Duranguense group Alacranes tops Latin chart

06/10/2007 9:24 PM, Reuters
Leila Cobo

Duranguense music continues to be a driving force in regional Mexican music, four years after it exploded onto Billboard's charts.

The bouncy beat, a mix of traditional banda with electronic instruments -- originally from Durango, Mexico, but popularized in Chicago -- has boosted a handful of acts toward stateside success. The most recent entry is "Ahora y Siempre," the newest studio album by Alacranes Musical, which recently debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart.

On its own, that No. 1 position is not especially surprising. Alacranes' momentum has been rising steadily. Its last studio album, 2006's "A Paso Firme," debuted at No. 3 on the same chart, while 2005's "100% Originales" came in at No. 5 and 2004's "A Cambio de Que?" at No. 7.

What's most notable about Alacranes' accomplishment is the number of units sold -- more than 13,000 the first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That makes "Ahora y Siempre" the fourth top-selling Latin debut of the year so far, behind Jennifer Lopez, Creadorez and Marco Antonio Solis, and ahead of Juan Luis Guerra and Calle 13.

Granted, Alacranes' numbers are nowhere near those of Lopez's or even Solis'. But these are household names in the Latin realm, while for many, Alacranes is an unknown.

That's because the group's story is not one of flashy media outings, but rather of patient work, both in radio and in promotion.

Like most successful regional Mexican acts, Alacranes tours endlessly throughout the year, playing dances virtually every weekend in the United States and in Mexico.

A phone call to the group the week after its album's release found Alacranes playing a gig in Kansas, with another show the following day in Louisville, Kentucky. Audiences at the U.S. shows usually number between 3,000 and 8,000 people. Mexican gigs are usually for crowds of 10,000-plus..

The new album's release was supported by a strong TV campaign on the Univision and Galavision networks, but also by multiple radio festivals, many coinciding with Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

The biggest push, perhaps, was that the album's first single, "Por Amarte Asi," gained heavy airplay in Los Angeles, an area where Alacranes had never been strong before.

"We all thought the duranguense movement was a regional movement, but truth be told, we were wrong," said Juan Carlos Hidalgo, program director for regional Mexican station KLAX (97.9 FM) Los Angeles.

KLAX had played Alacranes tracks before, but had stuck to acoustic versions. "Por Amarte Asi," a cover of a ballad originally recorded by Christian Castro, was picked up by Los Angeles' three regional Mexican stations in its original duranguense form.

That, Hidalgo speculated, may have pushed people to the stores. After all, he said, "most strong Latin musical movements come from music you can dance to."

Reuters/Billboard