El Gran Silencio

Monterrey's El Gran Silencio, a rock en español act, fold hip-hop, reggae and dancehall into cumbia, vallenato and norteño. Accordion licks and Latin folk rhythms hold the mix together, and the results have drawn criticism. Their lyrics stay close to life in the barrio, the poor neighbourhoods of Mexican cities, and their tone is more bohemian than materialistic. Some dismissed their early work as naco, or low class, because it celebrates chúntaros and baggy-trousered barrio youth.

The band grew out of the barrios of Monterrey in 1993, founded by brothers Tony and Cano Hernández as La Zona del Silencio, playing on a cheap harmonica and guitar with pails for percussion. They took their present name from a song by Rockrigo González. Their first commercial album, Libres y Locos, appeared in 1998, followed in 2001 by Chúntaros Radio Poder, which produced the alternative hit Chúntaro Style. Their collaboration with Juan Gabriel on the Kumbia Kings single No Tengo Dinero is their only US chart appearance. They have played Vive Latino and Machaca Fest in 2015 and twice appeared at the Festival Internacional Cervantino.