Latin Remix of the Week: Karen y Los Remedios’ ‘Las Muchachas (Mexican Institute of Sound Remix)’

In our Latin Remix of the Week series, we spotlight remixes that the Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors deem exceptional and distinct. We might not publish a review every week. This is our selection today.

Karen y Los Remedios became a captivating revelation in Latin indie with their 2023 nine-track debut album Silencio, a darkly poetic blend of eerie cumbia rhythms and subtle trip-hop influences. Comprised of singer/songwriter Ana Karen Gonzalez Barajas, producer Jonathan “Jiony” Muriel, and guitarist Guillermo Berbeyer, the trio offers a hypnotizing exploration with themes that explore sorrow, solitude, and mystical musings.

Among its tracks, “Las Muchachas” is especially noteworthy, highlighting the group’s penchant for experimental cumbia-pop fusion. Lyrical depth is woven through the melody with lines like “Cuando tú me dices que soy inalcanzable, pienso en las estrellas” (“When you tell me I’m unattainable, I think of the stars”).

Mexican Institute of Sound, helmed by Camilo Lara, reimagines this song with an innovative twist. The Mexico City DJ/producer retains the haunting allure of the original while injecting spatial sound effects and a lustrous glow to the vocals. Plus, he adds a reggae dub atmosphere and a spellbinding violin-synth blend midway, morphing the remix into an immersive experience that respects the original’s core while introducing dynamic auditory layers.

Lara is renowned for his ability to meld traditional Latin sounds with exploratory electronic elements and kitschy Mexican folk. In addition to his Mexican Institute of Sound (Instituto Mexicano del Sonido) project, Lara has also been involved in the band Mexrrisey (the Mexican Morrisey project), and plenty of soundtracks and film scores (Narcos Mexico, Coco).

Karen y Los Remedios’ “Las Muchachas (Mexican Institute of Sound Remix)” will be part of the trio’s Silencio Remixes, to be released on April 11.

Listen to the “Las Muchachas” remix below: