10 Mexican DJs To Know For Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo — Spanish for the fifth of May — is a Mexican holiday commemorating the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). (In the U.S. the holiday has become a source of Mexican-American pride and a good reason for Americans to eat great Mexican food and drink tequila. Since we’ve been hearing a lot of Mexican DJs in recent months and Mexico will be on a lot of people’s minds today, we’ve compiled a list of Mexican DJs we think you should be on your radar. This list is in no particular order and by no means complete. But feel free to hit us with a comment if there’s a Mexican DJ you think the world should know about. ¡Viva México!

1. Marco Balcazar
Hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico, Balcazar’s Between The Airports EP on Desertor Gang really made an impression on us. His sound is deep, dubby and techy, and he’s released tracks on labels including Blaq, Prisoner of Love and Neim Records. He works frequently and spins with Garbriel Soto.

2. Gabriel Sordo
Often partnering on tracks with Marco Balcazar, Sordo’s discography is brimming with releases for No. 19 Music, Hot Waves and Leftroom. He plays all over Mexico, often with Balcazar.

3. Rebolledo
Born and raised in Xalapa, Rebolledo (full name: Mauricio Rebolledo) has been a DJ since in 2002 and served as a resident at the legendary Santanera club in Playa Del Carmen, where he forged a mixing style encompassing a blend of new, old and simply weird tunes for the dance floor. He released his debut album, Super Vato, in 2011, and records for Kompakt today. He’s also part of the Pachanga Boys project with DJ/producer partner Aksel Schaufler.

4. Tini Tun
One of Mexico’s most established DJs, Tini Tun has achieved a host of milestones during his illustrious career: he was a resident at New York City’s Twilo, has had his tracks picked up by labels like Global Underground, Fade and Acute Recordings, and he’s done his share of touring around the world. His Noisy Transmissions series features him mixing a host of styles and is a must-listen.

NOISY TRANSMISSIONS radio show by TiNi TuN 031 by Tini Tun / Noisy Transmissions on Mixcloud

5. Tom & Collins
Mexico City-based duo comprised of Juan Pablo Escudero and Jorge Corral never met a musical genre they didn’t like. Together since 2012, the pair, who’ve opened for David Guetta, Bingo Players, Avicii and Poolside, spin and produce deep house, indie dance, EDM and even hip-hop.

6. Marco Almanza
Hailing from Xalapa, Mexico and a DJ since 2004, Almanza has brought his evolving house signature to clubs all over Mexico, sharing bills with Nina Kraviz, Claude VonStroke, Lutzenkirchen, Sander Van Doorn, Guy Gerber and Tiefschwarz. In addition to working as a booking agent, manager and resident at Apotheke DF in Federal, he’s also graced the stage at festivals including EDC Mexico.

7. Alec Sander
Known by a host of aliases — La Royale, Moon Runner, Yesco, Chemistry, Mijo, PTSD — Sander’s experimentation with analog synths and Roland drum machines as a teenager led him down a musical path that includes a stint in punk rock before gravitating to soul and funk. He has produced a handful of choice releases, currently runs the Electrique Music label and is also a visual artist.

8. Vazik
With over 50 releases to his credit, Victor Ezcurdia (a.k.a. Vazik) is easily one of Mexico’s most prolific producers. He’s played all over his native Mexico and serves as the label manager of the Sounds of Earth label, a techno/house imprint that’s released tracks from artists based all over the world. He’s been recognized twice as DJ of the Year in Mexico.

9. 2UP
The musical nom de plume of Ulises Pascual, the Mexico City mixmaster enjoys most of his popularity in his homeland and has been playing a quixotic blend of electro, house and minimal techno for many years. Do yourself a favor and follow hm on SoundCloud.

10. Acid Kit
Working since the mid-’90s using the alias Acid Kit, DJ/producer Cesar Guerrero has blazed trails in Mexico with a sound that embraces techno and tech-house. The owner of We Love Techno, he’s produced over 300 tracks and has signed his efforts to labels including Communique Records, Avioground, iFrominal, 3Star Deluxe, Eleonor Records, Berlin Aufnahmen, Deep Class and many more. He’s also known to play a majority of Mexican producers in his DJ sets.