| Name | El Faraonico Polymarchs |
|---|
| Owner | Apolinar Silva de la Barrera |
|---|
| Alias | Polymarchs or PMS (marked by its logo 2006 - present) |
|---|
| Origin | Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico |
|---|
| Instrument | Turntables, Lightshow, Dance Team |
|---|
| Genre | Hi-NRG, Eurodance, Trance, Reggaeton, Tribal House |
|---|
| Years active | 1973 - present |
|---|
| Label | Discos Musart, Scorpion Mexico |
|---|
| Url | www.polymarchs.com.mx |
|---|
| Current members | Victor Estrella 1998 - present, |
|---|
| Past djs | Tony Barrera 1981 - 1985 / 1986 - 1998, J.F. Rangel 1985 - 1986 |
|---|
| Background | group_or_band |
|---|
Polymarchs is the name of a
mobile DJ group based in
Mexico City which plays a great variety of music which extends from Disco and High Energy classics to Eurodance and jumpstyle in the mix by its legendary DJ, Tony B and its predecessor Victor Estrella after Tony B's death in 1998. Polymarchs was founded in the late 1970s as a party machine by Oaxacan native, Apolinar Silva de la Barrera and his sister Maria which consisted of a combination of both of their names. As of October 2008, Polymarchs remains active in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area as they recently celebrated their 30th anniversary at the World Trade Center Mexico. Due to its popularity and success in Mexico, The United States, and Brazil; Polymarchs is considered one of the longest running notable soundsystem in Mexico City and the soundsystem with the most audience in Latin America.
Origin (1973 - 1979)
Ever since he was a kid, Apolinar Silva De La Barrera carried around a pair of turntables with a huge media console around. Since stereos were not available to people in the 1960s, Apolinar began to play in local events in their local Oaxaca. The nightclubs all around Mexico were only meant for the rich and upper class and the nightclub experience was withheld from the poor. He came with the idea of a soundsystem at the wake of a nationwide "SONIDERO" movement. His family moved to Mexico City in the early 70s and Apolinar entered the
IPN to study electromechanics where he received the support from siblings, Maria, Elisa, Luis and combined their names as such:
Apolinar (POLY), Maria (MAR), Elisa (who was nicknamed "Lichi")(CH) and added the S of their last name Silva.
The original lineup consisted of having Apolinar and his friend, Jaime Ruelas, as DJs, and his sister Mary as the emcee. The logo was created by Jaime Ruelas who was studying at the time graphic design and ended up creating the album covers of Polymarchs up to this day.
The original fliers for the Polymarchs events consisted of a viking figure, but a short time later at the suggestion of a famous Mexico City radio DJ, Marco Vargas where on his daily commentary dubbed them the adjective "The Pharaonic" or El Faraonico after witnessing their amazing show. For now on, at every show they were presented as such and their shows and productions would consist of Egyptian art and symbols, however in some of their High Energy tributes, the viking was still used.
For the first few years, they used several belt drive record players and began playing songs one and another without beatmatching during the late 70s, similar to the early Harlem DJs in New York City. Until about 1979 - 1981, Polymarchs began to use the famous Technics SL-1200 MK2 series turntables and a four channel mixer where beatmatching was now part of their sound. They even raised enough money to buy a rundown pickup truck and eventually several semi-trucks by the early 1980s. The early fame brought on by the SONIDERO movement had Polymarchs in the spotlight with their audience being primarily the youth of Mexico City up to this day.
The Beginnings (1980 - 1984)
Another Barrera family member, Marco Antonio (nicknamed Tony) decided to join into the family business. A kid in high school, Barrera took dancing lessons and became on the best dancers in his class. However, he dropped out of high school to continue with the family business. He joined Polymarchs as a DJ after Jaime Ruelas decided to quit and become a graphic designer, who would to this day, design the covers of the Polymarchs releases. To Apolinar's advantage, he discovered his brother's dancing skills which he had in high school, and made him also the official choreographer of Polymarchs' new ballet show, which included a dance team performance under a light show to the music that was in the clubs at the time.
Polymarchs began to grow in popularity by the next two years after it was formed. They first started in their local neighborhood and began extending to the outskirts of towns in suburbs which included Ecatepec and Naucalpan. As their popularity grew, they were also able to purchase more sound equipment and lights for their shows and the new equipment help aid them to play in convention centers, sports pavilions, and concert halls.
By 1981, they were invited to play in some of the largest sport arenas in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area along with other soundsystems which played Cumbia, Salsa and some which played modern music like Polymarchs did.
By the following year, Polymarchs began to consider to host concerts in their new stage by bringing in foreign acts such as Frank Loverde, and Gloria Gaynor. The dates of these exacts concerts are not known, but are confirmed by the fliers that were handed out for the event which some only mention a date but not a year.
Discos Musart
Five years after their formation, Polymarchs was on a straight road to fame with little obstacles in the way. Polymarchs had gathered many fans and there were many people who were not able to attend concerts due to the amount of violence at some of these events, however, these acts of violence did not affect Polymarchs or the mobile DJ sound systems that hosted these events. Today, this is not a major issue, since the host of the event pays for their own security force and receives support from the city police department and the justice department.
For those who could not make it to those events and experience Polymarchs, Musart offered Polymarchs a contract which released productions of vinyl and cassette. (By 1992, all Polymarchs productions were released on CD). Their first release was on vinyl in 1984 which included a fifteen minute mix of the Greatest Hits of the year.
In March 2009, on the Polymarchs website, its opening screen claims the label as "Sony Music", however as of July 2009, Polymarchs has not confirmed the label change on their websites or their events.
The Heyday: (1985 - 1998)
Wanting to be like Polymarchs, several other people founded Mobile DJ sound systems; by 1986 there were more than 40 sound systems in Mexico City alone. Today there are more than 200 of these sound systems, but all vary in their styles of music. Most of the current sound systems focus on
Techno or
Cumbia.
Mobile DJ sound systems are popular known as SONIDOS (Spanish for Sounds). The people related to Mobile DJ sound systems are popular known as SONIDEROS.
Polymarchs also aided in the rise in fame of the other SONIDOS which included names such as Rhamses (coincidentally run by Mary), Winners, Patrick Miller, and Soundset, some of which still exist to this day.
The most phenomenal presence of SONIDEROS at one event was in 1986, where Polymarchs and Rhamses hosted disco superstar Sylvester James at the Palacio De Los Deportes. The stadium filled up to more than 32,000 people, which included hundreds more that weren't able to enter the venue. In response, Polymarchs hosted more of these phenomenal concerts which included the presence of Mexican freestyle group "Click" in 1987 with their new light show, and the 1989 Master Production again at Palacio De Los Deportes with Rhamses (run by Mary), Italian band "Kinky Go", Canadian group "Tapps", and more than 20 SONIDOS which were given "Discos De Oro" or golden discs. The event didn't equal the turnout in 1986, but it was a fairly close number.
By the late 1980s, High Energy and Eurobeat music began to disappear from the mainstream media. High Energy music was replaced with rhythms such as New Beat, House and Eurodance. Seeing this ongoing trend, Polymarchs decided to change formats to still appeal to the newer younger crowd that favored the more modern sounds that were playing on Mexican radio stations. This was proven by several recordings from 1987 where Polymarchs began to introduce Pop music into their mix. This was also the year that the last High Energy production was released on the Musart label. Several tapes continued through 1988 and 1989. A final tape mix released promotionally in 1990 had the only 8 Eurobeat songs in its mix, while its B side contained 8 Pop, House and New Beat songs.
This change, however, included controversy. Many admired Polymarchs for their willingness to play a great show in High Energy with well-known artists under a spectacular light show. This new change discouraged what future lied ahead from the SONIDO. Many fans were driven away from Polymarchs to other SONIDOS like Patrick Miller, that to this day, continue to include High Energy music in their format. It is believed that this was the start of the "rivalry" between Patrick Miller and Polymarchs, which to this day, neither Patrick Miller or Polymarchs claim such a rivalry exists. Patrick Miller fans attended Polymarchs events to chant "Patrick Miller", in efforts to "shut down" and cause a scene at the event. A recorded incident happened during a 1990 Rhamses performance. As Mary introduced Rhamses, people began shouting "Patrick Miller" repeatedly to try and humiliate Rhamses. Mary and Tony Barrera, who happened to be present that night, managed to control the crowd by stating that Polymarchs and Rhamses have tried to get Patrick Miller to co-headline an event together (since the 1986 appearance at the Palacio De Los Deportes), and that Patrick Miller has denied the invitation. To this day, a concert with both Polymarchs and Patrick Miller has not occurred. The criticism had little effect on Polymarchs, since they were able to cater to a newer, younger crowd during the 1990s with much success until the death of Tony in 1998.
After their signature show at the Palacio De Los Deportes, Polymarchs needed a new lighting system to retire the old 80s look. To go along with the new makeup, Tony Barrera, the DJ and the choreographer, created more ballet shows for their concerts which satisfied their audience. Along with this, Tony B. (as he now called himself) teamed up with "Tapps" member Allan Coelho and wrote songs for Tony to sing at the concerts with a Eurodance flavor to fit in with the new Polymarchs productions. Although these songs didn't gain him much success, they became signatures of the Polymarchs sound throughout the 1990s.
By the mid 90s, Polymarchs began to host more concerts with eurodance artists in Mexico City. New station Alfa 91.3 and Polymarchs began hosting a segment called "Alfa Dance" (which was broadcast over TV Azteca) at Palacio De Los Deportes with Eurodance artists such as D.F.S., Alexia, Factor - X's, Lady Gee, Gina G. and many more. Polymarchs was even able to take their entire SONIDO to a concert in Los Angeles, California in 1997. For the first time, Polymarchs gained global recognition as well as new fans in the United States.
Death of Tony (1998)
The late 1990s brought much fame as well as fortune to Polymarchs. Tony B had many callings for nightclubs as well as radio and TV slots, but Tony's passion for the family business kept him in Polymarchs. Tony was also seen as a hero for his humanitarian efforts, where he provided much aide to his hometown of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca after Hurricane Pauline in 1997. Tony also opened up his own nightclub in his hometown which overlooked the beach; a place believed where he would retire when he made visits from Mexico City to his family in Puerto Angel.
On the night of 24 May 1998, Tony B was visited by a person who is believed to be a colleague at his apartment in Mexico City. Neighboring witnesses reported seeing both Tony and this individual to be conversing casually. It is reported that Tony gave the man a golden necklace as well as several miscellaneous items after only talking for ten minutes or so. The individual later returned with two others that chatted with Tony for a few more minutes before all three entered his apartment. Local law enforcement confirms Tony B knew these individuals by the manner which they spoke to one another. Witnesses later reported seeing the three individuals boarding Tony's 1989 Thunderbird, which was later found in a different section of the city by law enforcement officials. These three individuals are believed to be the murderers as they were the last people to exit the apartment before he was found deceased.
Two days later, his body was found in his apartment after friends tried contacting him. He was found laying nude crouched on his bed with his head touching the floor. The autopsy results conclude that he suffered head trauma by a choke-hold that punctured his trachea, destroyed his cervical vertebrae and several other vital organs. There was also evidence of rectal perforation while examining his corpse. It is believed by law enforcement officials that the motive for his murder was homophobia, since several witnesses, as well as friends and family, recalled him acting in a strange manner towards the latter part of his life. Other witnesses believed that he had a significant other in his life that would visit him regularly and would spend several nights inside the apartment and that the murder was as reported by La Prensa "revenge over homosexuals." Throughout his life, Tony B nor his family publicly admitted he was gay. As of 2010, the motives for the murder are still unclear and no suspects have been detained in his murder.
Tony's death was a proven tragedy to the Mexico City nightlife scene. Several fellow friends such as artists, colleagues, and SONIDOS gave their condolences to the Barrera family. His funeral consisted of a 5 kilometer procession through Puerto Angel, Oaxaca where the local schoolchildren, citizens and even the naval sector was present. Since his death, his legacy still exists with Polymarchs. His trademarked "Tony B" logo is on every event flier since his passing. He is still credited as the chief dance productor in Polymarchs to this day, and his dance routines are still practiced by the Polymarchs Ballet. His songs such as "Te Necesito, Baby" , "Me Exitas" , and "Rap De Polymarchs" were released by Musart later that year which, since then, have gained immense popularity with Polymarchs fans. His legacy also lives outside Polymarchs, with many DJs recording High Energy sets in tribute of Tony since his passing. Since his death, Tony B's popularity has continued to rise in Mexico and around the world with several people crediting him as "the best DJ in Mexico."
After Tony B. (1999 - 2004)
The success of Polymarchs took a hit with the tragic death of Tony. Apolinar decided to hire Victor Estrella, who DJ'ed for SONIDO Winners since the early 1990's. (His DJ spot in Winners was filled by their current DJ, Antonio Winners) Fans were very skeptical of the new DJ. Much criticism emerged towards Polymarchs with the hiring of Victor. Those critics stated that his mixing was not as clean and on-point as Tony performed and that the new Polymarchs music was out of format with the original Eurodance Tony played previously. Polymarchs, however, still managed to bring the younger audiences to their performances. Their signature Alfa Radio entrances at the Palacio De Los Deportes were a hit with their fans. Tony's choreography was combined with a more futuristic light show while upgrading to modern relay machines and computerized sequencing. The music format changed once again, playing more modern Eurodance and House formats.
To try and reclaim fame with the High Energy crowd, Polymarchs began headlining events where High Energy music was played for half of the event, while the other half consisted of modern dance music. This particularly brought Polymarchs back into the High Energy spotlight previously dominated by other SONIDOS that specialized in High Energy music. Those true to the High Energy scene considered this was a good move by Polymarchs, but that the performances during the 1980s could not be compared to those enacted by the SONIDO.
In 2002, Polymarchs revamped its sound system, its lighting and its ballet for their first performance at the Zocalo Capitalino. This performance was a first for a SONIDO like this at the time. The event lasted for more than three hours with half of the event showing tribute to Tony with a High Energy set by Victor Estrella and the other half with its European dance music show which also showcased the early New Beat that Tony once played in the early 1990s. The event brought forth an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people to the Zocalo with exact figures not stated. A Discos Musart production was also released for this event. Being the first Musart-released production to be recorded live.
More of these "massives" continued with larger venues such as Torero De Cuatro Caminos where they performed in 2001 and in 2003. Casa Popular brought forth another signature Tony B tribute (For the 5th Anniversary of his passing). This was the first event in several years that was completely for the High Energy crowd. Just like in 1989, Polymarchs presented awards and recognitions to those SONIDOS that were pioneers of the High Energy scene since the 1980s. Tapps was also present to perform their songs at the event. The next 100% High Energy event was the following year again at Casa Popular, this time for the 25th anniversary of the SONIDO. The event would featured the returning Tapps and the welcoming for the first time in Mexico, Yoh-Yo and Oh Romeo with its producer, Bobby Orlando. On the day of the event, it was shown that Oh Romeo was not going to sing live on stage in midst of the amazing fan turnout. However it was later confirmed by the associated press that Oh Romeo did not show up at all to the event, however Polymarchs still tried to prove the fact that Oh Romeo was present but chose not to perform at their 30th anniversary party at the World Trade Center Mexico in October 2008. In addition to that, the newly welcomed guest Yoh-Yo was played by an impersonator at the event by a much younger version instead of having the vocalist on the releases Carlos Borges live at the event. According to Borges, it was Coelho's fault for the misunderstanding.
The New Polymarchs (2005 - present)
Despite the fact that fans were deceived at several of their events, the large majority of fans have still stuck with Polymarchs due to other successful events that have been hosted in the most recent years. In late 2004, Polymarchs confirmed on their website that they would play at the Zocalo once more before Christmas of the following year. To their amazement, the previous record which was set back in 1986 with 32,000+ people was now shattered with more than double the fan turnout at their return to the Zocalo. By the end of the night, it was confirmed that more than 90,000 people attended the event at the Zocalo, despite the cold weather and the ice skating rink on the farther side. Here it was confirmed that Victor Estrella had worked with several DJs to release several Tribal tracks with DJs Vampiro and Sobrino. The singles were played live at the event and were received with fairly well feedback. By the end of the following year, a special production labeled "Polymarchs Latino" included the tracks played at the event and several Tribal House and Reggaeton mixes. The production was received with moderate feedback with fans who wanted a new side of Polymarchs and those who wanted to keep the old traditions for their shows.
Throughout the next two years, Polymarchs had moderate fame with their audience. The Mexican hi-NRG followers were now looking towards other soundsystems such as Patrick Miller and D'Flirts to satisfy their own "High Energy crave" which brought legends such as Fancy, Fred Ventura and Ken Laszlo to Mexico City. The new youth began to look into local discothèques and soirées to have fun, and the soundsystem fad was dying out, especially for Polymarchs. In an interview in mid 2007, Apolinar had no doubt that in a few more years, Polymarchs would be no more.
Recently, Polymarchs has released their yearly productions on schedule which also include now the actual songs in the production on different CDs.
Their recent events have not been as grand as before, however they have brought positive feedback among their fans.
The 10th anniversary of Tony B. was celebrated in Oaxaca, Oaxaca with a special High Energy session in May 2008.
By August 2008, Polymarchs confirmed with local soundsystems Soundset, D'Flirts and Lesbos that they would host their 30th anniversary party at the World Trade Center Mexico with High Energy legends Fred Ventura and Ken Laszlo, hosted by Soundset and Brian Ice hosted by Polymarchs. The following month they appeared on the nocturnal show on TV Azteca 13 with a special dance performance and mix session by Victor Estrella.
The event was hosted on October 17, 2008 which brought in some moderate feedback with Soundset, Lesbos and D'Flirts, but Polymarchs received much criticism by fans claiming that they were mistreated at their entrance to the venue, and also include allegations which point out that Victor Estrella had prerecorded mixes playing because he was on Pioneer CDJ 1000 MK3s while everyone else was using Technics SL 1200 MK2s. The event was broadcasted live via internet by internet radio station "Punto De Energia Radio" under their shows "The Lime Specials" and "Magical Memories". The radio station received very positive reviews and a wider fan base since they were the first radio station to transmit a Polymarchs event to a worldwide audience. Victor Estrella and Apolinar agreed to have an interview with their radio station in response to the many shoutouts sent by fans throughout the night. With a special Divine double tribute, Soundset announced that it would host Jessica Williams and Paul Parker the following week, however three days before the venue, it was postponed until March 2009, which helped bring a wider audience at Polymarchs' next event in Tlanepantla.
Legacy
The change in disco music played at the clubs in 1988 - 1991 was seen as an abrupt change from sounds of artists like
Fun Fun,
Bobby Orlando, to artists like
Snap! and
2 Unlimited, made Polymarchs change their genre completely. It seemed to the public that Polymarchs was heading in a new direction, however the public acknowledged the change and Polymarchs proved that they would change the underground dance music scene, but at the same time improve the quality of their sound. This was especially proven at an event in Ecatepec De Morelos in late 1992 where Tony B. played two 80's dance tracks to the crowds amazement, and as their upcoming albums were released on CD, Polymarchs increased their phenomenon, while being able to deliver a captivating light show with an awesome ballet performance. This led to a mid 1990s tour of North America which included a show in
Pico Rivera,
California in 1997 in which more than 10,000 people attended to watch the legendary performance that swept the North American dance scene.
After Barrera's death, however, many fans believed that the new DJ wouldn't perform to equal potential that Barrera gave his audience since the late 1970s. However, Polymarchs proved its potential once again by continuing to upgrade their equipment which included the "Tony B" logo high above the regular "Polymarchs" logo. Polymarchs also upgraded its dance team, however the choreography is credited to Tony Barrera as the new team would train by using his old videotapes recorded during the years. This pleased most music fans, however to those that grew close to Barrera felt that Polymarchs took a downturn with the new DJ, Victor Estrella.
At the Zocalo show in 2005, Polymarchs introduced their new Reggaeton and Tribal show in which most Polymarchs fans enjoyed, however due to Polymarchs previous agreements with Discos Musart and their licensing companies, Polymarchs introduced a different type of Eurodance music not found in many clubs from the 1990s. By 2001, Polymarchs introduced more mainstream club hits on their compilations still licensed by Discos Musart, to the consent of most, but to those still wanting the 1990s format, have criticized the decision.
After several canceled concerts in 2004, 2006 and 2009, Polymarchs' began to lose fan base in Mexico City, while other SONIDOS like "Winners" and "Patrick Miller" have begun to gain more popularity in recent years, and has led to several feuds by fans at concerts. At Polymarchs' 30th anniversary at the World Trade Center Mexico, during the opening set by SONIDO Soundset, Miguel Vazquez, the MC, called upon the High Energy community to join together and forget their differences. As he was mentioning the name "Patrick Miller", loud chanting began yelling the SONIDO's name and also led to several confrontations outside the venue between Polymarchs fans and Patrick Miller fans. After the show on the Polymarchs online forum, good reviews were given to the opening sets by SONIDOS Lesbos, D'Flirts, and Soundset, however Polymarchs received high criticism after several technical difficulties in the sound equipment forced a ten minute delay. It was also criticized for the amount of security issues between fans trying to enter the venue and the SONIDO's own staff. Rumors also began surfacing about Victor Estrella's performance, which many thought it was pre-recorded. In a radio interview at Punto De Energia Radio a few weeks after the event, Victor Estrella claimed that the performance was absolutely live.
After Barrera's death in 1998, DJ Magazines interviewed Polymarchs about their success. When asked about Polymarchs' future, Apolinar Silva replied that "Polymarchs" legacy would last, but that the SONIDO would be shut down "within a few more years." However in a newer interview with TV Azteca, Apolinar claimed that "Polymarchs" would be on the verge of only becoming bigger, and would aim for another 30 years in the underground dance scene with the image of Tony Barrera as a demonstration of the SONIDO's path to fame and glory and its guide for the future.
Category:Mexican musical groups
