When it comes to celebrating his birthday, Luis Alfonso Partida likes to live it up. Since 2018, he’s been reuniting new and old pals at the Yakifest, a party where he connects with his fans, sings whatever pleases him most, and demonstrates a musical perspective that goes beyond the traditional banda genre. However, he took things a little further at Yakifest 2021. “I wanted to try making a different musical statement,” he tells Apple Music. “At first, we only made covers, but this year has been particularly special. My wish was for people to listen to duets of unpublished songs. It took us about three months to prepare for it, which was quite demanding.” The guest list included artists like Grupo Firme and other familiar collaborators, such as C-Kan and bolero master Carlos Cuevas. This list proved more diverse than ever, with El Yaki as a vocal master of ceremonies passing his enthusiasm on to everyone. Yakifest Vol. 4 (En Vivo) finds him as passionate as when he started singing with Banda El Recodo 15 years ago, revealing a controlled talent willing to take risks. “Sometimes I look back in time and tell myself, ‘Oh, boy, there has been a lot going on,’ but I also look forward and think that there’s a lot more yet to come,” he acknowledges. Below, El Yaki walks through each and every song from this memorable fiesta. “Lupe Reyes” (feat. Gerardo Díaz y su Gerarquia) “Ever since I listened to it, I knew that I needed someone who would understand this kind of subject and who was also fun, cheerful, and, to some degree, fond of booze. This is why I decided to record this song with my pal Gerardo Díaz, who’s done songs like ‘Mi Última Caravana’—which became quite famous—and ‘El Albañil.’ Gerardo has many other songs that keep that funny vibe, and he also had the spark needed for bringing a unique essence to ‘Lupe Reyes.’ I felt it would fit in perfectly with the topic in question and, thus, it was a thrill.” “El Tequila y Yo” (feat. Somos 3) “At the Yakifest, I set out to invite artists from all genres: banda, pop, rap. Reggaetón is the only one missing, but I hope it will be included next year. I wondered who could sing with me on each song. This time belonged to my friends in Somos 3, a group of youngsters from Mexicali who have been breaking their necks for a while and have also made duets with other artists. Ever since I heard this track, I knew that I had to work with them if I wanted to make things differently. The arrangements follow their acoustic, balladlike style. It’s a song about heartbreak—a profoundly bitter type of heartbreak imbued with deceit. At the end of the ballad passage, banda makes an appearance, topping it off with a little bit of ranchera in 3/4 time. I just love it.” “Dile a Tu Orgullo” (feat. Grupo Firme) “Grupo Firme are good buddies of mine. My compadre Eduin [Caz, the group’s singer] has always been there to join forces and play along with my madness. ‘Dile a Tu Orgullo’ requires a potent voice, and I was convinced that I had to pair up with someone who could really sing. It was made for him. As soon as he listened to the track, he said it was it and that we had to get it done. It is a song about sorrow and spite, one of those that come directly out of your chest and straight to that other person to whom you are dying to say, ‘This time, I’m putting myself first.’ It carries a rather noble message.” “Las Edades” (feat. Roberto Tapia) “I have always been a fan of Roberto Tapia’s music. This is a song that I was meaning to record way back. That is why I didn’t want to miss the chance to sing it with him at Yakifest. It conveys a beautiful message to rancho people. Sometimes old men like young women.” “Merecemos Perdonarnos” (feat. Carolina Ross) “I didn’t mean to make other singers do something they weren’t comfortable with. In this case, right from the moment I listened to this song, I knew that I needed a sweet, feminine voice. It is a love ballad with a very positive message. It says that we must forgive each other no matter the circumstance, and that we need to recall the love we profess to one another. I truly adore the magic achieved with Carolina Ross.” “De Lo Más Interesante” (feat. Chuy Lizárraga y Su Banda Tierra Sinaloense) “This is one of those accomplished tracks, just as my pal Chuy Lizárraga and I like singing them when we party hard and mingle. I have the fortune of counting him as my friend for quite a long time already. We often go to Mazatlán to eat seafood together. We are always singing old tunes. He had shown me this very one during one of our meals. It had been sent to him but not yet recorded. I told him, ‘Listen, compa, if you are up for going to the Yakifest, we’ll record it together there.’ Definitely a really cool composition from my friend Luciano Luna.” “Un Indio Quiere Llorar” (feat. El Juanma) “I only knew Banda Machos’ version of this song. It was El Juanma who suggested it to me. He is a musician who comes from Michoacán and plays tecnobanda, as does La Dinastía de Tuzantla and the music that comes from what we call Tierra Caliente. El Juanma mentioned that there was a piece which he had always liked, and that he wanted to record it with me. I repeated the name of the song over and over and asked myself, ‘Really?!’ But since Juanma tours with us as part of our firm, LAP Records, we started singing it before getting it recorded. People were responding to it. I never thought it would be so powerful.” “Largate” (feat. Edwin Luna y La Trakalosa de Monterrey) “This is one of my favourites. Even now, I listen to it and think, ‘This is the bomb!’ I was looking for someone who knew how to sing these kinds of songs about resentment and disdain. The song’s name is quite strong in itself: ‘Scram!’ I needed a partner whose songs used that same language. And this is why I chose Edwin Luna and La Trakalosa de Monterrey. It’s been years of knowing each other and sharing good friendship. Edwin’s repertoire includes sensual tracks, but also intense ones, full of character. The duet turned out to be phenomenal and the audience response has been great.” “El Libre” (feat. Roman De Los Reyes) “This is a cover that dates back many years. I first heard it played by Los Alegres de la Sierra, with Roman [De Los Reyes]. We went after this track, because not only does he embody its full essence, but he also possesses a rustic voice and an unrivalled way with the accordion. The combination of the instrument with banda rhythms brings a very unique touch to it, which I simply love.” “Oiga” (feat. Carolina Ross) “I recorded two tracks, a cover and an unpublished song with almost every invitee. Although my idea was to only launch the new songs, there were covers that ended up being so wonderful that were totally worth sharing with the world. Given that Carolina [Ross] is a balladeer, these sort of melodies fit her like a glove. She is in love with music.” “Te Quedaste Casi a Nada” (feat. Janely Rosa) “At the beginning, this was a track in which a man talked to a woman—a song of heartbreak, in a Mexican campirana style and very ferocious. While listening to it, I thought that we could play around with the lyrics and turn them into a female-male duet in the form of a musical argument. I spit the truth out, then she replies with the same intensity. Janely [Rosa] has got a very peculiar and strong voice that sort of reminds me of Jenni Rivera’s. A cheeky, sassy one. The song suited her personality very well.” “Esta Vida Me Encanta” (feat. C-Kan) “I declare myself a fan of all music, and it has been a while that I’ve been listening to C-Kan. We wanted to add some tuba sounds to this piece, a bit of harmony, so that it sounded like a banda kind of rap. We kept the original beat and followed it with some banda, while preserving the spirit of hip-hop. The end product was fantastic.” “Cenizas” (feat. Carlos Cuevas) “He stands among the greatest bolero artists. Carlos Cuevas, a leading light of this genre, agreed to sing it with me in a banda style. It was quite an amazing experience to witness the whole band playing bolero. Lovers of this genre will be truly pleased by it. A bolero song with banda hasn’t been out there for quite a long time. And the cherry on top is certainly the unequalled voice of Carlos Cuevas.”