Ruido Tovar, the collaborative album by Mexican Institute of Sound and Meridian Brothers, has reached No. 1 on the Transglobal World Music Chart for August 2026.
The project unites Mexican Institute of Sound’s Camilo Lara and Meridian Brothers’ Eblis Álvarez in an exploration of Mexican tropical music from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The album revisits the period when artists embraced synthesizers alongside traditional instrumentation, a shift that transformed the genre’s sound.
Lara described Ruido Tovar as “a futuristic album” and “a long-awaited collaboration.” The duo completed the recording during a one-week session at Lara’s studio in January 2025. Their contrasting creative methods, Lara’s collage-inspired production and Álvarez’s formal compositional background, developed the foundation of the album. In addition to cumbia, the album incorporates cha cha chá, danzón, bolero, and psychedelic influences.
Transglobal World Music Chart for August 2026:
- Mexican Institute of Sound & Meridian Brothers — Ruido Tovar — Ansonia
- Fatoumata Diawara — Massa — Nø Førmat!
- Seu Jorge — The Other Side — Amor in Sound
- Souad Massi — Zagate — BackingTrack Production
- Kitka — Kolo — Six Degrees
- Cocanha — Flame Folclòre — Bongo Joe
- Tamikrest — Assikel — Glitterbeat
- Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express — Ranjha — World Circuit / BMG
- Tinariwen — Hoggar — Wedge
- Naked & Lakatos Mónika FolkTrió — Neked — Adriatica
- Nana Osei Twum Barima — Journey to the Unknown — Zephyrus
- V.A. — Sounds of Malawi, Vol. 1 — Hen House Studios
- Elif Sanchez with O Kwarteto — Así Pues… — Pasión Turca
- The Klezmatics — We Were Made for These Times — Asphalt Tango
- Natacha Atlas & Samy Bishai — Parallel Universe, Volume 1 — Airfono
- Remon Nakanishi — Yoake Garasu no Wataru Made / Till the Ravens Rise at Dawn — Doyasa!
- Bahar Movahed — Together Yet Alone — Adhyâropa
- Zuco 103 — Mais Além — Zuco Sound
- Aïtawa — Pasaje — Salamah Productions
- Mah Damba — Taabolo Koura — One World
- Hilal Kaya — Sümbül — CPL-Music / CPL-Musicgroup
- Nuhara — Rama — Trovarobato
- Antti Paalanen — Haitarimarinadi — Rockadillo
- Berima Amo — Rhythms of Love — ARC Music
- Lucas Santtana — Brasiliano — Nø Førmat!
- Stelios Petrakis — Lyric / Lyrikon — Buda Musique
- Aàgut — Trama — Aàgut
- Odd Okoddo & Ogoya Nengo — Palagoma — From Cool Waters
- Ibrahim Maalouf — Trumpets of Michel-Ange, Vol. 2 — Mister Ibé
- V.A. — Oman Bagpipe Singers: Songs of Returning and Leaving — Glitterbeat
- Paolo Angeli & Tenore Murales de Orgosolo — Vinti ‘e Maju — ANMA / ReR Megacorp
- Nuevos Ríos — Nuevos Ríos — ZZK
- Constantinople: Kiya Tabassian, Ablaye Cissoko, Patrick Graham — Estuaire — Ma Case
- Gipsy Kings feat. Tonino Baliardo — Historia — Cooking Vinyl
- Sofía Rei — Antónima — GroundUP Music
- Medusa Quartet — Weaving Gold in Broken Places — Medusa Quartet
- V.A. — Global Riddims presents: Beyond the Algorithm, Volume 1 — NYP
- uni uni — Valveilla — Haapojan Studio
- Fågel Roc — Cantata — pbpRecords
- Mübin Dünen & Raoul Moretti — Anima Vibrante — RM-DM
More about the chart: transglobalwmc.com
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central