I have no idea how old some of these recordings are, but they were all recorded between 1968 and 1978. Although some of them have that slightly tinny feel of having had their original sound stretched through the re-mastering, the music is just as vibrant and exciting as it must have been hearing it in the clubs or the dance halls of Lima and other cities in and around Peru.

While the band Los Mirlos coined the phrase Poder Verde – Green Power – as an indigenous equivalent to Black Power in the United States, the music was not overtly political. If anything, their existence as bands was their strongest political statements not the contents of their lyrics. Although Juaneco y Su Combo dressed in traditional clothing and occasionally wrote lyrics about the plight of rural people transplanted into the city, the focus was still more on producing music that people would want to get up and dance to.

Although it may take a bit for you ears to get used to what you are listening to, and like me, you may be inclined to laugh on first hearing Chicha music, prolonged exposure is not only habit forming but also respect inducing. These are highly skilled musicians that created a very distinctive sound with the intent of getting people up off their feet and dancing.

I can't see even death standing in your way if you really wanted to dance to Chicha music. Of course if you're not dead you can just pick up a copy of The Roots Of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru and get a few hundred friends together for a dance.

Enjoy.

Article Author: Richard Marcus

Richard Marcus is the author of the recently published What Will Happen In Eragon IV? and has had his work published in print and online all over the world. The not so long-haired Canadian iconoclast writes reviews and opines on the world as he sees …

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