Tijuana's Los Macuanos will forever be known as the inventors of the Ruidosón musical movement. But now, they're shifting gears from being a dance-party band to a socially conscious musical machine.
With that, they have also announced that they are eaving their home base of Tijuana for Mexico City -- the Mexican version of NYC. This move will undoubtedly breed a whole new attitude and sound for Los Macuanos.
The band is comprised of Moises Horta (composer/producer/bass synthesizer), Moises López (composer/producer/sequencer) and Reuben A. Torres (composer/producer/lead synthesizer). They just dropped the hypnotic, socio-political Sangre, Bandera, Cruz ("Blood, Flag, Crucifix") as a response to the disputed election of the president of Mexico.
We talked to Los Macuanos to hear why their song goes above and beyond the #YoSoy132 movement:
Dita Quiñones: Is the song part of a new album or a response to #YoSoy132?
Moises Horta: The fact that lately most Mexican musicians and producers haven't been portraying the current state of the country in their art is something alarming to me. What we wanted to do with this track was to find a new approach in being political and direct but also to leave plenty of room for interpretation and unsettle the average listener.
Reuben A. Torres: It's not part of any release as of yet, though it might surface in a forthcoming EP, which we plan on releasing on vinyl toward the end of 2012. It is, however, part of a new aesthetic that we have been cultivating this year, which is decidedly more aggressive and overtly political, not to mention dark. Our music has always contained a sort of social critique, which is not necessarily affiliated with any party or movement, other than our own “Ruidosón.” Personally, I don't feel there is any relation to #YoSoy132, which is more focused on a critique of the electoral process, the media and the forthcoming administration. Ours is, rather, a reflection on the circumstances that have led up to the return of the PRI, with an evident focus on the two PAN administrations.
DQ: Who is talking in the song?
RT: The voices heard in the recording belong to all three members. We are singing in unison:
“Sangre, bandera, cruz. Retórica de ultra-derecha convertida en el mantra de un sexenio.
Sangre, bandera, cruz. El verdadero legado de Felipe Calderón (70 mil y contando).
Sangre, bandera, cruz. Pero a pesar de todo, Mexico está de pie……¿está de pie?”
MOIH: The sound bite is Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, Mexico's latest president. A president that made incredibly bad decisions in the managing of the country – 70,000 dead and counting – and also paved the way for the PRI party to return to power.
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DQ: How do you feel about our new Mexican president?
MOIL: I think that EPN's rise to power is clearly a consequence of a profound malfunction within the Mexican institutions, but more importantly, a dysfunction of the Mexican psyche. The latter being the most worrisome, since potentially, it could allow this imposition of power to continue for a very long time. I don't think he will endure six years in power. The social, national and international climate doesn't look favorable for him.
RT: PRI is the PRI is the PRI.
DQ: Why are you leaving Tijuana?
RT: Honestly, the standard of living is much better in Mexico City as compared to Tijuana, and it's definitely more exciting than any city in North America. Mostly though, it's an issue of keeping the band alive. I feel that our true fan base is in the central and southern parts of the country, as opposed to the north, where we've only managed to gather little more than a cult following. Even after the move, however, we do intend on keeping close ties to Tijuana's music scene and culture.
MOIH: Tijuana was where we started doing what we do. Although, ironically, it's the place where we have had the least support by some, but at the same time, our die-hard fans and friends are from here or San Diego, which is basically the same area. Over the few years in our existence, we have discovered that Los Macuanos have had a lot more resonance in the “more Mexican” places of Mexico, so I just see it as a next step in our career.
Los Macuanos perform 11/17 at the All My Friends Music Festival (AMF).
Dita Quiñones is a multimedia journalist with a passion for Latin alternative and hip-hop music news. In addition to SoundDiego, she contributes to Latina, FOX News Latino, Poder and HipHopDx. She is also the founder of the infamous music and politrix blog GN$F! Follow Dita on Twitter.
