Control Machete, Si Señor

Fermín IV y Pato @ Fonoteca Nacional

Control Machete was a hip hop band from the nineties, they made up their name from the idea that the first word was meant to imply thoroughness and precision while the second was a symbol of hard work and a tool used for the opening of paths.

The band had three members (Fermin IV Caballero, Patricio "Pato" Chapa Elizalde and Antonio "Toy" Hernández, all of them played in different bands based in Monterrey (the northern border of Mexico and the US). It´s too bad I can´t remember the other two groups for the other band members but Pasto was "Pato´s" original band before Control Machete.

Jumbo, Resorte, Molotov and Café Tacuba were contemporaries of this band.

In three years they released two albums with all three members but by 2002, Fermín IV left the band. This was surprising because the band was in the middle of complete and absolute success.

Fermín IV narrated how the last year before the break-up, things were really tough and spoke to his pastor, soon after that conversation, he became a practicing Christian and eventually a pastor of his own church. Before becoming a pastor, he released a solo album called Boomerang which is catalogued as Christian hip hop. A 360 degree turn from the so-called "cursing band"  I guess but as he said: "I was already a preacher back then, it was just a different stage..."

They both spoke about something I consider very important, very subtle but important. Their first demo was constantly played on the radio by Camilo Lara and Chuck Pereda.