TITLE: The Rough Guide To Peru Rare Groove
LABEL: World Music Network
Want a guaranteed good time? Get DJ Bongohead to make you a mixtape. Bongohead, aka Pablo Ygelsias, record collector and co-founder of boutique label Peace & Rhythm, is one of my go-to sources for groovy Latin music. He’s made a sideline of curating deep-cut compilations; his latest covers Peru and it’s another winner. There’s some brassy big-band cumbia here, but many of my favorites are chicha, Peru’s unique psychedelic cumbia that has had a major revival in the last decade. Pablo manages to steer clear of tracks that are on the many already existing chicha compilations, and in so doing he’s unearthed some gems: the guitarless, organ-driven track 2 is an early prototype for the genre, 16 and 18 feature two lesser known bands who deserve more attention, and 17 is an unusual hybrid of chicha and ye-ye. And there are two excellent descargas here, each entitled “Macchu Picchu”: one by Alfredito Linares (14), who’s still active as the pianist in Quantic’s Combo Barbaro, and one by the singing, swinging comedian Melcochita (7). Sabroso!
TOP TRACKS: 2 7 14 16 17 18
ALSO RECOMMENDED: many of the rest of them
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