Great Mexican music?

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countertext
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Great Mexican music?

Post by countertext » Sun Nov 14, 2021 9:51 am

I teach elementary music to 5-11 year old kids in a public school. I feature a different “Musician of the Week” for the kids in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades each time I see them, which luckily averages out to about 5 times every 4 weeks. I started the MotW thing more than three years ago.

I’ve realized recently that even though I’ve tried to get musicians from all over the world into my lessons, I never included anyone from Mexico, which is dumb. I actually have a few students born in Mexico, and I completely overlooked the whole country’s music.

Anyway, I’m working in some folks now - Lola Beltrán is this week’s feature - but I am having a hard time with my research. I can find limitless discussions of best-selling Mexican artists, but I want more to study the most influential and innovative musicians from Mexico, and best-selling doesn’t necessarily equal best.

So if any of you OSGers have spent any time listening to any of the myriad regional and national styles of music endemic to the United States of Mexico, throw me some ideas. I want to avoid teaching only about three great ranchera singers… so who is the Curtis Mayfield of Mexico? The Nina Simone of Mexico? The Neil Young of Mexico? You know what I mean.

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JSett
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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by JSett » Sun Nov 14, 2021 12:06 pm

I listen to a lot of Spotify mariachi playlists while I work but I always let it wash over me in a general sense and never take note of individual artists. There is an oddball one that I found by accident seeing them live and that's a band that do Mexican covers of Smiths/Morrissey songs called Mexrrissey. It's utterly bizarre but strangely addictive hearing songs we all know so well in another language and style.

So, my left-field suggestion:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6xVh4gx ... R7MopNu4Dg

On a more traditional note I do often enjoy Vicente Fernandez. He seems extremely popular in Mexico, but probably on your radar already as he is known as the 'King of Ranchera'

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4PPoI9L ... VprF7CE1bw
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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by DrQuasar » Mon Nov 15, 2021 3:35 pm

I'm not an expert but maybe check out El Tri and I assume you're familiar with Maná. I would think kids would like dancing to Oye Mi Amor. Sergio Vallin's signature Fender is pretty unique.

Natalia Lafourcade is contemporary and pretty cool. Obviously Santana is Mexican. Rodrigo y Gabriela.

I like Banda El Recodo for banda. Y Llegaste Tu is my jam. Los Tigres del Norte are pretty legendary for norteno if you're looking for that style.

I used to listen to that song Comprendes Mendes by Control Machete a lot. It's sort of like the Mexican version of Insane in the Membrane or at least that's how it struck me at the time.

Mariachi Flor De Toloache is pretty cool but I think they're from the US. Antonio Sanchez, Pat Metheny's drummer, is from Mexico. I have a pair of his signature sticks. Probably the best drummer I ever heard live. Incredible.

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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by natthu » Tue Nov 16, 2021 3:25 am

I'd suggest the band Plastilina Mosh, but aside from being Mexican, I don't think they're really what you're looking for.

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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by Ceylon » Tue Nov 16, 2021 5:23 am

I mean, Carlos Santana is the Carlos Santana of Mexico.

I'm also not sure if this is the kind of music you're after but I found Cafe Tacvba a while ago and they have an overall cool sound I think. One of the guitarists play a Starcaster too so they're bona fide OSG material.

Bit of a stretch maybe, but Cedric Bixler-Zavala of ATDI/Mars Volta-fame is of Mexican descent, and I feel like this part of his heritage shines through a lot on the Frances the Mute-album.
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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by mackerelmint » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:22 am

natthu wrote:
Tue Nov 16, 2021 3:25 am
I'd suggest the band Plastilina Mosh, but aside from being Mexican, I don't think they're really what you're looking for.
But they're a monster truck!

This is as basic as it gets, but Vicente Fernandez is what he is for a reason. "Estos celos" is a banger, as Ranchero music goes. Or hey, just play some Brujeria for the kids.
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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by countertext » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:44 am

I appreciate these suggestions, and don’t be afraid to add more if any come to mind.

I did think of Brujeria… but these little PNW honkies just aren’t ready for it yet.

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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by SignoftheDragon » Tue Nov 16, 2021 10:29 am

mackerelmint wrote:
Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:22 am
Or hey, just play some Brujeria for the kids.
Lol- I was toying with suggesting Brujeria.

I end up listening to a LOT of Mana and Bad Bunny at work- the doods in the vinyl shop take turns running the playlist, so we alternate days between Reggaetón, Dubstep/EDM, and the one weird kid who likes a mishmash of awesome and terrible things- think Tom Waits -> Bel Biv Devoe -> the Hu -> Dead Can Dance -> Parliament -> Halo soundtrack -> Barry White -> Stan Ridgeway etc. (Day 3 is always my favorite in the rotation)

They ALL groan when it's MY turn at the playlist tho. (They call it 'Sad old white guy music.')

Back on topic- hook up a Reggaetón playlist and see what pops up.

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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by noisepunk » Tue Nov 16, 2021 1:28 pm

DrQuasar wrote:
Mon Nov 15, 2021 3:35 pm
Natalia Lafourcade is contemporary and pretty cool. Obviously Santana is Mexican. Rodrigo y Gabriela.
another vote for Lafourcade, she's a definite favorite of mine.

some others:

Michelle Blades, a good example of how "mexican music" can be a sticky idea. she's mexican/panamanian, but lives in paris and maybe grew up in miami. maybe not what you're looking for, but she's great.

Margaritas Podridas, actually discovered them this week, and i'm super into them.

Exploded View, english/german vocalist (Anika), but everyone else in the band is from mexico city.

Mexican Institute of Sound-"Mexico", a bit like Big Country, by Big Country, on the album Big Country ;D (not musically though).

Purple Pig, not sure if i'm a fan yet, but they just followed me on instagram this morning, so it seems i'd be denying fate but not sharing them. i like a few songs off their latest release, but i'm not seeing it on youtube. this one isn't bad, it sounds a bit like the first Vines album.

i know there's more, but i'm not thinking of them at the moment. my wife will have more too, including some more "traditional" stuff.

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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by powerdroid » Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:53 am

Check out Centavrvs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC0tLYPKf90

Realising that's maybe too contemporary, and not what you were after, my wife tells me that a lot of their stuff are versions of songs of the Mexican revolution days, and other traditional songs. Especially their earlier stuff.

Historical figure extraordinaire, Chavela Vargas! Definitely give a listen to this Paloma Negra

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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by Plumerai » Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:21 pm


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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by mackerelmint » Wed Nov 17, 2021 8:36 pm

Ruida rosa might be a good one
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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by javier-san » Mon Dec 06, 2021 10:48 pm

Ooooo boy. Where to start!

I can go on and on about different types of Mexican music!

Classics (very limited list):

Alvaro Carrillo, if you're looking for "bolero" style. Quite beautiful.

https://youtu.be/YH_jng60ewU
Los Tres Ases, more bolero.

https://youtu.be/9CHqRfyL78M

Javier Solís, a favorite. Combined música ranchera and bolero:

https://youtu.be/Jkj3qYmqsWI

Pedro Infante. Famous rancheras.

https://youtu.be/diSAz7xfpvE

Chavela Vargas. She was really ahead of her time.

https://youtu.be/I-1mzJJmIl8

Juan Gabriel. Juanga, el divo de Juárez. A legendary performer. Watch this video and tell me you don't tear up.

https://youtu.be/RgKqxLAhRKE

Rock (I'll make this short):

Caifanes. Great band, that is ADORED by many in México.

https://youtu.be/8hnlgF3zpb8

Café Tacvba. A very important rock band.

https://youtu.be/5N5Be5RWdFc

Contemporary rock:

El Shirota. GREAT band (think grungey?) from CDMX.

https://youtu.be/lFe1Teqp-EM

No Somos Marineros. Great shoegazey/dream pop band from CDMX

https://youtu.be/KyqvMoKxfTY

Señor Kino They just dropped a great shoegaze album. From northern méxico.

https://youtu.be/Fj-wa0YN4aM

Ed Maverick Just dropped a great introspective album. Northern México.

https://youtu.be/Vf4IZ3D_oWs

Bratty. Young woman from Northern México making great music.

https://youtu.be/y7c0tMINlqY

Policías y Ladrones. Dream pop from Tijuana. Dropped a great album this year.

https://youtu.be/pj3kFxH9Sr4

Loiis. Dream pop/slowcore from CDMX. Released a great EP this year.

https://youtu.be/U-ZenAtWlSw

Sei Still. From CDMX, but in Berlin now. Gothy/Krautrock

https://youtu.be/Vvyr8CvI7KQ

Diles Que No Me Maten. Weird Art Rock, Poetry band. Love em.

https://youtu.be/tXHqW8GQQV4

Clubz. Great dance-synth-rock-pop? album from MTY. They are great live.

https://youtu.be/N813Bj8CnW0

Jeez. I can go on and on. I haven't even got into música regional or cumbias or anything else.
DM me if you want some more.

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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by countertext » Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:02 am

Excellent!

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Re: Great Mexican music?

Post by smjenkins » Tue Dec 07, 2021 7:09 am

Sgt. Papers!

About this time last year, the Asteroid No. 4 released a video of a session they recorded during the MonkeyBee festival in Mexico in 2019. I randomly went back to listen to that a few days ago when I needed some good background music for work. YouTube did it's algorithm thing and the next thing I know I'm hearing these amazing fuzz laden riffs that are catchy as hell and lyrics in a language I don't know. It turned out to be this band from Mexico called Sgt. Papers. Just two guys too!

I did as deep a dive as I could not speaking spanish, but damn their music is great. Right up this forum's alley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uY8MlyMjpw

https://sgtpapers.bandcamp.com/

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