Mexico City

Life in the Mexican capital throws up many obstacles, but a small number of dedicated people are trying to build an electronic music scene in one of the world's most chaotic cities.

Mexico City is one of the largest and most vibrant metropolises in the world, but its electronic music scene has yet to truly flourish. It's a city where vast inequality, crime and widespread corruption are everyday realities, and where nightclubs are largely reserved for the moneyed elites. For those who put music first, there are many obstacles—a lack of venues, a limited audience, very little financial gain. Whether you're putting on parties, releasing music, or hustling for gigs, making ends meet is a constant struggle.

But the issue also runs deeper. Malinchismo, which means a preference for the foreign over the local, is a term you hear a lot in Mexico City, and it spills over into all aspects of life. In dance music, Mexican fans and DJs will avidly follow artists from Berlin or London but pay little attention to national talent. The domestic scene therefore suffers, unable to develop an identity of its own.

In this episode of "Real Scenes," we travelled to the colourful, chaotic capital to meet the people who are trying to make dance music work in Mexico City. We found a core community as dedicated, talented and passionate as any in the world.