In English “forever” is a really long time, it’s also, you’ll notice, written as a single word. In Spanish “for ever” is expressed as “for always,” also a long time, and is written as two distinct words, para siempre. Zurdok has been infecting Mexico, and the world, with its catchy tunes since 1994.

Oye, Vivanativa puts the effee in funky! This grupo boricua has been taking the island, and now the world, like a category five hurricane heading straight for San Juan.

Born Juan Esteban Aristizabal in Medellin, Colombia, Juanes may become the first musician to “crossover” (winning fame in the English speaking world) without ever bothering to release an album, nay, even a song, in English! A Dios le pido, “I ask God,” has been on the top of the charts in 12 countries on three continents, and spent 47 weeks in Billboard’s Latin Tracks chart.

The talented Yasmil Maruffo has composed for, written for, and backed musicians ranging from Phil Collins to Ricky Martin. Yasmil wrote the music for Rumba en mi Corazón, and he co-wrote the lyrics with Servando Primera. Servando and his brother Florentin made it a hit. Here we catch a rare glimpse of Yasmil performing for a small group of friends.

People often say that Símon Bolívar, aka El Libertador, is to the people of Venezuela what George Washington is to the people of the United States. This is not entirely inaccurate, but this 19th century general and native son of Caracas retains a rock star / savior status that might equally be compared with Bob Marley’s place in the hearts of Jamaicans (and tender souled frat boys).

How hard is your cáscara? Here Circo’s José Luis “Fofé” Abreu sings about a certain someone with the power to crack his. Note that cáscara is mostly used for eggs and nuts, whereas the shell of a turtle would be caparazón and that of a snail would be concha.

Café Tacuba is often compared to British rock luminary Radiohead, and the LA Times has gone so far as to proclaim this fab cuatro "The Mexican Beatles." "Eres", sung by keyboardist Emmanuel de Real, is from the album Cuatro Caminos, which critics have called one of the definitive rock albums of the decade (in any language).

In the face of blind passion and desire, it’s fairly safe to say that even P.T. Barnum himself was probably a sucker for love. Los Pericos knows first hand the pain that can follow a heart first plunge into the romantic abyss. Sure, they claim to be over it now, but we’re not sure if we altogether believe it…

Babasónicos have never let themselves get pigeon-holed into one style or sound since they formed in the early nineties (much to the consternation of some fans). With "Carismático" we drop into a surreal dreamscape of Dada visuals and equally fantastical lyrics, all encapsulated in a hook-laced pop tune. Dive in!

Feeling like you aren’t yourself lately? Perhaps even get the idea you are no longer of this world? Molotov knows all about this feeling and have hired a team of scientists to create a special dance to go along with it!

Chido, is Mexican for “cool” (and we don’t mean leaning towards cold). As is typical, a precise definition can vary with context. Liquits, representative of Mexico City’s young and playful, enjoy riffing and aren’t afraid to mix languages (and cultural references) with abandon.

Grammy-nominated La Secta Allstar boasts Puerto Rican roots despite having come together in Orlando, where the members attended college, and shortly after that settling in Miami. This title track from their album, Consejo, may very well make their mothers and mothers around the Spanish speaking world proud.

Enanitos Verdes’ album En Vivo was recorded live in Tijuana, Mexico and Phoenix, Arizona (USA). The song "Tu Carcel" was written and first performed by Marco Antonio Solís, so it’s a real crowd pleaser with the Mexican and Mexican-American audiences.

An apostador is anyone who makes a wager. Control Machete’s "El Apostador" comes off their album Uno, Dos. This exquisitely animated video backs up the song’s tale of have and have not. It must be your lucky day, because we’re betting that you are going to learn something!

The Puerto Rican rockers Circo never do explain what the accidente was exactly, but it doesn’t make this music video any less entertaining to hear. Lead singer Fofé (aka José Luis Abreu, formerly of El Manjar de los Dioses) sounds at times like a latin Robert Smith of the Cure. But maybe it’s the other way around, since Smith is said to be a fan....

Medio signifies “half,” and so of course mediodía comes around at 12 o’clock noon (“half day”). Café Tacuba’s Rubén Albarrán ponders another perfect sunshine midday and wonders why he is has no one with whom to share it. Live concert video! (See Rubén’s guest appearance in Inspector’s video for the tune "Amnesia".)

Fernando Hortal, aka Bahiano, broke away from his band of 17 years, Los Pericos, in 2004 to go it alone. This video shows the rufían delivering milk and a little more. Oyelo, ¡te gustará escucharlo!

Who is this woman that Marciano Cantero met in Denver one winter evening? (Madonna?) It may have been a temporary affair, but the song it inspired has endured, proving to be one of the Enanitos Verdes’ biggest crowd pleasers, as you can see from this concert footage.

So what is it with this Latin American love of ska, a Jamaican genre from the early 60’s that’s had a second coming amongst British and American bands since the early 80’s? Lucky for us, ska is almost always sung very clearly, in short, catchy, easy to understand phrases. Liquits hails from Mexico City, but this award winning group has been hopping continents to record and play for a growing audience since 1993. The animation is ¡padrisimo!

What if you took a bunch of musical aces from Bogotá and asked them to cook up a picante take on the Led Zeppelin classic “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You”? Wonder no longer…

Los Tetas got together in their native Chile in 1994, where they honed a unique blend of funk, hip hop, and soul, and since then have bopped around the Americas, living in New York and Mexico. This track features a good natured appearance by fellow Chilean Germaín de la Fuente, whose romantic crooning has been swooning latin lovers since the early 70’s.

Molotov brings us another inspired video that doubles as a lesson in modern Mexico: PAN, PRI, PRD, and el bono sexenal! By the way, do you know why Rudy Giuliani’s image appears so often in Molotov videos?

La Gusana Ciega is one of our favorite bands! Excellent writing plus deep hooks equals beautiful pop. This live recording of "Tornasol", a big hit for the band, may just leave you hungry for more.

Los Pericos formed in 1986, a bunch of buddies who shared a love for Jamaican icons like Toots & The Maytals, Peter Tosh, and, of course, Bob Marley. No tribute band, they formed their own unique sound and have been jammin’ ever since.