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 Entertainment | July 2007 
Rastrillos bring Jamaica to Mexico
 Tony Montague - Straight.com
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| | The musicians of Rastrillos forged a new sound, blending ska and reggae from Jamaica with various styles and genres–indigenous and imported–found in Mexico. |
When the members of Rastrillos came together in Mexico City in the late '80s they were the only exponents of reggae in a metropolis of more than 15 million people. As a result, no one wanted to take the risk of booking them.
"It was unusual for someone even to be listening to Bob Marley songs," says Miguel Velázquez, singer and drummer with Rastrillos, interviewed in Strathcona, where the Mexican band has based itself for the summer. "We've always felt that if we wait for things to happen they never will. So we decided to make our own concerts. We even started a festival in Mexico City, which we called Razteca–a word that brings together Rastafarian and Aztec. For the first edition we had just 900 people–but by the fourth festival in 2000 we were playing to more than 10,000 people. Razteca became a movement with a strong community orientation, and involved many artists from other disciplines."
The musicians of Rastrillos forged a new sound, blending ska and reggae from Jamaica with various styles and genres–indigenous and imported–found in Mexico. According to the dreadlocked and genial Velázquez, who's better known as Chino, the process is surprisingly natural and organic.
"The norteño has a lot in common with ska and reggae, emphasizing the offbeat. Cumbia, which is originally from Colombia but is common in cities throughout Mexico now, also has many similarities in its pulse. And you can hear strong Caribbean and African rhythms in the son jarocho from Veracruz state."
Beginning with RevoluciÓn Latinoamericana in 1992, Rastrillos have recorded four albums of their original songs. Se AcabÓ El Reve from 2005 is their most varied and eclectic release to date. "Pendejo" features jarana and requinto (small guitars from Mexico's Gulf Coast) in its opening section, there's a funky Afrobeat undertow to "Afrochilango", and the reggae beat of "EstabÓn" is overlaid with hip-hop vocals. "Tiempo de Híbridos", meanwhile, includes woodwinds and percussion.
Rastrillos have taken their unique and highly danceable fusion of good-time Caribbean and Latin music around the province. In 2002 they spent several months exploring the Kootenays. Last year they returned to B.C. from Mexico to play a series of concerts and festivals, and this June they came up for the summer.
"We really love it here," Velázquez says. "We've made so many good friends, it feels like another home. But we go back to Mexico at the end of August. The band is currently working on three new albums there. One is our next studio release, which we're finishing off; one is an album called Jaztrillos, in which we reinterpret our own songs in a jazzy style; and one is an album for children. We are always curious to explore new ways of presenting reggae."
Rastrillos play the Mission Folk Festival on Saturday (July 29). |
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