The Mexico City Experiment
Ropeadope X Ropeadope SUR: The Mexico City Experiment features Germán Bringas, Jeronimo Gonzalez, Orestes Gomez, Erik Deutsch, Todd Clouser, and Guadalupe Galvan.
Continuing the legacy of The Experiment Series, Ropeadope teams up with longtime collaborator and head of Ropeadope SUR Todd Clouser to document the vibrant music scene in Mexico City. With a great number of world class musicians from Mexico and beyond living in the city, Clouser chose a close group of adventurous spirts to join him on the project.
‘When I saw that Ropeadope was continuing the Experiment Series with the radical Chicago Experiment record, I thought now would be the time to do The Mexico City Experiment. To me, said with bias complete, Mexico City is the center of the new creative world. Film, literature, sound arts are flying in Mexico. I hoped what we could do something to honor the city that gave me everything.’ (Todd Clouser)
Cuando vi que Ropeadope continuaba The Experiment Series con el radical Chicago Experiment, pensé que era hora de hacer The Mexico City Experiment Para mí (con sesgo completo) este es el centro del nuevo mundo creativo. El cine, la literatura, las artes sonoras vuelan en México. Esperaba que pudiéramos hacer algo para honrar a la ciudad que me dio todo. (Todd Clouser)
Recorded at Estudios Noviembre, The Mexico City Experiment is co-produced by Jeronimo Gonzalez (Last Jeronimo). Originally out of Xalapa, Gonzalez is a true virtuoso on the bass, jarana, and in the studio. Most recently he appears on Run The Jewels RTJ CU4TRO.
Venezuelan drummer Orestes Gomez has achieved acclaim worldwide for his fusion of Afro-Latin rhythm and influences with Jazz and Hip-Hop.
Eternally versatile in his work with dozens of top touring artists, Erik Deutsch brings his experience in collaboration to the project.
Mexican composer and free jazz saxophonist Germán Bringas Influenced directly by Carlos Castaneda, and then John Zorn and Fred Frith, Bringas is a powerful advocate for Jazz in MXC with his label, Jazzorca Records, and the venue of the same name.
Guadalupe Galván is a poet from Mexico City. She is the author of the poetry collections Niebla del día (Praxis Publishing House 2003), La casa azul (Enriqueta Ochoa National Award 2005) and Sólo la música (Literal Publishing House 2012). Her poems have been included in various Mexican anthologies such as Amar el mar (Ediciones Coyoacán 2001) and La lujuria (Alforja 2008). She has collaborated with the magazines Letras Libres, Tinta Seca, Pauta, La Otra, the Revista de Literatura Mexicana Contemporánea, among others.
Guitarist and composer Todd Clouser is a nomadic ambassador; originally from Minneapolis, Clouser has rooted in Mexico City, fully embracing not just the local culture but also the expansive diversity of the country and the continent. Consistently advocating for musicians and collaborating across borders and styles, Clouser has set himself apart from the status quo at every turn. His vision, and his action, stand as a model for cross cultural interaction.
The Experiment Series began in June 2001 with The Philadelphia Experiment - featuring ?uestlove, Christian McBride, and Uri Caine with special guest Pat Martino. Widely known as a hallmark in progressive Jazz, The Philadelphia Experiment set a standard for artist-controlled improvisation in the studio. The Detroit Experiment, produced by Aaron Luis Levinson and Carl Craig, followed soon after with a stellar cast including Amp Fiddler, Geri Allen, Karriem Riggins and many more. 2007 saw the release of The Harlem Experiment, once again produced by Levinson, which dug into a crossover blend of Latin Jazz and Funk with a diverse cast including Steven Bernstein, Carlos Alomar, Don Byron, Taj Mahal, Olu Dara, Queen Esther, and Steve Berrios.
In 2021 Ropeadope re-issued The Philadelphia Experiment on Vinyl. In 2022 Greg Spero produced The Chicago Experiment, and The Chicago Experiment; Revisited, featuring Makaya McCraven, Joel Ross, Marquis Hill, Jeff Parker, Irvin Pierce, and Darryl Jones.
‘The essence of the series, from the beginning, is to trust the musicians. Stating simply that the music should reflect the city, the deal was set. Months later, when I received the masters, the music jumped right out and grabbed me. I cannot imagine a more profound result. It was as if I was there on the street in MXC ‘ (Louis Marks)
“La esencia de la serie, desde el principio, es confiar en los músicos. Afirmando simplemente que la música debería reflejar la ciudad, se cerró el trato. Meses después, cuando recibí los masters, la música saltó y me atrapó. No puedo imaginar un resultado más profundo. Era como si estuviera ahí en la calle en MXC' (Louis Marks)
Release Date : June 9, 2023
Credits:
Todd Clouser - guitar, voice
Jeronimo Gonzalez - bass, jarana
Erik Deutsch - keyboards
Orestes Gomez - drums
Germán Bringas - saxophones, mini-trumpet, hand drum
Guadalupe Galvan - spoken word
Produced by Todd Clouser and Jeronimo Gonzalez
Music written by Todd Clouser and Jeronimo Gonzalez
Recorded at Estudios Noviembre in May 2022
Cover photography by Aarón Cruz
Session photography by Mario Rodriguez
They’re gonna start coming from New York Artists taking pictures of themselves in the park Shadowed by the exercising light pants within side to side gravity hands In the survivor shop speaker boombox You’ve been awake four hours its only 9 in the morning And the clouds hang like a limp hood on the city No One cares to notice Talkin Mexico City Talkin Mexico They’re gonna start selling cheaper toys outside the museums Like condominiums and diet drinks and new age religions They’re gonna pay less to their musicians but talk more about their importance Put up fancy ropes around their dinner places Talk about stocks, monedas, and financial arrangements They’re gonna leave the subway cheap but it’s gonna feel that way I got one more record before I get on the bus and call this one a day The taxi drivers are telling their very last stories Apartment buildings are putting up their first windows the predictions are boring They’re gonna offer you more you might be thinking to take it But they’ll pull out the rug from under you like a cheap child’s blanket Ignorance they’ll think it Most vacant look the greatest Telling everyone on the internet This is love this is love And you’ll wait to get rated You’re having the poets turn to salesmen The foreign fascination malinchista relations A child on the boat sings a song of a feeling that he’s never been facing Kick what you can and when you can you should take it Or leave it all behind for someone else to come break it Talkin Mexico City Talkin Mexico City