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It was pan-Latin: like the new instruments - the Farfisa and electric guitar - the rhythms were borrowed.

The sound was modern – the guitars and organs had that modern sound imported straight from North America - but it was also distinctly Latin, not Peruvian. Bands used a standard Latin rhythm section of congas, bongos, and timbales, but mixed it up with bass, electric guitars, Moog synthesizers, and Farfisa organs. In Peru, Chicha was syncretic from the start. Malaysian Pop Yeah Yeah, Cambodian rock, Uruguayan Invasion bands – these all started out as imitators, even if their brand of pop eventually developed a specific national character. Most copied the format, using drum sets, electric bass, and guitars. As radio and television started playing Western programs, local groups from all countries began to emulate British invasion and American psychedelic bands. They incorporated elements from English and American music – especially Surf music – and replaced the accordion with the electric guitar.Ī similar phenomenon occurred the world over. They borrowed the style from the Colombian model but updated it to reflect both the national sensibility and the times. In the late sixties and through most of the seventies, bands throughout Peru started playing Cumbias. Most modern Chicha uses the canned sounds of cheap keyboards and low-end guitar effects, but it did not start out that way.

According to Wikipedia, Chicha is “a lower version of the Cumbia, which is more popular with the lower social class.” And so it is: very much like Forro, Musette, Tango, or Son (not to mention jazz), Chicha is popular music played by, you know, the common man… Chicha is also known simply as Cumbia Peruana.

The music is often labeled tropical, which means that it uses rhythmic elements of Afro-Cuban music noticeable in other mixed musical traditions like Cumbia, which Columbia has been exporting to the rest of the world for half a century. It is brewed from fermented maize and can be made either into a mild alcoholic beverage called Chicha de Jora (which was very popular among the Incas), or into a soft drink called Chicha Morada.Ĭhicha also refers to a particular brand of Peruvian pop music that educated Peruvians usually look down on. Chicha is a corn drink that has been popular in Andean countries for millennia.