WHO IS THE MEXICAN INSTITUTE OF SOUND?

Mexican Institute of Sound is Camilo Lara. Nothing more, nothing less. This is the main project of a man from Mexico City who sometimes sets it aside—but never forgets it—to experiment with other ideas. The DJ and producer, known for projects like Mexrrisey (Mexico + Morrissey), has been making his particular mix of funk, cumbia, and electronic music under the initials M.I.S. since 2004.

After so many years, things blur. Now and then a mental image arrives, a flash that reminds us of a moment our mind decided, for some reason, to keep. For Camilo Lara, 2004 marked the start of a project that would change his life. Mexican Institute of Sound is a celebration. A tribute to the sounds that have shaped an entire country. Camilo Lara's sonic experiment arrived and, from the first moment it was heard, made an impact. The songs sounded fresh and catchy, but they carried the aura of a Mexico that had already gone—of cities, colors, people, flavors, and dances we never lived through but feel are ours. The magic of such a project is that it connects with that nostalgic part all of us have.

With albums like Méjico Máxico (2006), Piñata (2009), Soy Sauce (2009), Político (2012), Disco Popular (2017), and Distrito Federal (2021)—which features collaborations with La Perla, Graham Coxon, Cuco, and Joe Crepúsculo—plus various EPs, Camilo Lara has proven that sometimes you can find the magic formula: a musical, cultural, and symbolic fusion of mariachi soul, the spirit of the sonideros, and the boldest electronic and synthetic sounds.

As an essential figure in Mexican cultural life, Camilo Lara also uses Mexican Institute of Sound as a cry for social justice. As he puts it: "The only democratic place on earth right now is the dance floor. On a dance floor you can be rich, poor, ugly, handsome, white, or black—but if the music is good, it unites the community."

Twenty years of work cannot be easily summarized, but it is even harder when the project is M.I.S. His work has earned him one Grammy nomination and four Latin Grammy nominations. He has produced artists ranging from Los Ángeles Azules (achieving the best-selling Mexican album of the past twenty-five years, eight times diamond) to Lila Downs, Norah Jones, and Band of Horses. He has remixed Beck, the Beastie Boys, Interpol, Metallica, and Joe Crepúsculo, among others.

He has collaborated with a wide range of artists: Cuco, Ludmilla, Bonde do Rolé, Sly & Robbie, Toots and the Maytals, Gogol Bordello, Tom Tom Club, and J from Los Planetas. He has his own radio show in the best-selling video game of all time, Grand Theft Auto V, where he broadcasts alongside Don Cheto and where you can hear his hit "Es-Toy." He was the music consultant for Pixar's Coco (where he even had a cameo) and contributed the song "Jálale." His music has appeared in Narcos, Breaking Bad, Y Tu Mamá También, Californication, and Ugly Betty, to name a few. In recent years he has worked with Marvel Studios on the soundtracks for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Thor: Love and Thunder. Major brands have used his compositions for campaigns in the United States—Apple, Target, H&M, Lexus, and Best Buy. In 2023 he received a Daytime Emmy for Creative Arts in "Music Direction and Composition" for his work on the documentary series Home. A life of songs became a life of success.

The Spanish newspaper El País named him one of the "50 Most Influential People in Latin America." Quién Magazine named him one of the "50 People Transforming Mexico." Camilo Lara never rests. He currently hosts the radio program "Dilo Camilo" on Radio3—a journey through bubbling scenes, epic albums, and unique careers, in constant search of musical origin.