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From the guitarron and the requinto to the guiro and the tololoche, these are some of the instruments responsible for música Mexicana’s distinct qualities.

As its hissing ��ü������, whistling gaitas and lively horns flow through Los Angeles, Noche de Cumbia aims to celebrate its roots, embrace its variations and encourage a night full of dancing.

Central to many types of Latin music, the guiro is the heartbeat of cumbia.

Alan Vega, a producer-songwriter who has worked with singers Estevie and Sofia Reyes, looks to the guiro as “the most important and most recognizable part of cumbia’s percussion.”

He handed me a guiro, widening the circle to make room for one more.