Meme del Actual has been a part of the beloved Mexican rock band Café Tacvba for greater than 30 years. This week, the 56-year-old singer launched his debut solo document.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
It is Friday, which implies every kind of latest albums have been launched in a single day and at the moment are out there to stream or purchase, in case you’re old style. We will focus at this time, although, on a venture that was launched a few days in the past on the ultimate day of Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s the debut album by Meme del Actual from the band Cafe Tacvba, and it is referred to as “La Montana Encendida.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “PRINCESA”)
MEME DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish).
KELLY: Anamaria Sayre hosts our Alt.Latino podcast, and I collect you (laughter) – can I insert that you just’re talking to us from Mexico, the place you simply bumped into Meme del Actual?
ANAMARIA SAYRE, BYLINE: (Laughter) I did catch him strolling his canine this morning.
KELLY: There you go. Celebs, musicians – they stroll their canine too. OK, we’ll hear all in regards to the new solo album, however begin with the band that del Actual grew up with and is launching from. That is Cafe Tacvba.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ERES”)
CAFE TACVBA: (Singing in Spanish).
SAYRE: So what we’re listening to right here is among the most basic Cafe Tacvba songs referred to as “Eres.” And it is truthfully actually arduous to outline Cafe Tacvba simply due to the magnitude of the affect that that they had and proceed to have in Mexico and in quite a lot of Latin America. You could possibly name them a Mexican various rock pop band, however actually what they have been is pioneers in creating this actually accessible and resonant sort of rock sound that had this unimaginable lyricism that basically spoke to the hearts of quite a lot of Mexicans. They have been coming sort of on this period of rock en espanol, they usually actually redefined the style and what actually Mexican music was at massive.
KELLY: OK, so this new album, a debut album – uncommon in and of itself as a result of del Actual is in his mid-50s. What took him so lengthy to make this, “La Montana Encendida”?
SAYRE: You realize, he truly says it by no means actually occurred to him. I imply, he was nonetheless creating music after Tacvba, nevertheless it wasn’t one thing that he wanted. He did not search for that highlight, search for that solo second. However he stated that principally he labored on a music video, and he had this second the place he stated he realized what important singer of Cafe Tacvba, Ruben Albarran, felt the entire time enjoying dwell, and he wished to have that have. He had all of those songs within him, and it simply took the precise second to essentially convey them out.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “TUMBOS”)
DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish).
KELLY: Anamaria, as you hearken to this album, inform me what strikes you. What are you listening to?
SAYRE: I imply, what you actually hear is that this mix of all these totally different Latin American genres – boleros, bossa nova, clearly (talking Spanish).
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “TUMBOS”)
DEL REAL: (Whistling).
SAYRE: It is actually this distinctive sort of factor that I feel the world was solely prepared for, particularly Latin America, was solely prepared for proper now. He introduced on a legendary – in his personal proper – establishment, Gustavo Santaolalla. He is an previous composer, rockero from Argentina, was sort of equally actually instrumental in defining the music there. And so the 2 of them collaborating, I imply, they create this factor that feels prefer it belongs past even now, which is superb for an artist who has been round for therefore lengthy.
KELLY: That is so fascinating. Yeah, you do hear all of the, like, conventional Latin sounds, however these songs really feel very totally different. I do not know if futuristic can be going too far, however one thing like that.
SAYRE: Undoubtedly. And one of many actually fascinating issues is that music from Mexico has been having a particular second previously few years.
KELLY: OK.
SAYRE: This style referred to as corridos tumbados, which is principally a reimagined model of a hundred-year-old style referred to as corridos, has been breaking fairly actually world data. This – in some ways, among the songs on right here, particularly a track referred to as “Embeces,” looks like sort of Meme’s response to all of this.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EMBECES”)
DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish).
SAYRE: It is like he sort of sat with it the previous few years, considered it and got here again with one thing. And what you hear on this music is him taking ancestry and never simply bringing it into the current, however actually reimagining it on this tremendous nontraditional means that, like, not one of the younger guys are doing this. He does it on this actually creative and fascinating means that feels prefer it belongs in no matter future we’re headed in direction of.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EMBECES”)
DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish).
KELLY: Anamaria Sayre, host of the NPR music podcast Alt.Latino. I hear you may have upcoming (ph) Tiny Desk as properly.
SAYRE: So they are saying.
KELLY: Congrats on that. So they are saying.
SAYRE: You bought to come back up for one.
KELLY: I’ll stay up for it. We have been speaking about Meme del Actual’s new album. It is referred to as “La Montana Encendida,” and it is out now.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “EMBECES”)
DEL REAL: (Singing in Spanish).
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts might range. Transcript textual content could also be revised to right errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its authentic broadcast or publication. The authoritative document of NPR’s programming is the audio document.
