Only two years in the game, Aliados De La Sierra have enjoyed a quick rise to the top of the duranguense scene. But their beef with fellow Chicago natives Alacranes Musical has left many of their fans divided.

In early 2007, ex-Alacranes vocalist Sergio "Hershey" Federico and drummer Adan Cervantes formed Aliados along with keyboardist Eduardo Navar of Brazeros Musical. The band was later rounded out by vocalist Jose Luis Muro, multi-instrumentalist Roberto Tello, saxophonist Pedro Celis and Juan Alfredo Rosas on tambora. The "splinter" group released its debut Con Los Ojos Cerrados and scored instant hits with covers of two love songs, Te Amo and the album's title track, originally made popular by pop-roquera Gloria Trevi.

But the band soon became fodder for gossip TV when Federico and Navar got into a fistfight with four members of Alacranes Musical at a Los Angeles hotel – and in the middle of an industry gathering. Head Alacrán Memo Ibarra credits the scuffle with helping the former bandmates patch up: "We fixed things, we sat down and talked about it... everything turned out OK."

Curiously, only two months after dropping their debut, Aliados released their Greatest Hits – a live album recorded in Chicago. After touring the U.S. and México, the group are currently working on their sophomore studio release.

Los Horóscopos De Durango was moving bodies on the dance floor before some of the group's current members were born.

A family affair, Los Horóscopos are one of the bands credited for the recent rise of duranguense, a stripped-down, electronic take on banda music. Founded in 1975 by Armando Terrazas, the Chicago-based group performed with all-male lineups for decades until sisters Vicky (vocals, trumpet) and Marisol Terrazas (vocals, accordion, keyboards, sax) took over in 2000. Backed by cousin Leonardo Terrazas (sax), Oscar Ponce (percussion, keyboards), Héctor Arreguín (bass drum), Roberto Marín (keyboard, tuba), Martín Alonso Leyva (sax) y Héctor Villaseñor (drums), the sisters help Los Horóscopos stand out in a male-dominated industry.

Known for their sultry vocals, tight miniskirts and healthy cleavage, the Terrazas sisters boosted Los Horóscopos to the top of the sales charts with the albums Locos de Amor (Crazy From Love), Y Seguimos Con Duranguense (And We Continue With Duranguense), Antes Muertas Que Sencillas (We'd Rather Be Dead Than Ordinary) and the Latin Grammy-winning Desatados (Unbound).

Like many other duranguense outfits, Los Horóscopos scored hits with covers of pop and dance songs: Monchy y Alexandra's Dos Locos and Pandora's Como Te Va Mi Amor. Their latest album, Ayer Hoy Y Siempre, continues the band's formula for success, with the Marco Antonio Solis-penned Te Amo as well as a cover of the '80s hit Bazar by Mexican teen-pop trio Flans.

In recent months, three members, Braulio Muro, Ismael Hernandez and Noel Garcia, defected from the group to form Dezatados, citing creative differences. In other genres, this might spell the death of a dynasty but not unlike Banda El Recodo, the Grammy-winning Los Horóscopos are carrying on a tradition of multiple lineup changes under the same name. Founder Armando Terrazas: "My biggest accomplishment is seeing my daughters achieve what I couldn't."

(image by Señor Codo via flickr)

The hottest Mexican music today isn't even from México – not really. Duranguense ("doo-ron-ghen-say") may be named after the Mexican state of Durango, but it originated in the city of Chicago, in the American state of Illinois.

Popularized by artists like Móntez de Durango, Diana Reyes, Alacranes Musical, Ponzoña Musical, Los Horoscopos de Durango and K-Paz De La Sierra, duranguense is a stripped-down, electronic take on Banda, the horn-heavy traditional Mexican music most Americans associate with burritos and car washes. Substituting tubas and clarinets with keyboards and vocoders, duranguense bangers often exceed 150 beats per minute, driven by a thumping kick and frenetic, syncopated snare rolls or tamborazos. Many acts feature MCs and dancers to drive the audience into a dancing frenzy during live performances.

And what a dance it is. From the waist down, the pasito duranguense looks like many a traditional Mexican dance but a very different party is happening upstairs. Shoulders and elbows lock, pop and roll. Couples dance in tandem but not always arm in arm. It's a subtly forward style that extends off the dance floor where the emphasis falls on accessories like airbrushed cowboy hats and oversized belt buckles.

Like hip hop before it, duranguense is all about the remix. Most tracks are covers of well-known regional Mexican hits and even of straight-up pop like the Diana Reyes cover of Angels by Robbie Williams, Los Horoscopos de Durango updating Pandora's 1985 hit ¿Cómo te va? or Ponzoña Musical's take on "La Loca," originally a mid-70's hit for the Spanish answer to ABBA, Mocedades.

By now, Duranguense has made its way back to México, where it's both hot and hated but its future remains in the hands of Americans who know there's no going back.