The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Cumbia

The ever-growing thirst for Peruvian cumbia (sometimes known as chicha) is showing no signs of being satiated. What started in Peru in the 60s, when local musicians united their love for rock’n’roll and surf music with the Colombian cumbia rhythm, continues to get stronger with every new release or band that takes the buoyant electric guitar-led groove as their focal point.

Here, we get to hear the style grow, starting with five classic Peruvian cuts – of which cosmic opener ‘Perdido en Espacio’ by Juaneco y su Combo is the pick – before showing how the style returned to Colombia in the 70s in new revolutionary garb with two exceptional tracks by Afrosound and Jaime Gale y sus Profetas, the latter soaked in ‘summer of love’ harmonies and languid horns. After that, the compilation is dominated by contemporary acts from as far afield as Melbourne, Buenos Aires and Austin, Texas. Of these selections, all of which add varying elements of dub, electronica and other varied styles into the mix, it's the Americana-esque cover of Love's ‘Alone Again Or’ by New York's Chicha Libre and the experimental cumbia-jazz of Colombia's MAKU SoundSystem that offer the most startlingly original takes on the style.