More a project than a traditional band,
Sistema Bomb was formed by Bay Area-based producer Héctor Pérez in an effort to modernize the regional Mexican music dubbed Son Jarocho. After being introduced to the style by the
Los Lobos song "La Guacamaya," Pérez imagined incorporating hip-hop sounds and styles into the music, along with the punk and rock elements that acts like
Ozomatli and
Zack de la Rocha had previously injected into the genre. While working with the group
Los Cojolites on their album
Sembrando Flores, he met producer and label owner
Greg Landau, who officially co-founded
Sistema Bomb in 2011. Recording sessions with members of
Los Cojolites,
Ozomatli, and
Maldita Vecindad followed, and then in April of 2012,
Landau's label Round Whirled issued
Electro-Jarocho, the project's debut. The album was nominated for a 2013 Grammy under the category of Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. ~ David Jeffries