Chicha started out in the late 60's,
in the oil-boom cities of the Peruvian Amazon. Cumbias Amazonicas,
as they were first known, were loosely inspired by Colombian cumbias
but incorporated the distinctive pentatonic scales of Andean melodies,
some Cuban guajiras, and the psychedelic sounds of surf guitars, wah-wah
pedals, farfisa organs and moog synthesizers.
Chicha, which is named after a corn-based liquor favored by the Incas,
quickly spread to Lima. It became the music of choice of the mostly
indigenous new migrant population &; mixing even further with
rock, Andean folklore and Peruvian creole music.
Very much like Jamaican Ska or Congolese
Soukous, Chicha is western-influenced indigenous music geared
toward the new urban masses who wholly identified with the new hybrid
. Chicha is at once raw and sophisticated - and until now, it had
never been released outside of Peru.
For more info, go to http://www.barbesrecords.com/rootsofchicha.html
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