In the Mexican state of Sinaloa, brass bands (bandas) are part of every public celebration. In the 1940's, the pioneering Banda El Recodo started mixing up traditional brass band tunes with contemporary Mexican music - mostly ranchera` - and soon transformed the idiom into a powerful new popular genre. In the 1990's, banda music experienced a renewal, especially among young Californian Mexicans, many of whom have family roots in Sinaloa. Banda music's popularity exploded in Mexico as well and has become the new urban music of choice. $10