THE ARTISTS:
El Monte Adentro is a new collective of Mexican folk (Son Jarocho) musicians from Veracruz including members of iconic local groups Los Aguas Aguas and Sonex.

Biomigrant is a US-born, Colombia based producer and multi-instrumentalist who explores the meeting place of Electronica, Roots Music, and Field Recordings.

The 5 track EP ‘Voz Emplumada' is their debut together.

THE STORY:

Michael/Biomigrant became interested in Son Jarocho (a Mexican folk-music style from Veracruz) through encounters with neighbors and friends, and backpacked through southern Veracruz to visit an older musician, El Guero Vega, in his town of some 300 people alongside the river, sharing meals, listening to his stories and learning what he could. He was impacted by the community driven nature of Son and the Fandango (party/gathering where the music is played), where 10,20,30,40 or more musicians all gather around improvising and responding to each other's verses (themes of flirting, loss, hymns to nature, social protests and more), as dancers take turns stepping up to the tarima (resonant wooden platform), and their zapateado (step dancing) becomes the rhythmic base of the gathering. 

Last year, mutual friends introduced Michael to Edwin Bandala Mayo, jaranero (the jarana is the small artisanal guitar central to son) of the Veracruz mainstay band Los Aguas Aguas, who grew up playing Son with his friends in Xalapa, Veracruz. They started to jam in Edwin’s studio, layering jaranas, zapateado, quijada (percussion instrument using a donkey jaw bone), exploring club electronica beats based around son's rhythmic meter. As the EP started to take shape, Edwin invited childhood friends to stop by the studio, including Helio Martín del Campo of the group Sonex. A cross-section of the Xalapa folk music scene added their personal touches and flavours to the EP.