The duo, composed of Juan José “Jonás” Gonzalez and Alejandro Rosso, made wildly exploratory music using both traditional instruments and state-of-the-art tools like computers and samplers. They made their mark right from the get-go with their 1998 full-length debut, Aquamosh. It was an amazingly creative and fun mishmash in which everything from lounge to industrial coalesced into a nearly flawless record. It helped establish Plastilina Mosh as auteurs of experimental hook-laden music that still sounds fresh decades after its release.
Plastilina Mosh started in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon in 1997. Jonaz had played in a metal band called Koervoz De Malta and Rosso, a classically-trained musician, played keyboards in the prog-leaning outfit Acarnienses. Both had interest in a wide range of music, from acid jazz to punk.
Around this time, Monterrey was becoming a mecca for music in Mexico. The Mexican rock boom – which started with bands like Caifanes and Botellita de Jerez in the late 1980s – had its epicenter in Mexico City. But as the 90s progressed, attention began to shift to Monterrey, with the G-funk-inspired Control Machete, the power pop-meets-rap rock of Zurdok, the Britpop-leaning Jumbo, the Latin rhythms of El Gran Silencio, and many more. The press dubbed this generation of bands La Avanzada Regia. Loosely translated, it means “The Regal Avant-Garde.” (“Regio” is a nickname for people from Monterrey.) (...)
Today, their status as elder statesmen in the Mexican scene is secure. They paved the way for more Mexican music fusionists like Nortec and 3BallMTY, groups that put together genres like norteño, cumbia with electronics, and hip-hop. Much like the Beastie Boys and Beck in the United States, the group’s music predicted a generation that’s grown up on short-form video and eclectic playlists, where hip-hop, corridos, and rock mix together without a second thought.
by Marcos Hassan, Udiscovermusic | Read more:
[ed. Glad to see the boys finally getting their due. Here are a couple videos from their post-Aquamosh period:]
Plastilina Mosh returned with Juan Manuel in 2000, abandoning the adrenaline-inducing punk attitude of Aquamosh to delve into dance music, disco and trip hop, all with their fun-loving anarchic spirit in place. Later, they leaned toward melodic experiments with songs like “Peligroso Pop” and “Perverted Pop Song,” showcasing their ability to make picture perfect power pop without sacrificing their experimental instincts.
Plastilina Mosh returned with Juan Manuel in 2000, abandoning the adrenaline-inducing punk attitude of Aquamosh to delve into dance music, disco and trip hop, all with their fun-loving anarchic spirit in place. Later, they leaned toward melodic experiments with songs like “Peligroso Pop” and “Perverted Pop Song,” showcasing their ability to make picture perfect power pop without sacrificing their experimental instincts.
Castígame Diviértete Sé que gozas y me gusta
[Punish me I know that I have behaved badly Have fun I know you enjoy and like]
Te quiero igual y, No sé ni como aguantar, Ni controlar mis deseos de morderte, En donde no te puedes mirar, Mientras busco distracción en el radio, o en tu conversación, o en una estúpida canción
[I love you the same and, I don't even know how to endure, Nor control my desire to bite you, Where you can't look, While I am looking for distraction on the radio, or in your conversation or in a stupid song]
y me detengo con tus ojos cristalinos, Como gotas de champány sin embargo no dejó de pensar en lo suave de tus labios cuando sueles besary el sabor de tu saliva cuando empiezas a amary entiende lo que digo esto es fácil solo sigue el manual no tiene tanto problema es cuestión de escuchar no busques una tangente es fácil como decir que yo te gusto como tú a mí
[And I stop with your crystalline eyes As shampán drops And yet he kept thinking In the soft lips when you usually kiss And the taste of your saliva when you start loving And understand what I say this is easy Just follow the manual You don't have so much problem It's a matter of listening Don't look for a tangent It's easy to say that I liked you like you like me like you like me]
[ed. Bob Dylan they ain't.]
