Peru Maravilloso

It’s obvious that much crate-digging has been done to put together this compilation, which features many rare tracks and little-known artists from 60s and 70s Peru. Not too surprisingly (if you’re a fan of early Peruvian music) there’s some real treasure on here – the otherworldly orchestra of Pocho Purizaga y su Conjunto, a fiery rare cumbia from Juaneco y Su Cumbia, a fine slab of psychedelic garage rock from Aniceto y sus Fabulosos – but a lot of the material passes by without too much notice. Subtitled Vintage, Latin, Tropical and Cumbia, the record too often opts for generic Latin sounds that lack the fieriness of classic Peruvian psych, the immediacy of chicha or the soul of Afro-Peruvian music. Instead we get kitschy numbers such as ‘Mambo de Machaguay’ or the workmanlike salsa of ‘Sueño de Amor’. There is curiosity in all of these tracks due to their rarity – like Los Ecos’ reincarnation of The Beatles’ ‘I Feel Fine’ as ‘Me Siento Feliz’ – but with so much classic Peruvian rock and chicha out there that’s still never been released outside of Peru, it feels a more inclusive approach would have borne far more fruit.