Mexican Bands Music Lovers Need to Know
Five Cutting-Edge Mexican Artists Heating Up the Music Scene
Feb 10, 2009
The music genre lines blur as Mexican bands blend rhythms of all kind to create new, refreshing beats. From alternative and Mexican regional to indie and electronica, these bands have experimented with different sounds that result in a unique sampling of the next generation of urban latin music.
Camilo Lara, also an avid record collector, exploded on the music scene in 2006 with his album Méjico Máxico, a mesh of sounds including electronica, hip-hop, cumbia and funk. Rolling Stone Mexico named his sophomore album, Piñata, "One of the 10 Best Albums of the Year." Lara has described his music as chaotic and schizophrenic, inspired by the urban madness of Mexico City and Mexican pop culture. His former one-man band has grown, and his third album, Soy Sauce, will be released April 2009.
Lara shared his top cutting-edge Mexican band picks with Suite101. Here's who this indie cult favorite suggests should be in everyone's media player. (Lara provided the band names, Suite101 provided the descriptions.)
Los Fancy Free
This Mexico City-based band features vocalist Martin Thulin whose nickname is Mennonita Rock. Thulin was born in a northern Mexico (Chihuahua) Scandinavian Mennonite community. Thulin has said that his parents were Mennonite hippies who could not fully conform to Mennonite traditional ways. The family moved to Sweden where Thulin was raised.
As an adult, Thulin moved back to Mexico City and released his first album Mennonita Rock. Los Fancy Free describe their beats as "raw punkish electro pop" with a regional Mexican flair.
No Somos Machos Pero Somos Muchos (NSM PSM)
These DJs-turned-band earned notoriety for their mash ups that combine songs from artists unlikely to play together to create a new sound. A popular mash up included a fusion of Café Tacvba with Fat Boy Slim. Mexican DJs Pato (Patricio Watson) and Kay (Karim González) joined forces on an album with original material along with a few of their famous mash ups. Their debut album Music vs. Music fuses hip-hop, soul, cumbia and rock.
Juan Son
Not to be confused with the German punk/rock band by the same name, this Guadalajara, Mexico, native Juan Carlos Son rose to star status as lead vocalist of the 2004 Mexican indie rock band Porter. Juan Son plans to release his first solo album Mermaid Sashimi in the first half of 2009.
Juan Son's alternative, pop, and experimental sounds join other top Mexican bands in the soundtrack of Mexican movie Rudo y Cursi, featuring Mexico's beloved acting duo Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna.
Silverio
Famous for his high-energy, outrageous live performances (which often involve him stripping to his underwear), Silverio has become the band that people love to hate. His electronic party music hit the European club scene, making his single Yepa Yepa Yepa, an international success that has gone multi-platinum. The polemic Silverio is the alter ego of Chilpancingo, Guerrero-born Julian Lede.
Bufi
Mateo González Bufi, of Mexico City, does not fit the average laptop rocker image. This young artist studies classical guitar and is considered a thoughtful musical academic. Bufi applies his musical theory foundation to the indie dance scene with splashes of electrofunk elements in his Homeless Hero EP.
It's an exciting time for music in Mexico, especially Mexico City, the raucous capital of 20-million people. Mexican bands are heading into unchartered waters, and the result is anything but boring. For music lovers who have been tuned out of the Mexican music scene, it's a good time to plug back in.
 |
 |
