Kinky

By Dan Kimpel

Jul 25 2004

The question most asked of the band Kinky has to do with their name. "It came by accident when we played our first gig," says vocalist Gilberto Cerezo. "There was a flyer with a girl doing kinky things. But we've developed our own theory: We take music, turn it a little bit and twist it."

Styish dance grooves spiced with cumbia and norteño powered Kinky's self-titled debut, and their follow-up, Atlas , anchors this sound with potent rock. Monterrey, Mexico, the group's hometown, is fertile ground for cross-genre experimentation. "Friendships with other musicians build a bridge to mix the styles," notes guitarist Carlos Chairez. "The generals aren't fighting with each other."

Cerezo observes that the art and cinema scenes are similarly inclusive. "It's a feeling of honesty and newness that's almost naive. It's a city that's growing, but you feel the vibe of a little town. You can hear the trains passing by, the church bells, and see friends in the streets. It's not like the big cities that have madness."

Kinky transported mobile recording equipment to Quintana Roo and settled into a colony of bungalows in the Mexican jungle to work on Atlas . "We were focused and relaxed, composing in our underwear," recalls Cerezo. In Los Angeles, they tracked with engineer Thom Russo (System of a Down, Audioslave) and added live instruments and English lyrics to the mix.

An electrifying live act, Kinky plays to huge festival audiences across Europe, South America, and recently for 10,000 fans at California's Coachella Festival. This summer they'll tour with Ozomatli. "The best feeling is to play to new audiences," concludes Chairez. "We don't know what's going to happen and that's great."