Rhythm 'n' Roots

I just read an article in The Guardian about a Madrid based label Vampisoul reissuing long lost music from Latin America and beyond. Their first release was a compilation of Peruvian Underground music from the 60s and 70s, including Peruvian funk, garage, psychedelia and chicha. The article reminded me of an album I have which was released by Barbés Records - another fine label of crate diggers, called The Roots of Chicha, which charts the history and emergence of Peruvian Chicha music

Chicha is often described as "Peruvian cumbia" but it is more like a bastard genre of tradition crossed with modernity. It originated in the Amazonas region of Northern Perú around the time of the oil boom in the 60s. The music took influences from the local folklore and mixed it with rock 'n' roll or surf rock, tropical rhythms such as colombian cumbia and Andean scales and melodies. It was primarily, however, a music to dance to and a music of the people. Barbés has some fantastic background information for all their releases and they do a much better job than either wikipedia or myself at explaining the history of the music.


One of the most influential chicha groups was Juaneco y Su Combo and, in particular, guitarist Noé Fachin. The band mixed Brazilian rhythms, cumbia, rock n roll, surf rock with their own roots, writing songs inspired by local legends from the forest and dressing in traditional Shipibo atire, as Barbés mentions: "They were the musical ambassadors of the selva (forest)."

Unfortunately the main label which recorded and released many of the big names such as Juaneco y su Combo and Los Mirlos, INFOPESA, disappeared and the master tapes were lost. In 1977, five of el "combo" were killed in a plane crash, amongst them guitarist, composer and driving force behind the band Noé Fachin. The remaining members continued to play and indeed continue to play to this day with son of Juaneco, Mao Wong Lopez leading the group. It is great to see these labels making this near forgotten music available globally so support them if you can!

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Coming back to Perú I inevitably became reacquainted with Huayno and as I descended the highlands towards Bolivia it became clear Huayno is the popular music of the Andean people. It is a mestizo music: taking the traditional Huayno rhythms and vocal styles of the Incas and mixing it with Spanish lyrics and instruments such as harps and accordions. The musicians play repeated phrases, stretched brass lines and swirling violins accompanied by harping vocals and music box like plucked strings; at times it sounds a long way from Latin American music. It uses a lot of the pentatonic scale, used in folk music across the world, perhaps explaining why at times the harp phrases sound rather more Asian than Latin American.

Perú: Huayno del Centro

Of the 200 or so tracks on this disc some are modern versions of Huaynos complete with cheesy drum machines and keyboards but the ones which really got me were the old, badly recorded tracks. The warm, live sound emphasises the fierce emotion which characterises the style, the vocals near shouting with passion.

Haydee Raymundo - Cuatro Palabras



The self-proclaimed "voz de los pobres," I first heard Haydee in a taxi ride and from then on she cropped up everywhere!

Picaflor de los Andes - Sacrilegio



One of the few men on the CD, el Picaflor de los Andes (The Hummingbird of the Andes), better known as Victor Mallma, was one the many "provincianos" who migrated to Lima in the 60s looking for work. He brought the folkloric music of the provinces to the city and became an key figure, representing the lives of the impoverished classes lured to the city. 100,000 people turned out to the man's funeral in 1975.

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In January I left BA and hit the road for three months taking in Chile, Perú, Ecuador, Bolivia and Northern Argentina. Along the way I managed to amass a collection of music ranging from Música Nacional Bolivia 2009 to Nuevas Bachatas #113 2008. For the most part I didn't see anything which resembled what I know to be a record store, all the music shops were filled with mountains of pirated CDs with badly photocopied inlays. Think 300 tracks on one CD for $4. I guess the RIAA and the IFPI don't hold much sway round these parts...I brought it all back and did some digesting and now it is time for the regurgitation!

For the next week or so I am going to offer up one track from each CD per day (ish) each with a short description and the track itself for listening/downloading. I suppose you could call it musical geography. I offer you my musical journey through South America.



Southern Peru: Pioneras del Huayno

Starting with a disc purchased in Tacna on the border of Chile and Peru after a taxi driver introduced me to Huayno. It is a music and dance which comes from the mountainous regions of Perú and is characterized by the rhythm; one long, two short, the andean instrumentation (charango, harp, drum etc) and it's shrill singing. Each song on this disc also includes an introdcution by a chap bigging up said chantante or offering some words of wisdom such as, "treat your woman well, she deserves it." Modern Huayno often fuses the traditions with other elements such as cumbia, rock and even reggae!

The ladies on this disc, however, are the pioneers. It features the delightful Flor Pilena, Mina Gonzales, Sally, Alicia Delgado and Wilma Contreras. Alicia Delgado was tragically killed last week amid rumours that her fellow folk singer Abencia Mezaso masterminded the murder. Thus, I have chosen two songs from this disc, one in memory of Alicia and the other a personal favourite.

Alicia Delgado - Luna





Mina Gonzales - Aguila Negra


The track I have chosen is a reverb laden ode to a black eagle...I love the Huayno rhythm which is so hard to pin down and the vocals are so rhythmic. The verse on this one is just great. "Que corazón tan variable!"

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