Mock The Zuma is one of our favourite DJs/producers from Mexico. His real name is Kevin Santana and he is one of the most important representatives of the aesthetic known as “Nueva Ola fronteriza” alongside with WYNO, Nesstrak, Crocat, and other artists. Mock The Zuma is part of the crew/label NAAFI from Mexico City and is one of the masterminds behind LOWERS. He has also released amazing music on the French label Fullfridge. We wanted to know more about Kevin, so we did this interview:

R†P: Where do you live?
MTZ: Here in El Cacique ranch, just outside of Ciudad Juarez in Chihuahua, Mexico.

R†P: Besides music what do you enjoy doing the most?
MTZ: A lot of things. I appreciate multimedia art, riding my baika (bycicle), playing videogames, reading and going out and seeing people. Juarez has a very small population, everybody knows each other. At night there is almost nothing to do because of all the cops and crime, so I hang out with my barys (homies) at people’s houses.

R†P: In which countries would you like to play?
MTZ: I would love to go to South America, and thinking past that, it would be sick to play in Hong Kong. But before all that, I need to tour Mexico more because in addition to mixing and all that, I think it’s important to get to know local music that’s produced in different places.

R†P: When making music, what inspires you the most?
MTZ: All my tracks have a concept, which can be anything from politics to a weekend experience, a videogame or just the music itself that I find when I jam with my midi controllers searching for tunes. For example, when I made the track Riptide Streets (out on vinyl via Fullfridge), I was inspired by Mexico City. Just being there helped me with the composition.

R†P: Tell us your favorite films:
MTZ: Crime and hood films. Boyz N The Hood is my personal favorite.

R†P: How would you define your dressing style, what clothes do you like?
MTZ: Pachuco on special ocasions like weddings and quinceañeras … nah! Stuff that I find downtown. I prefer military colors and stuff like that. I have also friends who make really cool clothes — I like to wear them a lot, their stuff is so chingon. I just partnered with the LOWERS crew to make silkscreen t-shirts for the label, and we’re planing to make hoodies for the winter.

R†P: What is your favorite anime ? 
MTZ: Akira Toriyama, ever since i was a morro (kid). .hack is kinda cool — just some of the episodes. I like mecha future shit like WXIII: Patlabor 3.

R†P: When is your next music release coming out?
MTZ: I’ll be in two compilations that will be released soon on Cassette Blog and Fullfridge Music. And keep checking for the EP I’m going to release on NAAFI.

We hope you liked our first interview, listen, follow and support Mock The Zuma on twitter, facebook and soundcloud.

November 13, 2014