Written By Chloe Diehl
As the festival was coming to a close, Diles Que No Me Maten played their final performance in the middle of the day at the BBC Radio Day Stage. This Mexico City-based band was unlike any other experimental group I encountered.
What first captivated me was their name. “Diles Que No Me Maten” directly translates to “Tell them not to kill me.” They are named after the book written by Juan Rulfo. In the story, the protagonist, Juveinco, is pleading with an officer not to be killed after he hid away for 35 years from committing a murder. Lo and behold, the officer is the son of the man Juveinco killed. The book holds political undertones as it unveils the harsh realities in rural Mexico. While the band doesn’t directly reference the story within their projects, their music is rooted in conveying the pressing social issues in Mexico City and alludes to themes of existentialism.
Many of their songs are improvised and feature an offbeat jazz instrumental backing for fast-paced spoken word. In their songs, there would be breaks in between the spoken word of lead singer Jonás Derbez, who would pull out different woodwind instruments and a harmonica. Each woodwind break sounded like a spasm on the pad keys, going up and down different octaves and messing around on the chromatic scale. The most peculiar setup Derbez had was his saxophone with a flute resting inside.
They kicked off their set with their new single, “Hiriku”, one of their songs on their unreleased album Escrito en agua. This song drove the crowd's energy. It's more of a swing, with a follow-the-standard-pattern verse and catchy chorus, a unique choice for the first song. The drum beat was almost similar to the swing of “Weird Fishes/ Apreggi” by Radiohead. However, the simple bass beat feels heavy, giving it some grit. Once the song reached the chorus, the drums and bass suddenly cut out, and soft, reverbed guitar strumming took over. Derbez switched from a chant to a soothing melodic voice. When the drums and bass cut back in after the first chorus line, the song suddenly entered another dimension. While I wish I understood the lyrics, the sonic contrast and raw emotion were enough to feel the gravity of their performance.
The best part of the show was the song they played to close out their set. They finished with their recent single, “Manos de Piedra (Revisitada)”. The song transported the audience into so many different vibes. It started out very upbeat, with a marching bass line, a surf reverb guitar line, and a swinging drum. Then the instrumentals die down, and a melancholic acoustic guitar crescendoes, slowly enveloping a feeling of tension and curiosity throughout the song’s journey. Derbez took the trip even further with his saxophone solo, freestyling and harmonizing with the rest of the group. Derbez pushed past the boundary, creating a perfect clash of sounds that moved me to tears.
Diles Que No Me Maten brings out the angst and emotions that move crowds even when there is a language barrier. From the band's name to their experimental sound, they have been intentional about sparking conversation for deep reflection and serving as reminders for listeners to confront the heavier, often uncomfortable realities of existen