Feliz Día De La Independencia 2011: Our Third Annual Mexican Musical Primer
By Arturo R. García
It’s Sept. 16, which means it’s Mexican Independence Day – please remind any friends who might be confused about the occasion that it’s not in May – and also time for our annual peek at musical goodness from the (personal) Motherland.
Kicking it off in the clip above is Molotov, rock en español‘s longtime agent provocateurs, who are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year with a tour, and are expected to drop an album later this year.
Overall, though, this year’s spotlight is a bit different from our 2010 and 2009 installments, mostly because of the rise of a new genre, ruidosón, a successor of sorts to the Nortec movement from earlier this decade, which fuses old-school rhythms with modern tech to create a sound that, while retaining some familiarity, is exploring new territory. More beats than you can handle are under the cut.
Maria y Jose – Puerto Alegría (2011) by TJMUSICALLIANCE
The Name: María y José
The Style: Antonio Jiménez (there’s no María, for the record) is one of ruidosón’s burgeoning leaders, with two albums already under his belt.
The Buzz: ““Puerto Alegría” is an immediate contender for -2011 Song of the Summer-, and it’s undeniably, María y José’s catchiest song yet. It’s so sticky you could easily confuse him with a popstar. ” – Club Fonograma
The Name: Los Macuanos
The Style: Three-man Ruidosón crew rides a similar chill wave as MyJ, with music bridging the gap between traditional grupero music and club-friendly sounds.
The Buzz: “Los Macuanos take inspiration from a wealth of resources — New York City no-wave, Detroit techno, rural Mexican music; the list goes on—and I wouldn’t be surprised if San Diegans eventually get keen on their borderless sounds.” – San Diego CityBeat.
Javier Estrada – Songo Latino by djjavierestrada
The Name: DJ Javier Estrada
The Style: Hailing from Monterey, Nuevo León – the same city that gave us the mighty Kinky – Estrada is as prolific as he is prodigious; all four of his Ritmo Del Mundo mixtapes were released within one year.
The Buzz: “Whether injecting gravitational strength to The Police’s ‘Roxanne,’ outing Lalo Mora from his norteño cave in ‘Mi Casa Nueva,’ or adding some bloody spills of his own in María y José’s ‘Violentao,’ Estrada is a force of mammoth tropical bass and technological nature.” – Club Fonograma
The Name: Mexican Institute Of Sound
The Style: EMI Mexico President Camilo Lara steps out from behind his desk to create traditional/tech pastiches comparable to groups like Nortec Collective. Released the Suave Patria EP right around the time of last year’s guide.
The Buzz: “Fusing the sounds of old Mexico with different tracks and sounds that make you wanna pull a dance move or two while all the head-nodders will get their fill of bass is what this release is about. As eclectic as sounds come while retaining it’s roots it’s nice to see musical history repeated in a fresh and palatable way to the generation of now.” – When Giants Meet.
The Name: Ximena Sariñana
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