| | |  Entertainment | November 2009 
Intocable Brings Innovation to "Classic" Norteno
 Ayala Ben-Yehuda - Reuters
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November 21, 2009
| | Intocable has always set itself apart musically from its peers by fusing touches of other styles, particularly country and rock, into its sound. | |
Los Angeles - There's a hidden gem at the end of "Classic," the 13th album by Texas norteno group Intocable. The album covers a nostalgic collection of sentimental, accordion-packed songs made popular decades ago in a traditional, simple style. But wait just long enough and you'll hear why legions of fans have stuck with Intocable for 15 years.
The last track, "Estamos en Algo," veers into psychedelic funk and ska in a way that no other commercially successful group in the regional Mexican genre would dare try.
Intocable has always set itself apart musically from its peers by fusing touches of other styles, particularly country and rock, into its sound. For "Classic," out December 1 on Sony Music Latin, Intocable teamed with legendary accordionist Ramon Ayala and covered songs Ayala recorded decades ago with his former band, Los Relampagos del Norte. But even as Intocable looks back to the music its members grew up on, it's exploring new territory in its contract with Sony.
Earlier in its career Intocable toured with Ayala, but this is the first time they have worked together on production. The result is a faithful re-creation of the sweet, simple songs that Intocable used to play when its gigs were weddings and quinceaneras. "My dad had the original albums, and I remember listening to them," lead singer Ricky Munoz says.
Like Munoz's band, Los Relampagos were known for putting their own spin on norteno music in the '60s. "They were the first norteno band to have an actual drum set in the band," Munoz says. "And when we came into the scene we were innovators as well ... we're used to experimenting with our music and our influences."
CUTTING ITS OWN DEAL
On the business side, however, Intocable is focused on the future. When its contract with EMI was up, the band began looking for a more flexible, equitable arrangement; Intocable formed its own label, Good-I, and had planned to release future albums independently. The band had even secured favorable pricing and positioning at Walmart, including a "Soundcheck" play (though the album wasn't exclusive to the retailer). "We cut some aggressive deals with distributors to make sure that our music got out there," Intocable manager Alan Baxter says. Those deals remain, even as Intocable licensed "Classic" to Sony Music Latin.
Baxter says that rather than licensing the album to Sony pan-regionally, Intocable negotiated separate agreements with Sony Music Latin in the United States and Sony Music Mexico. "One encompassing deal doesn't make sense for us," Baxter says. "The cost of marketing and promotion is different, record sales are different ... we are looking at each territory as a different opportunity for partners."
Intocable's deal with Sony, which doesn't include touring, is "more than a license. It's a partnership," Munoz says. "If we win, we both win. If we lose, we both lose."
Sony Music Latin vice president of marketing and A&R Nir Seroussi adds, "Whatever we both bring to the table we split halfway. It's not your typical five-album deal. It's more of an open-ended deal."
So far, so good: First single "Hay Ojitos" had the fastest rise to No. 1 on Billboard's Regional Mexican Airplay chart this year and the fastest since Intocable's "Tu Adios No Mata" debuted on the chart at No. 1 last year. "Hay Ojitos" returned to No. 1 in the week ended November 15.
"It was time for a change," Munoz says. Under the group's new label deal, he says, "the excitement is there."
(Editing by SheriLinden at Reuters) |
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