1986, and January 3, 1987, Juan Aceves produced a four-song demo for the band using "free" studio time at night at Arco Studio (where Aceves was chief engineer). The demo was showcased on the independent radio program Espacio 59 (Space 59), a show that promoted up-and-coming rock bands. With demo in hand, Caifanes approached CBS Mexico. The musical director at the time shunned them for dark new wave attire and said, "You look like fags." At the time, Caifanes' sound and look was influenced by British post-punk groups such as The Cure and The Jesus and Mary Chain. They dressed in black suits and sported frizzly hair and make-up. Upon hearing the demo of "Será Por Eso" (English: "That's Why"), the CBS executive said, "At CBS, our business is to sell records, not coffins." Nevertheless, the movement of Rock en Español or rock en tu idioma (Rock in your language) was too strong to ignore by record executives. The flood of groups from Spain and Argentina forced Mexican labels to take a second look at up-and-coming Mexican bands. Caifanes received a big break when Ariola records invited them to open for the Argentinean rocker Miguel Mateos' Mexico City show. The show brought Cafaines to the attention of Miguel Mateos' producer, Oscar Lopez. He fell in love with the band and took them to the studio to record a demo. Lopez was instrumental in their signing to RCA-Ariola and went on to produce their first two albums. Caifanes' first album, Caifanes (also known as Mátenme Porque Me Muero, Volumen I) was released in August 1988 by RCA-Ariola. It was preceded by an EP of three songs, in order to test the market. The immediate sale of 300,000 copies of the EP cemented the band's appeal. The first single, "Mátenme Porque Me Muero" ("Kill Me Because I'm Dying"), became a minor hit in Mexico City. The first three singles received radio play. In December 1988, Caifanes released a cover of the Cuban folk singer Guillermo Rodriguez Fiffe's classic cumbia (tropical dance song), "La Negra Tomasa" (The Black Woman Tomasa) as a Maxi single. It was a massive hit in Mexico and introduced Caifanes to a wider audience nationally and abroad. National success By 1989, Caifanes had emerged as one of the hottest rock acts from central Mexico. In June, Caifanes played two sold-out shows at the National Auditorium, a 10,000 person venue