The band was formed in 1987 by
Leonardo de Lozanne and Francisco "Paco" Huidobro, brother of Micky Huidobro of
Molotov. The original lineup consisted of Lozanne, Huidobro, bassist Javier Ramírez "El Cha!", keyboardist Iñaki Vazquez, and Gabriel Kuri on drums. Kuri was later replaced by Jorge ‘Chiquis’ Amaro who was followed by multi-instrumentalist
Jay de la Cueva, (lead singer of the Mexican
glam metal band
Moderatto). Fobia was one of the original bands to emerge from the rock en español /
Rock en tu idioma (
Rock in your language) boom of the late 1980s, alongside
Caifanes,
Maná, Neón,
Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio and
Los Amantes de Lola; all of which followed in the footsteps of
Soda Stereo – who by the late 1980s had amassed a huge following in the Americas. In December 1987,
RCA Ariola de México held a "
Rock en tu idioma" battle of the bands contest in
Mexico City. Fobia was eliminated early on and
Los Amantes de Lola went on to win the contest. In spite of their early elimination, executives from Ariola decided to schedule an appointment with Fobia. According to legend, the band missed their meeting with Ariola because they weren't able to enter the building due to problems with security. Following the incident, the band's luck improved.
Saúl Hernández of
Caifanes produced their first demos and Ariola eventually signed them. Fobia's early sound, like many of the genre, was heavily influence by 80's
new wave with a few notable exceptions:
David Bowie and
Kiss. Fobia's music has always embraced the fantastic and eccentric and contains large doses of irony and humor. Fobia steered clear of the political and cultural themes that were embraced by their contemporaries. According to Lozanne, "I think it was more of a strategy of the record companies. We never felt like we were part of a movement. We didn't dress like the other bands. We didn't sing about the things they were singing about". The name
Fobia was chosen because it described the insecurities, fears, and personal obsessions of the band members. These were transformed into melodies and music, and materialized into their first songs; "El microbito", "La iguana" and "El crucifijo", which they played in small bars and at house parties. Fobia's self-titled debut album
Fobia cemented their reputation as an innovative and original rock en español act. Produced by Oscar López, their self-titled album yielded classics such as "El Microbito", "El Crucifijo", and "La Iguana". In 1990, Fobia toured with
Caifanes,
Maná, and
Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio as part as a promotional tour for the emerging batch of Mexican rock bands. The following year Fobia released
Mundo Feliz (Happy World) which was recorded in
Mexico City and at
the Power Station in
New York City, again with Marteen.
Mundo Feliz yielded "Camilla" and "El Diablo". The album featured a cameo by Mexican rock/pop diva
Alejandra Guzmán. In 1993 Fobia release
Leche (Milk), a decidedly more experimental album, infusing Latin rhythms and alternative rock. The self-produced album became Fobia's least successful album to date. The lead single, "Los Cibernoides" (Cybernoids) was a critique of the Mexican media conglomerate
Televisa. Regardless of sales,
Leche was a critical success.
Leche saw the departure of original drummer Gabriel Kuri. For 1995's
Amor Chiquito (Small Love) Fobia enlisted famed Argentine producer and composer
Gustavo Santaolalla who had a long string of production credits during the 1990s, producing albums for Mexican acts such as
Café Tacuba,
Caifanes,
Molotov, and
Julieta Venegas. The album was mixed by Jim Kerr and
Tony Peluso, ex guitarist of
The Carpenters. For
Amor Chiquito, original drummer Gabriel Kuri was replaced by Jorge (Chiquis) Amaro, former drummer of
Neón.
Amor Chiquito was a more direct sounding album. The lead single “Revolucion sin Manos” was a guitar driven 4/4 stomper.
Amor put Fobia back on top of the
rock en español food chain. Fobia toured the U.S. and Latin America. Following the release of the album Kuri was replaced by
Jay de la Cueva, currently of
Moderatto, who at the time had worked with teen pop group
Micro Chips and played drums for
Las Víctimas del Doctor Cerebro. In 1997 Fobia participated in a
Queen tribute album with "Under Pressure" ("Presionando"). That same year Fobia released the live album
Fobia on Ice. Fobia disbanded in 1997. ==Reunion==