, its inclusive style, and its mosh pit after midnight it became a symbol of the varied and unique music of its own era. Today a tourism and historic icon of the city of Merida, Venezuela and a collective memory of what the city was at one time , we attempt to explain Birosca here in photos, videos, stories, and playlists. We are dedicated to upholding the standard of respect and gratitude to the music that started everything, putting it before the momentary trends and publicity stunts that change constantly. Here we listen to music, and dance, without show, without propaganda, without pretension, since 1991.

Welcome to the temple.

EL PROYECTO

For the last 33 years Birosca has been witness to the magic that music brings to a place and to the people that frequent it. We can testify to its unique place in our memories and the way it invites us to grow almost effortlessly beyond our immediate surroundings and appreciate the infinite ways there are to exist. Understanding these observations to be of greater importance than our commercial value, our goal is to establish a platform preserving this particular spot between music and people.

Considering the obstacles the city of Merida has faced in the last decade we believe it is time for us to shift our focus. We have seen too many long term businesses fail. As an underground bar we cannot rely on the marketing structures of today without losing something fundamental to the music and movement that created us. Nor can we rely on our past popularity. We identify deeply with this town in this strange parallel we have shared through the last three decades, somewhere between an unidentifiable future and a bright past, but with that uniqueness only Meridenos can fully comprehend.

It has been a privilege for us to witness the remaining population of this city focus on getting through this crisis despite the extraordinary challenges presented daily. At this point, not only our livelihoods but also our actual perspectives and personalities have been altered by our particular experiences, and yet Merida continues on, often in good spirits. This resilience is our inspiration. We hope that this project will be of some logistical and personal assistance to these efforts. Out of difficult situations often emerge thought-provoking projects and solutions, and we hope to be present to be part of this awakening and support it.

Music, whether it originates in the remote Australian outback or a busy city corner, is intrinsically tied to its surroundings. These musical environments are constantly evolving. In stark contrast to today’s music industry, often dominated by global trends and mass production, Birosca Carioca, in the 1990s, miraculously provided co-existing musical environments and sustained them for three decades. This unique model of preserving music through the subcultures it is able to create serves as a crucial reference point. We believe that the music of the past, with its authentic connection to local communities, has a role to play in shaping the future and can be tangibly represented in local spaces like ours, and hopefully others around the world. This not only bridges a tangible gap between talents and influences, and generations, but also provides a bridge between the future and the past.

HISTORIA DE BIROSCA CARIOCA

Mérida, Venezuela (Antecedentes de 1991)

The city of Merida, capital of Merida State, is a small city in the Andes of Venezuela. Home to an estimated 500,000 people with about a million statewide, its population density is approximately 90 people per square kilometer. With vast regions of mountains and valleys surrounding the city itself, as well as its various towns, historically Merida had painted a distinct panoramic for people seeking to live somewhere between urban, suburban and rural livelihoods.

From 1960 to 1990 the city blossomed into a haven for both Venezuelans and international tourists interested in this opportunity for an alternative lifestyle. Untouched by the pervasive marketing of today, Merida's allure was organic. Its perfect climate which is warm in the day and cold at night, differs from the rest of Venezuela, attracting both national and international guests. Situated between the mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada and the Sierra La Culata at 1600m.osl, with a range of ecosystems similar to rain forests and extending through extensive cloud forest up to high mountain moorlands, Merida was a magnet for nature and adventure enthusiasts. Meanwhile, its colonial history and architecture attracted traditional and religious tourism.

In addition to its megadiverse flora and fauna, Merida was home to the second oldest university of the nation, the University of the Andes. Recognized worldwide in the 1990s, the U.O.A. was the second largest in the nation, attracting individuals and institutions, professors and students, on a magnified scale. Often Merida was referred to as a university with a city within its walls: the influence of which was a base for the cultural and intellectual pursuits of the entire region, from the center of the city to the numerous towns surrounding it. Gasoline, practically free up until 2015, allowed people to seek out and build their homes in the countryside despite the challenges of the lack of phone service. Distinct communities with distinct values were created. A homogenization between the original residents, the university culture, and re-settlers from within Venezuela and abroad creating a unified front of a population thriving on its interest in art and music, nature and learning. The result was the ideal background for a revolutionary cultural space to emerge in 1991.

...HISTORY OF BIROSCA CARIOCA...

Birosa 1991 Años Formativos

Birosca Carioca was founded by Oscar Gonzalez. Born in the Canary Islands, Oscar emigrated to Venezuela at the age of 9, settling in the city of Puerto Ordaz, the closest city to the Brazilian-Venezuelan border. In the 1980’s Oscar traveled to Brazil several times. It was these trips that gave him the idea to open a Birosca in Venezuela. Birosca is a term of various interpretations, the most common being an underground community bar, often informal, sometimes the meeting place of old friends. This idea stayed with him for several years but did not take shape seriously until he arrived in Merida in the late 1980s.

In Merida Oscar briefly opened a clothing store before renting space in a colonial home turned commercial center. Birosca opened initially as a vegetarian restaurant in July 1991. Accompanied by friends and fellow music enthusiasts, Oscar gathered together some reels and cassettes, and pieced together a sound system, along with a few tables and chairs. They were all living rurally as residents of Santos Marquina, a town on the outskirts of Merida. Without phone service themselves they hoped to establish a meeting point where friends could get together and and hoped to start a bar where friends could get together and listen to music. Considering that most rural residents of the region had no telephone service they hoped to establish a meeting point but had not considered the possibility that birosca would draw the amount of people it did, establishing itself as an overnight phenomenon.

Merida's magic was partly due to its isolation but this absence of trends often let traditional influences dominate where nothing else took their place. While bars with alternative styles opened briefly and closedthe nightclubs that remained had strict dress codes and allowed only exclusive clients which many residents found superficial and overbearing. Birosca appeared as almost the opposite of these establishments not only in its target clientele and atmosphere, but also in its musical selection.

...HISTORY OF BIROSCA CARIOCA...

Diversidad Musical

While Venezuela's mainstream embraced genres like vallenato, ranchera, and national folk music, Birosca offered an alternative to this peculiarly isolated population of Merida. Initially, the playlist was eclectic, featuring Brazilian rhythms and even New Age sounds (It was a vegetarian restaurant after all). However, Birosca's unique setlist transformed rapidly as clients, tourists and newcomers added from their personal collections. Combined with its revolutionary inclusive atmosphere, its intention of having people dance the entire night, and the magic that comes from listening to music that was not accessible nor acceptable in other places contributed to a musical experience that would continue to enthrall patrons for the next three decades.

However, Birosca’s playlist was not about defying local trends; it happened to coincide with a golden age of groundbreaking Latin American music. Spanning the 1980s and 90s, this era was marked by an explosion of innovative creativity that defied easy categorization. Bands like Panteón Rococó (Mexico), Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (Argentina), Os Paralamas do Sucesso (Brazil), Desorden Público (Venezuela), Molotov (Mexico), and Todos Tus Muertos (Argentina) redefined the musical landscape. Blending rock, ska, reggae, and rap, with Caribbean, African, and Indigenous influences the result was a bold, eclectic, and entirely original and unrepeatable sound.

Unlike the stereotypical view of Latin American music as solely focused on danceable rhythms for couples, these bands offered a sophisticated mix of social commentary, political satire, and irresistible grooves. Largely unrecognized outside Latin America, they became a testament to the region’s musical ingenuity and diversity. Birosca embraced these bands so passionately that their music became a ritual. As the venue’s popularity grew, it became a cornerstone of the city’s tourism, with its unique fusion of 80s and 90s Latin American music serving as a part of its attraction. The Birosca playlist, sold on the streets to both tourists and locals, became a symbol of the city’s cultural identity. Every night was a testament to the power of music to transcend borders, cultures, and languages.

Latin American music was a foundational element of the bar, but it also embraced a wide range of global genres. For many, this space served as their first introduction to artists like Bob Marley and Pink Floyd. During the 1990s, Birosca became known for playing music that was rarely heard elsewhere, featuring a mix of classic, alternative, and hard rock in both English and Spanish, as well as Caribbean and World Reggae. Classic Ska to Ska Punk from all over the globe and the burgeoning underground Rap also found an enduring place within Birosca's nightly set. The peculiarity of the transition from Metal to Salsa Brava remains an understood tradition to this day.

This dedication to musical diversity has shaped Birosca’s iconic 34-year-old playlist. In the 1990s, it was shared on the streets as mixed tapes; in the 2000s, as burned CDs—a common practice in South America. By the 2010s, it found its way to YouTube, and today, it lives on in the Spotify search box. This evolution across four distinct formats underscores its enduring uniqueness. The playlist brings together legendary artists from across the globe: from Eminem to Canserbero, Alpha Blondy to Gondwana, Rammstein to Bomba Estéreo, Rage Against the Machine to Todos Tus Muertos, and Sublime to Os Paralamas. Spanning six major genres, countless subgenres, and at least five languages, it celebrates over 70 years of music history. Birosca stands as a physical testament to the power of music—a place where metalheads dance to salsa and salsa lovers dance to ska, creating a priceless cultural phenomenon. This seamless blending of genres became Birosca’s signature, proving music’s unparalleled ability to unite diverse audiences through its universal language.

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2000-2010

Mientras los venezolanos tradicionalmente abrazaban el vallenato, la ranchera y las canciones folclóricas tradicionales, Birosca ofrecía un vistazo a otros géneros que ya estaban prosperando en América Latina y el mundo. La música que estaba ganando popularidad en otros lugares surgió en Birosca como algo "underground". Inicialmente, la lista de reproducción incluía ritmos brasileños e incluso sonidos New Age. La selección evolucionó cuando clientes y turistas contribuyeron con rollos de cinta, casetes y, más tarde, en la década de 1990, CDs de sus propias colecciones personales. Combinado con su atmósfera revolucionaria e inclusiva, su misión de mantener a la gente bailando toda la noche y la magia de escuchar música que no era accesible ni aceptada en otros lugares, Birosca creó una experiencia musical hecha a la medida para Mérida y los amantes de la música que la consideraban su hogar. Esta experiencia cautivará a los visitantes durante décadas.

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2010-2020

Sin embargo, la lista de reproducción de Birosca nunca trató de desafiar las tendencias locales. En cambio, coincidió con una edad de oro de la música latinoamericana revolucionaria. Abarcando las décadas de 1980 y 90, esta época estuvo marcada por una explosión de creatividad innovadora que desafiaba una fácil categorización. Bandas como Panteón Rococó (México), Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (Argentina), Os Paralamas do Sucesso (Brasil), Desorden Público (Venezuela), Molotov (México) y Todos Tus Muertos (Argentina) se inspiraron en un rico tapiz de ritmos latinoamericanos, fusionando