Altered Zones

Named after an alcoholic drink brewed by the Incas from fermented maize, chicha music was the sound of the poor and disenfranchised in '70s Peru. To select Peruvian cumbia aficionados, Berardo Hernandez-- aka Manzanita-- is arguably one of the masters of chicha. Both defining and rebelling against the form, Manzanita used a Farfisa organ to play the counterpoint and harmonies typically reserved for a second guitar. "Agua", a swelling, semi-improvised psychedlic freakout full of Dick Dale/Carlos Santana guitar acrobatics and Peruvian cumbia rhythms, is one of my favorites from forthcoming compilation The Roots of Chicha Vol. 2. --Ric Leichtung, International Tapes

MP3: Manzanita Y Su Conjunto: "Agua"

Pre-order The Roots of Chica Volume 2: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru via Barbes Records