Invasión Ruidosón
Date/Time:
- Friday, April 26, 2024
- 7 PM – Panel discussion, 10 PM – Afterparty
Where:
-The Clemente (Kabayitos Theater) - 107 Suffolk St
- Hi-Note (for the afterparty) - 188 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
The Tijuana music scene has always been a vanguard in Mexico, producing notable stars like Julieta Venegas and Nortec Collective. From its border culture melting pot emerges ruidosón, an early 2010s electronic music scene born between Tijuana and the internet. This sound fuses folkloric and popular Mexican music with contemporary Western genres like techno, post-punk, and noise. Championed by artists like Los Macuanos, María y José, Siete Catorce, and Santos, ruidosón is known for its dark tone and overt political themes, which reference topics like the Mexican drug war and the country’s precarious electoral landscape.
Tijuana writer and critical theorist Alfredo González Reynoso explores this obscure scene in his work, Nación Ruidosón (UABC, 2020). González Reynoso analyzes the ruidosón aesthetic as a critical and playful exploration of modern Mexican national identity, which highlights the contradictions of contemporary Mexican culture, especially as they manifest (often violently) in the border.
The Clemente and CUNY Mexican Studies Institute will host author Alfredo González Reynoso and ruidosón artist Reuben Torres (Los Macuanos, Espectro Caudillo, et al.) for a discussion of this distinct cultural moment. The panel will include an exclusive screening of the short film “Todos los caminos conducen al Hipódromo Agua Caliente,” featuring a soundtrack by Espectro Caudillo. CUNY MSI director José Higuera López will moderate.
Participants:
Alfredo González Reynoso: Author of Nación Ruidosón
Reuben Torres: Ruidosón musician (Los Macuanos, Espectro Caudillo, Gallo Fortuna)
José Higuera López: Moderator, director of the CUNY Mexican Studies Institute
Afterparty artists: Siete Catorce, Espectro Caudillo, Viiaan