Sonidero

In Mexican popular culture, sonidero is a group of discs jockeys, engineers and entertainers who plays recorded music in public mainly cumbia, salsa, guaracha and it subgenres.[1][2] The term includes professionals, semiproffesionals and amateurs audio, lights and video equipment owners (the sonido) used to organize or participate in public dancing events (also called sonidero events) and all the communities behind this urban culture, the sonidero movement.[3][4]

Two people dancing at baile sonidero in Martín Carrera, Mexico City.

Some of its singularities are the reproduction of recorded music from Latin genres as cumbia, salsa, bachata and guaracha; on which the sonidero sends overlaying shout-outs and messages to the public simultaneously with the reproduction of the music.[1] The advertising and identity of the sounds has its own aesthetic, which is present to announce its events permanently in urban spaces in Mexico. In addition street performances, sonidos are hired for private parties. Likewise sonidero ave a strong relation with Colombia symbols and cultural expressions being cumbia and vallenato their main ryhtms. Sonidero tributes Colombian heritage including names of Colombian cities in their names and the flag of Colombia in their symbols and promotions.

There is no an exact source of sonidero movement tracing the appearance of sonidos in colonias such as Tepito, San Juan de Aragón and Peñón de los Baños —named for this reason Colombia Chiquita- and Tacubaya in the middle of XX century. In addition to Mexico City and Great Mexico City, sounds and sonideros are present throughout Mexico and United States due Mexican immigrant communities.[4]