San Pancho

Tune:
Tune: La Llorona by Chavela Vargas

Tune: La Cuchilla by Astrid Hadad


















Tune: Mariachi Yucateco






















We were walking in the Mission a few weeks ago just after the heavy spring rains and the neighborhood was alive and festive with the coming of the sun. People were out on the street in t-shirts and music was everywhere. The mariachis seemed hot in there heavy get ups complete with pantalones vaqueros, button down shirts, vests, boots, belts, sombreros, and bigotes! Los Tigres del Norte have played Mexican music all around the globe. They are the best of the best. They may not be as heavy as Los Tucanes, Los Huricanes (¡Hechale mi Chuy!) or other narcocorrido groups, but they are the most beloved. "Los Idilos del Pueblo", Los Tigres del Norte are master musicians and they harmonize beautifully. They are the most celebrated Norteño group of the past three decades. They sing about the plight of the working class, the immigrant, the oppressed, farmers, city life, love, trucks, guns, horses, tequila, beer, family, gambling, pride, death, and more.

Tune: Tres Animales by Los Tucanes de Tijuana

Tune: Chingón de los Chingónes by Los Razos de Sacramento

Tune: El Jefe de Los Jefes by Los Tigres del Norte.
Tune: Tres Veces Mojado also by Los Tigres Del Norte, a song about the Inmigrante Guatemateco

La Sonora Dinamita, from Columbia, made a northbound journey to Mexico just like Los Chapínes, and they brought Colombian cumbia music with them. Cumbia is now super popular in Mexico. Popular Mexican cumbia can be a little cheesy, just like many other aspects of Mexican pop culture, but the heavy underground Cumbia Sonidera kept alive by DJ's from Mexico City and all over Mexico and the Americas can be pretty pesado. Cumbia sonidera has a slow and steady beat, good for cruising in a low rider, and the sonidera mixes always come complete with sound effects and DJ and crew shout outs like Jamaican dubplates.

Tune: Sube y Baja by La Sonora Dinamita from Beatwalla's April Fool's Crunk Mix

Tune: para Mis Sonideros Mixx 2006 mixed by DJ Santarosa from the Sonido Cherokee Sound System. Check out Sonidocherokee for more cumbia and merengue mixes. Also check their Duranguense mix.

Tune: Duranguense Mix mixed by DJ Vinny Boy.

Tune: Narcocorrido de Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
Tune:Tres Animales also by Los Tucanes de Tijuana


















These pupusas are filled with cheese and just might raise your cholesteral. Fito Olivares has surely had his fill of pupusas, arepas, empanadas, and chicharrones while touring Mexico, Central America, and South America to be worried.






Tune: El Colesterol by Fito Olivares









Tune: La Pipiripau by Lyla y Tropical Perla del Mar








Tune: Yolanda by Los Gatos Negros

I have become tired of the same boom chick boom chick of reggaeton and the lame lyrics that copy the mindless negative theme of American popular hip hop. I enjoy raw animal instinct sounds, lyrics, and beats, and I like making money and a few songs about bling and gettin' paid are OK, but not every song over and over again, same beat, same theme, duro, palo, dale, blah blah blah.
That's why I was excited to hear Calle 13's reggaeton on the big lame corporate station "La Kalle". Every big city in the US has one of these stations and it is probably a clear channel or some other mass media giant monster behind the content and playlist. Finally a reggaeton beat with more organic instruments and unique melodies. These two Calle 13 tracks feature African style rhythms and percussion with a nice cumbia bass and horns on Atrevete and a Plena feel on Suave. No other popular artists have done this since Tego Calderon.
Tune: Atrevete by Calle 13
Tune: Suave also by Calle 13

El nuevo futuro

Tune: Que Rico by Instituto Mexicano Del Sonido
Tune: Cha Cha No. 29 also by Instituto Mexicano Del Sonido
Tune: Rainbow Country also by Instituto Mexicano Del Sonido

Tune: Frijolero by Molotov

One of the tunes above is not sung in Spanish. There are lots of Yucatecos in San Pancho. Spanish is their second language. Maya is the native language of many yucateco communities. Mayan script is very pretty.


Here are some songs from a cd I got from Rico, who is a nurse in Mexico and a pastry cook in San Pancho.
Tune: Cumbia Maya
Tune: Musica Yucateca
Tune: Mas Musica Yucateca

Tune: Virgencita by Astrid Hadad

Tune: Cheque en Banque and La Mensa
also by Astrid Hadad

Get Astrid Hadad's music and movies here.