Pressing play on the video will bring you close-up shots of eyes and other body parts, displayed with a texture that resembles old school jumbotron-sized screens with thousands of light bulbs. It’s these kinds of intimate images that reflect the music Francisco Martinez plots on his own.
Better known as a member of Centavrvs, Mexican Dubwiser and Neon Walrus, the Torreón-born musician has been quite active on the Mexican scene for a few years now. “Nichim,” a song from Nos Han Dado La Tierra –Paco’s first solo record– has many of the signature elements found in the music of Centavrvs, such as electronic instruments, trumpets, and hip-hop beats. However, calling it an offshoot of that project would be rash, as “Nichim” is more psychedelic and melodic than his other sample-heavy band.
The song features rapper Slajem Kop, who hails from San Juan Chamula, Chiapas and rhymes exclusively in the Tzotzil indigenous tongue. Martínez combines Kop’s verse with English singing for maximum effect. Furthermore, Paco has the good sense to keep multiculturalism close to the chest instead of getting swept up with shallow fusions, like so many others do, avoiding cheesy results.
Watch the video below. It was directed by Cory Matthews (not the Boy Meets World character, dummy!). You can feel the intimacy of flesh and and how it communicates on its own.