CD Review: Various Artists' 'Peru Bravo: Funk, Soul & Psych In Peru's Radical Decade'

Various Artists
Peru Bravo: Funk, Soul & Psych In Peru's Radical Decade
Tiger's Milk Records

Peru Bravo... is an upcoming release from Tiger's Milk Records that brings us the best psych, funk, R&B, dance, soul music from Peru during the 1960's and 70's. There are fifteen tracks that bleed with energy, desire, and fun. Every note is a magical masterpiece on every track. You will hear some raw stuff here by some unknown artists, including Laghonia, Thee Image, Black Sugar, Jeriko, Los Destellos, The Mad's, Los Comandos, Cacique, Los Holy's, and many more. The driving dance beats, garage-rock sound, and wild percussion are all accented with electronic embellishments that give the music a modern edge. The licks and chords are gritty and awesome with loads of psych to play with here. The throbbing keyboards, drum beats, and fluid bass-lines are unmatched. Anyone interested in world psych music will relish its tracks. Fans of Peruvian music will love the unadulterated songs. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Various Artists' 'Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical & Cumbia'

Various Artists
Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical & Cumbia
Tiger's Milk Records

With a focus on the tropical music of Peru in the 1960s and 70s, Peru Maravilloso... attempts to resurrect a long-forgotten medley of music. The music combines cumbia, tropical, and Latin beats with organic vocals and instrumentation rarely heard outside Peru. Compiled by Martin Morales, Duncan Ballantyne, and Andres Tapia, Peru Maravilloso... encapsulates the sounds of a bygone era. While not particularly rock, psych, or dance, the music does include big band sounds and folksy melodies steeped in Peruvian history and culture. However, there are instances where garage rock or psych shines through. There is a bit of classical, jazz, experimental, and funk elements in most of the songs. At any rate, there are fifteen delectable tracks that should not be ignored. Fans of vintage cumbia, rare Peruvian sounds, and tropical music everywhere should heck out Peru Maravilloso... ~ Matthew Forss