CD Description
The New York band, Chicha Libre, celebrate chicha, the traditional music style from Peru that emerged from the Amazon in the early '70s combining cumbia and funk with Andean melodies, Cuban son and heady swirls of surf guitar, farfisa organ and moog synth.
By combining covers of lost Chicha classics with French-tinged originals, re-interpretations of '70s pop classics (such as 'Popcorn' and Joe Dassin/Toto Cutugno's 1975 hit 'Indian Summer'), and subtly executed cumbia takes on pieces by Satie and Ravel, Chicha Libre blend elegant homage with playful humour and a sublime twist of the new - pushing their music way beyond mere pastiche and into strange, sun-blanched epiphany.
Bandleader Olivier Conan (who runs hip Brooklyn club Barbès) developed a passion for vintage Chicha during a trip to Peru. He ended up releasing the acclaimed "Roots Of Chicha" compilation, and went even further by forming this inventive band.
'Sonico Amazonica' was originally released as an import in July 2008 with limited availability. It is now being released in Europe by Crammed Discs, the label that has brought us the likes of Konono No.1, Staff Benda Bilili and Taraf de Haidouks.
Personnel:
Olivier Conan (lead vocals, cuatro), Joshua Camp (keyboards), Nicholas Cudahy (bass), Vincent Douglas (guitars), Greg Burrows (percussion), Timothy Quigley (percussion) and others