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Rainforest Funk: Peru's Perfect Blend of Traditional and Modern
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Wax Poetics, Rainforest Funk: Peru's Perfect Blend of Traditional and Modern >>
In the 1960's, the Peruvian oil boom precipitated a flood of new jobs that stirred ripples of rapid migration from rural villages to urban centers. In the wake of the black gold rush, as the indigenous populations relocated from the Amazonian towns to the coastal cities pursuing new opportunities, a channel opened for the diffusion of different musical styles. Colombian cumbia rhythmic patterns and electrified instruments captured some of the more innovative musicians who were quick to combine these sounds with their own huayno guitar melodies. The result: a hypnotizing blend that epitomized the economic and social contradictions of the times during which the music was born.
The Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru on Barbés Records traces the origins of this unlikely amalgam of Peruvian guitar sounds, cumbia, and psychedelic rock, called chicha. Drawing mainly from records pressed under the Lima-based label Infopesa, the five bands included on the compilation were recognized as the pioneers of the early chicha sound, also known as cumbia Peruana. Of the five, Juaneco y Su Combo stand out for their spontaneity and energy.
Juaneco, who started his band in 1963 in the Amazonian city of Pucallpa, built the band's image around their indigenous Shipibo roots. The band often performed decked in traditional Shipibo dress, complete with face markings and feathered headdress, while rocking combo organs and electric guitars, a not-so-subtle acknowledgment of the polarizing forces of tradition and modernity that characterizes the original chicha sound. Just like chicha's mesmerizing rhythms, Juaneco's traditional dress made them easy to identify and was a visual statement that drew attention to the fact that chicha has remained rejected as a national musical style, largely because of its association with the indigenous poor and working class of that day. Still, Juaneco y Su Combo weren't as radical as their statements; they played music that was meant to start parties and shake hips.
Juaneco's Combo has seen several incarnations. In 1976, most of the band died in a plane crash while returning from a gig; only Juaneco and his keyboardist survived, having stayed behind in Lima to records. The band has been passed on, like an inheritance, to Juaneco's grandson, Mao Wong Lopez. Yet, despite all its transformations, Juaneco y su Combo remains true to the spirit of the original band and has become a phenomenon in their hometown. Still, in 1963 and even now, Juaneco y su Combo and chicha remain underappreciated in Peru and are considered unrepresentative of Peruvian traditions. Ironically, it's the very unique blend of regional influences that five the music its distinct sound and universal appeal. Perhaps now with a wider audience, chicha will get its due respect and live many more lives.
-Kristofer Ríos 11/01/07
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