Musically Speaking recently crossed paths with Albuquerque native Camilo Quiñones, aka CQ the Drummer, a producer, percussionist, drummer, DJ, and member of the Quiñones family of highly regarded percussionists, including his father, Tony; his uncle, Rafael; and his brother, Marc. He recently worked his studio and percussive magic on a version of the tropical anthem “El Tiki-Ta” from Acapulco’s famed band Fiesta 85. “TikiTa” releases November 11 on the usual streaming services.
CQ the Drummer/Fiesta 85
“TikiTa” (indie)
A review
Fiesta 85 released its exuberant version of “El Tiki-Ta,” fueled by costeño rhythms and the galvanizing vocal of leader Balthazar Guatemala, some 20 years ago, scoring a hit with traditional instrumentation and a groove whose party vibe was a staple of beach parties and backyard fiestas. “The song as it stands is supercool,” says CQ the Drummer, “and a friend of mine was like, ‘Do you think you could do something with this song?’” CQ thought there definitely was “a place to do something.”
CQ was well prepared to reimagine the tune. As a producer and recording artist, he has collaborated with Grammy-nominated producers El Dusty and Fki1st, known for fusing traditional rhythms with modern production. As a live performer, he has contributed percussion to Los Lobos’ Native Sons, winner of the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, and performed with the band during their 40th anniversary taping of Austin City Limits. He has toured extensively across the United States and internationally, sharing stages with Tito Puente Jr. and Sr., The Allman Brothers Band, Carlos & Salvador Santana, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and Incognito. He’s also carved out a hard-to-classify territory with his own releases, such as Beach Café Vol. 1 (featuring trumpeter Ryan Montaño) and Cruisin’ Song, projects as chill as they are energetic (available from CQ the Drummer on the usual streaming services).
CQ had sampled the original Fiesta 85 track and was working on a bootleg remix to fold into his DJ set. “In the process of trying to figure out if I could do more with it, I reached out to [Fiesta 85’s] Instagram page,” he says. He ultimately connected with Balthazar and his son, Bryan, by phone, and the band agreed to have a listen to what he was doing with the tune. “From there, they heard the song, and they liked it, and [Balthazar] was like, ‘Yeah, we’re down to put it out.’”
Pulling textures and rhythms from Afrobeat and EDM and layering in his own Afro-Caribbean percussion over a heavily reinforced bass line, CQ has crafted the exuberant tropical anthem into a mesmeric composition that preserves the lighthearted exuberance of the original, the traditional instrumentation, and Guatemala’s iconic vocal but which will be most at home on a club’s megawatt sound system. CQ calls it “a vibrant conversation between generations of rhythm.”
Whatever you call it, “TikiTa” will fill the dance floor, and CQ may well be working on other material with Fiesta 85 down the road.
Those of you in Albuquerque can catch CQ doing his DJ thing at The Hall on November 2, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Everyone can catch him spinning “TikiTa” on the “Raices” show on KUNM (89.9 FM and streaming on kunm.org), on Saturday, November 8, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., and that evening, he will be appearing at Marble Downtown, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
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© 2025 Mel Minter