Mexico

Based in Guadalajara, Jalisco, the land of mariachi and tequila, Siddhartha is one of the most interesting musicians in Mexico – and one of my favorite Mexican artists nowadays. A music worker full of feelings, a producer, and a music enthusiast – his “El vuelo del pez” is an impressive collection of songs that are perfect to listen to in beautiful landscape. And if possible, holding hand of someone you love. The highlights from the record?

♪♫ Listen: “El aire“, “Bacalar“, “Loco” (featuring Siddhartha’s friend and a great musician Caloncho), and perhaps my favourite – “Ecos de miel“.

Siddhartha on Soundcloud, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook.

Saúl Hernández is an institution in Mexico – the leader of the Mexican rock legends Caifanes and Jaguares. His second solo album, “Mortal”, is a powerful collection of songs. At the age of 50, Saúl is the best example of that Mexican saying that goes “Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo” – which roughly means “The devil knows more because he’s old, than because he is devil.” On “Mortal”, Saúl Hernández reminds us that we are going to die someday – and that mortality is actually part of being alive.

♪♫ Listen: Obviously “Fuerte” that I shared in the middle of difficult times in Mexico, and “Entre tú y yo“, a beautiful hymn for all lovers of the world.

Saúl Hernández on Twitter and www.

The title of this album means “And my office is to burn”. A. Mountains burned literally with their first and last LP. The group lead by Andrés Acosta Montes was like a fire in the middle of the night. So powerful, so lightful, so strong and so passionate, but not forever. There are good news on the other hand: A. Mountains will be transformed again into project called Andy Mountains.

“Y mi oficio es arder” is based on Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, or the hero’s journey. With a sound that breaks through what we normally hear in the Mexican music scene, songs like “Silencio”, “Yo ya no le temo al silencio” – presented earlier on beehype – “Y mi oficio es arder”, “Lugares de fuego” and my favorite “Bosques” are a perfect example of the genius of A. Mountains.

♪♫ Listen: “Bosque”

A. Mountains on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook.

Mexico is such a big country that talking about Mexican music is always something difficult to do. What is the Mexican sound? We have the Mexican sound of the south from places like Oaxaca and Chiapas. But we have the music from Jalisco, the land of mariachi, and the music from Veracruz, and the “música norteña” from Mexico’s north.

Well, the effort of Centavrvs is part of this difficult journey in search of the Mexican sound. They are from the north, and they tried – with great results – to mix Mexican culture with modern sounds. Based in Torreón, Coahuila, Centavrvs is the perfect combination of Mexico’s past, present and future.

♪♫ Listen: “Valentina“, a new version of the classic song from the Mexican Revolution.

Centavrvs on Soundcloud, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter.

Named after Mexica’s tlatoani (ruler) Moctezuma – the one who welcomed the Spaniard conqueror Hernán Cortés in 1519 – Porter’s new record is for me the best Mexican album of 2014. So great, so colorful, so magical. This collection of songs mixes ancient Mexico with the modern one I live in now.

Sensitive and passionate, Porter not only describes the journey of Mexican people from Aztlan (the ancient and mythical town where is told that Mexicans came for) to Tenochtitlan (the city that is buried now under the Mexico City). But it’s also a journey of a group that travels from its dissolution to ingenious return.

♪♫ Stream the complete album on YouTube or check out the highlights: “Murciélago“, “Huitzil“, “Palapa“, and “La china“, the song that tells us the story of the Mexicans travelling from Aztlan to Tenochtitlan.

Porter on Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Instagram, YouTube.

Ceci Bastida gave us a strongly song that opens her second solo album “La edad de la violencia”. Full of emotions, “Una vez más” – presented earlier on beehype – is a strong and powerful song.

Ceci Bastida on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter, www.

Expedición Humboldt – you may already know them from beehype – are named after the famous German explorer who traveled to Mexico in the early 19th century. Mixing pop, folk and psychedelia, “El mar” is a perfect example of a group showing the richness of the Mexican scene with their own interpretation of the greatness of the sea.

Expedición Humboldt on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Facebook and Twitter.

I thought immediately of the sound of Siouxsie and the Banshees when I heard La Era Vulgar for the first time. With a deep feeling of darkness, mystery, reflection and theatre, the group from the Mexico City perfectly mixes jazz, rock, trip hop and synthpop.

La Era Vulgar on Soundcloud, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook.

The sea has inspired many artists along the history, including two from my personal list of the best independent songs from Mexico – Expedición Humboldt and Marcol. The latter is a group from the Mexico City famous of mixing trip hop and R&B to a great result. “La brisa un mar” is a great song for difficult times.

Marcol on YouTube, Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter.

As you can guess from my selection, I love atmospheric songs that create scenarios rather than simple sounds. This is the case of Millow’s “Rocketman”, a powerful song that invites us to a music journey where closing the eyes is strongly recommended.

Millow on Soundcloud, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Bandcamp.