Makeshift: Abel Carranza’s Underground Beats

Manufactured: Abel Carranza’s Underground Beats from Makeshift on Vimeo.Jan 22 2013 – This video was created for Makeshift‘s Manufactured series – videos about entrepreneurs, artists, and innovators devoted to their craft.

Slinging CDs in the crowded subways isn’t an easy gig. The vendors, known as vagoneros, walk from car to car offering music from cumbia to reggaeton on CDs stuffed into plastic sleeves.

Like most vagoneros, Abel played samples of his wares through a portable speaker. Unsatisfied with the audio quality and appearance, he decided there was a better setup waiting to be invented. Through experimentation and testing, he designed audio backpacks powered by rechargeable batteries, powerful enough for a long day’s work keeping Mexico’s subways rocking.

Makeshift is a print and online magazine about creativity in informal economies. This video was produced by Myles Estey and filmed and edited by Deborah Bonello.

Makeshift: Abel Carranza’s Underground Beats from Deborah Bonello on Vimeo.