Chicha Libre - Sonido Amazonico (2009)
BAND/ARTIST: Chicha Libre
- Title: Sonido Amazonico
- Year Of Release: 2009
- Label: Barbès Records
- Genre: cumbia, folk, surf
- Quality: 16-44100 FLAC
- Total Time: 54 min
- Total Size: 314 mb
- WebSite: Album Preview
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
Review
In several Andean countries, 'chicha' is an alcoholic drink made from fermented corn. In Peru, it's also a style of music popularised in the late 1960s, when local musicians synthesized a new hybrid out of Andean folk melodies, rhythms pinched from Colombian cumbia, twangy guitars echoing American surf music and whatever else they fancied.
Long out of fashion at home, a purported chicha revival has now been kick-started in Brooklyn, New York, by Olivier Conan through his independent label Barbes. In June this year he released the engaging compilation The Roots Of Chicha, showcasing vintage material by groups such as Los Mirlos and Los Hijos Del Sol. Now he's gone one step further with his own group of gringos, who so share his sense of intoxication with chicha that they decided to brew their own.
¡Sonido Amazonico! isn't the 'real thing', but lots of good pop music isn't, so how do this lot score? To Chicha Libre's credit, there's not a big gulf between the covers, the pieces they've adapted to chicha and their own compositions. Also, the group stay true to the adventurous spirit of chicha by throwing in several wild cards of their own, although not all of these play so well. While their music has a certain kitsch, loungey appeal, it's too self-conscious and contrived to match the fevered originals, and though far more sincere than the likes of Señor Coconut, still something of a novelty record.
Gershon Kingsley's zany synthpop instrumental Popcorn (most recently revived by Axel F's Crazy Frog) is an inspired choice for the chicha treatment, but more surprising is the way Ravel's Pavane and Eric Satie's Gnosienne No. 1 also suit it. The opening take on Los Mirlos' Sonido Amazonico adds growling Tinariwen-style lead guitar, and Joshua Camp's dinky vintage keyboards are a treat throughout, especially on his original instrumental highlight Tres Pasajeros. However, Conan is a weak singer. His Spanish accent isn't very convincing and when he sings in his native French, it's a bridge too far. So try The Roots Of Chicha before proceeding with caution to this. --Jon Lusk
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Tracklist:
1.01 - Chicha Libre - Sonido Amazonico (4:17)
1.02 - Chicha Libre - Primavera en la Selva (4:02)
1.03 - Chicha Libre - Mi Plato de Barro (2:22)
1.04 - Chicha Libre - Tres Pasajeros (4:04)
1.05 - Chicha Libre - The Hungry song (4:06)
1.06 - Chicha Libre - El Borrachito (4:54)
1.07 - Chicha Libre - Pavane (3:46)
1.08 - Chicha Libre - Six Pieds Sous Terre (3:33)
1.09 - Chicha Libre - Un Shipibo en España (3:10)
1.10 - Chicha Libre - Indian Summer (4:58)
1.11 - Chicha Libre - La Cumbia del Zapatero (2:42)
1.12 - Chicha Libre - Popcorn Andino (5:20)
1.13 - Chicha Libre - Yo No Fui (2:30)
1.14 - Chicha Libre - Gnosienne No.1 (4:34)
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
Review
In several Andean countries, 'chicha' is an alcoholic drink made from fermented corn. In Peru, it's also a style of music popularised in the late 1960s, when local musicians synthesized a new hybrid out of Andean folk melodies, rhythms pinched from Colombian cumbia, twangy guitars echoing American surf music and whatever else they fancied.
Long out of fashion at home, a purported chicha revival has now been kick-started in Brooklyn, New York, by Olivier Conan through his independent label Barbes. In June this year he released the engaging compilation The Roots Of Chicha, showcasing vintage material by groups such as Los Mirlos and Los Hijos Del Sol. Now he's gone one step further with his own group of gringos, who so share his sense of intoxication with chicha that they decided to brew their own.
¡Sonido Amazonico! isn't the 'real thing', but lots of good pop music isn't, so how do this lot score? To Chicha Libre's credit, there's not a big gulf between the covers, the pieces they've adapted to chicha and their own compositions. Also, the group stay true to the adventurous spirit of chicha by throwing in several wild cards of their own, although not all of these play so well. While their music has a certain kitsch, loungey appeal, it's too self-conscious and contrived to match the fevered originals, and though far more sincere than the likes of Señor Coconut, still something of a novelty record.
Gershon Kingsley's zany synthpop instrumental Popcorn (most recently revived by Axel F's Crazy Frog) is an inspired choice for the chicha treatment, but more surprising is the way Ravel's Pavane and Eric Satie's Gnosienne No. 1 also suit it. The opening take on Los Mirlos' Sonido Amazonico adds growling Tinariwen-style lead guitar, and Joshua Camp's dinky vintage keyboards are a treat throughout, especially on his original instrumental highlight Tres Pasajeros. However, Conan is a weak singer. His Spanish accent isn't very convincing and when he sings in his native French, it's a bridge too far. So try The Roots Of Chicha before proceeding with caution to this. --Jon Lusk
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Tracklist:
1.01 - Chicha Libre - Sonido Amazonico (4:17)
1.02 - Chicha Libre - Primavera en la Selva (4:02)
1.03 - Chicha Libre - Mi Plato de Barro (2:22)
1.04 - Chicha Libre - Tres Pasajeros (4:04)
1.05 - Chicha Libre - The Hungry song (4:06)
1.06 - Chicha Libre - El Borrachito (4:54)
1.07 - Chicha Libre - Pavane (3:46)
1.08 - Chicha Libre - Six Pieds Sous Terre (3:33)
1.09 - Chicha Libre - Un Shipibo en España (3:10)
1.10 - Chicha Libre - Indian Summer (4:58)
1.11 - Chicha Libre - La Cumbia del Zapatero (2:42)
1.12 - Chicha Libre - Popcorn Andino (5:20)
1.13 - Chicha Libre - Yo No Fui (2:30)
1.14 - Chicha Libre - Gnosienne No.1 (4:34)
Latin | Folk | Electronic | FLAC / APE
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