The origins of Bomba Estéreo go back to 2001 when Bogotá native Simón Mejía was part of a loose collective of musicians and visual artists under the name A.M. 770. Their music was influenced by Colombian groups such as Sidestepper and Bloque de Busqueda who in the late 1990s had started combining traditional Colombian musical rhythms such as salsa and cumbia with modern electronic beats and dance music. By 2005, A.M. 770 had effectively become Mejía's solo project and he began to focus more on the musical side of his work, changing the name of the group to Bomba Estéreo. The first results of his new project was the seven-track mini-album Vol. 1 (2006). By the time the second album Estalla was released in 2008, Bomba Estéreo had developed into a full band. Estalla was released the following year in the US under the title Blow Up, with the single Fuego gaining worldwide attention. The band has since released four more studio albums, performed at SXSW, Coachella, Austin City Limits and Roskilde, as well as collaborated with multiple artists, including Manu Chao, Timbaland and Bad Bunny.