Viva la Disco to Host Sixth Edition at Yucatan Center for Visual Arts

Mérida, Yucatán — The sixth edition of Viva la Disco, billed as the Yucatan Peninsula’s largest independent record fair, will be held Sept. 12 at the Yucatan Center for Visual Arts.

The event will also serve as the closing activity for the state’s Independent Music Sector Meeting. Organized with support from the Yucatan Secretariat of Culture and Arts (Sedeculta), Viva la Disco will bring together more than 30 participating record stores as well as book presentations, DJ sets and other activities that promote music across formats.

Among the highlights, the book Yo Soy la Cumbia, released by Editorial Universidad de Guadalajara, will be presented by Enrique Blanc, Alejandro González, Tamara Bregman, Rulo Zetaka and Angel Chim, also known as La Matraka. The presentation will close with cumbia sets by Jeni Janes and Tropi Klaw, both members of the Morras y Vinilos collective.

Two other editorial presentations are planned: 500 minutos, by Ehekatl Hernández, and the fanzine Chunchaca: La cumbia del sureste, published by Discos y Amigos with contributions from Sabrosura Sound System, Eder Polanco and radio host Rigel Alonzo.

The fair will also feature the presentation of Agonía/Floro, the latest release by Colombian band Mamut on Voodoo Night Discos, which is the guest record store for this edition. Felipe Q, a Venezuelan-Colombian DJ, will present the album.

Monterreina, a selector from Spain’s Canary Islands, will perform a DJ set during her Mexico tour, with records rarely heard in the country. She is part of the Pimienta Selectoras collective, and her visit is supported by the Canary Islands government.

Other DJ sets will be led by Alejandro Dávila, a Guadalajara native and pioneer of electronic music in Mexico, as well as Sixx, Picadiscos, Master May, DJ Adams and DJ Perro Negro. Indie Fest, one of Yucatan’s most important rock festivals, will also hold an activation at the event.

The program will open with a conversation between Alejandro González and Enrique Blanc, moderated by Leonor Chávez, about music journalism and the many forms of the profession.

All activities will take place at the Yucatan Center for Visual Arts from noon to 8 p.m. Admission is free.