Browsing MetaFilter this week, I stumbled on this episode of the public radio show Sound Opinions, in which journalists Josh Norek and Alejandro Franco offer a brief, English-language history of Mexican rock and roll.

Their tour brings us up to about the late 1990s, when Monterrey was at peace, and its middle-class kids were responsible for a varied and fascinating explosion of rock en español .

Where is Mexican music headed these days? Our hosts point to DJ outfits like Nortec Collective and the Mexican Institute of Sound, which mix traditional, regional styles with modern dance music. But under the stultifying gloss of Mexican pop-rock, there are other strange new hybrids hatching.

The show:

YouTube clip: Monterrey’s El Gran Silencio plays their “Cumbia Lunera,” from the classic 2000 CD Chuntaros Radio Poder.