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CD Review
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Muzikfan, CD Review >>
Hot on the heels of The Roots of Chicha we get an outing from a singular outfit, Brooklyn-based Chicha Libre, who have mastered the style of psychedelic Amazonian cumbias which originated in Peru in the late 60s, complete with Electrovox (a cross between a Hohner organ and an accordion), Farfisa and Moog keyboards, guitars and percussion. It's the Surfaris with a Latin beat (though they occasionally sing in French). They kick off with a cover off Los Mirlos' "Sonido Amazonico" which was also the opening track on Roots, but then throw some of their own compositions into the mix and the results are wonderful. Like the originators, they create goofy cumbia versions of light classical music (check out "Für Elise" on Roots). Their take-offs on Ravel's "Pavane" and Eric Satie's "Gnossiènne (Little know-it-all)" are delightful. They cover Gershon Kingsley's (rather than James Brown's) mildy irritating Moog ditty "Popcorn." There's also some weird ambient noise thrown in for flavour. (The liner notes thank Oscar Noriega who was "electrocuted somewhere between tracks 12 and 13 on the streets of Veracruz." I hope he survived!) If you like daring contemporary bands like Los Amigos Invisibles, Dengue Fever, Nortec Collective, Chico Science's band Nao Zumbi, Os Mutantes, or Ozomatli, you will love this. Indeed if you dug Roots this is an excellent sequel. It's decidedly postmodern music, and, like they suggest, "the pop debris of three continents."
-- by Alastair Johnston 04/04/08 >> go there
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