Tijuana's ruidoson O.G., Tony Gallardo II, has been heralding new forms of EDM alongside his cohorts Los Macuanos. As his alter ego, Maria y Jose, he released two albums, Espíritu Invisible (2010) and Club Negro (2013), marking his place as ruidoson's crafty one-man army. Just one listen to MYJ's uninhibited use of the synthesizer with his own vocals chopped and screwed over a cumbia beat and you'll seriously hypnotized into a fan. There's a method to Gallardo's madness, and those who know him best know he is his own worst critic, which guarantees for dope product. He's set to release a full-length in August under his government name, Tony Gallardo II. So why the change, right?
Dita Quinones: Is the upcoming release in the genre ruidoson?
Tony Gallardo II: No, the upcoming release is more focused on typical electronic music: house, techno, acid and full of pop -- maybe it has a little ruidoson in it, but it's not.
DQ: What will the tracks be like on the full-length?
TGII: It is full length. There will be a few previously released that will be re-recorded.
DQ: What will it be titled?
TGII: It's called Deep Wow.
DQ: What do you want people to know since the next album won't be as Maria y Jose?
TGII: Don't expect any tropical rhythms or social-related lyrics, but expect it to be just as incredible as any of my past previous releases.
My prediction is this: The album will live up to its title, Deep Wow. Ruidoson's Tony Gallardo II is made from that "hustle till you make it" spirit, so he's going to take his effervescent socio-politico club music to another level to keep him in the game. The debut of Tony Gallardo II is not the death of Maria y Jose but, rather, the re-emergence of a maturing musician who would even make Bostich + Fussible (the godfathers of Tijuana EDM) and Los Macuanos (his ruidoson brothers from another mother) very proud.
Follow Tony Gallardo II because his tweets are cool. He performs March 5-9 at Festival Nrml in Monterrey, Mexico.
Dita Quinones is a multimedia journalist born in Tijuana with a passion for Latin alternative and hip-hop music news. Her main goal is to uplift and inform so that the Latino and Hip-Hop community get knitted into the fabric of American history. In addition to SoundDiego, she contributes to Latina, Fox News Latino, Poder, VidaVibrante, San Diego CityBeat and HipHopDx. She is also the founder of the infamous music and politrix blog GN$F! Follow Dita on Twitter or on Facebook.
