Meinl Percussion artist Ray Yslas has been busy as of late. Ray will be on Conan O'Brian on August 28,2009 with Colbie Caillat, performing her new hit "fallin' for you". Also, Ray recently co-produced/wrote/recorded and co-created 'zocaloZue,' a blend of son jarocho music ( from Veracruz,Mexico)  with world elements. Cesar Castro ( veracruz,mexico), Juan Perez (east L.A.), Alex Hernandez ( San Antonio,Tex.) and Ray finished the long awaited debut CD, which is creating a bit of a buzz in Los Angelesa as well as internationally. To check out the band, go to this link http://www.zocalozue.com . Ray has also been working with guitarist Tariqh Akoni and an all-star band that the two put together including Oskar Cartaya, Wally Reyes Jr. Andy Vargas ( vocals with Santana), and Matt Rohde . The band's music is a blend of Funk, Latin and Urban with a cocktail twist. Currently the band has been recording. To check out some live footage, go to this link http://www.sinverguenzamusic.com

Taku Hirano is currently working with Bette Midler, performing on her show "The Showgirl Must Go On" in Las Vegas which included a recent private show for President Barack Obama. In addition this, he has recently been performing with Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman ("Slumdog Millionaire"), including appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show, and at Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People gala.
Through his production company "Tao Of Sound," Taku has been busy producing and composing for his band Kymira and his project "DJ 8CTOPUS" for Domo Records, as well as remixes for Kanye West's latest album "808's and Heartbreak" and reissues for The Jackson 5 on Universal Motown.
Taku has also been working on the education front recently, performing percussion clinics at the Central California Day of Percussion, and contributing monthly hand percussion lessons for DRUM! Magazine. He also recently was a judge alongside Hidden Beach recording artist Mike Phillips for the NAACP ACT-SO arts and humanities national competition, marking the 30th anniversary for the ACT-SO program and 100th anniversary for the NAACP.
Taku was recently named "Best Rock/Pop Percussionist" in DRUM! Magazine's 2009 Drummie Awards.

On July 31, 2009, Meinl Percussion artist Luis Conte added his percussive magic to a live recording by Mexican superstar Thalia. Recorded at the University of Miami's BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida, the live concert focused on music only with hardly any visual production to speak of. Thalia, who has sold over 25 million albums world-wide, performed for a gathering of only 350 people, making it as intimate of a setting as possible.

Luis, Thalia, and the rest of the band performed 16 songs written by some of Latin America's most influential composers such as Juan Luis Guerra and Roberto Carlos. A duet with the legendary Joan Sebastian was a definite highlight. The album that will document this occasion has a tentative November 2009 release scheduled. Visit www.thalia.com for more information.