Los Chicos del Pantano Live at The Race 61 Festival

It was a blast ! A colourfull experience with lotsa rockabilly vibes and Oldtimer races and competitions ! With the Kilaueas surf band from Berlin monted in a truck and playing through the whole airport, with lot of old soviet fighter planes and good ol beer under 32 celsius degrees !

Race 61 celebrates its 25th anniversary

Don't miss the festival in Finowfurt this Friday and Saturday!

There will be car and motorbike races, lots of rocknrol bands and a lot of good vibes!

You've Ruined Me Eddie! (1958)

This movie connects perfectly with the tradition of David Lynch movies! Set in rural Florida, near the swamps, where the owner of the town, in complicity with the corrupt and sweaty chief of police, spend their free time swatting flies and beating rebellious teenagers. The movie tells the story of a rich and completely psychotic girl who gets pregnant with a rockabilly.

"Si tú te vas" nuevo single de Los Chicos del Pantano !

This single was recorded at the end of 2017 and completed throughout 2018.
Come on was originally recorded by the Peruvian band Los Saicos in 1965. The copyright belongs to them. Arrangements by Los Chicos del Pantano.
Si tú te vas was originally composed by Rico Kaktus aka R. Garcia Malpartida.
Arrangements by Los Chicos del Pantano. Chor arrangements by Marion R.

credits

released February 7, 2020https://loschicosdelpantano.bandcamp.com/album/si-t-te-vasSi tú te vas

GARAGE BEAT & SURF – ESCENA PERUANA CONTEMPORÁNEA (1991-2006)

Interview: Duncan Ballantyne, the englishman behind "Perú Maravilloso"

- Is the idea of the compilation 'Peru Maravilloso' born from the experience with the Peruvian restaurant 'Ceviche', founded by Martín Morales in London?
Basically Martin comes from running record labels like I do. Whilst i worked for indies like Soundway and Far Out, Martin was instrumental in setting up iTunes in Europe and worked with Miley Cyrus when she was with Disney as part of Hannah Montana. In 2011 he decided to leave the high profile media world to start a mission impossible : to bring Peruvian cuisines and culture to the UK and beyond. He contacted me and we started talking about setting up a record label (as part of his Ceviche restaurant) releasing strictly Peruvian music. We released a 7" with Juaneco y su Combo and Paco Zambrano and then Peru Maravilloso started taking shape: our debut compilation looking at vintage music from Peru in the 69s and 70s.

- Which has been the most important concept to select the songs for the album? The diversity included is pretty clear, music from the 60s - 70s decades.
The imperative was not to pigeonhole the record with 'cumbia' or 'chicha' or ' psychedelic rock'. We wanted to make an album that is accessible to both music heads and people who had never heard Peruvian music before (apart from panpipes and Susana Baca). We love music of all varieties so we wanted to create an album that exemplifies our passion. The only 'must' was that it had to be Peruvian and made between these 2 decades.

- You have also included "very rare" songs of the tropical Peruvian repertoire. Is that issue also important to your concept?
Yes, we wanted to uncover tracks that have been lying dormant and forgotten about, raise the profile of artists who have never had proper recognition. However, that was the concept of this particular album both the concept of Tiger's Milk Records.

- Are the migrant population of Peruvian origin in the UK/Europe an important consuming audience of this compilation and future releases?
Definitely, and the general Latin diaspora. But equally this is a democratic record and it is not aimed at any particular person or taste.

- How is the reception of 'Peru Maravilloso' being among the European audience?
Amazing response: lots of plays on BBC radio. The first time ever that Peruvian music has been recognised internationally in such a mainstream media.
- In recent years there have been several American and European labels compiling Peruvian cumbia artists of the 70s such as Barbés Records, Vampisoul and Secret Stash, or simply 'Colombian Cumbia' by Soundway. How does Tiger's Milk look like in that context?
Tiger's Milk does not aim to replicate any other label's concept. We are truly passionate about Peru and its culture. We aim, as Tiger´s Milk to not just release music but offer a platform for other arts like gastronomy, theatre, literature and other cultural endeavours.
- Which was the original source of the songs collected? Vinyl, CDs or master tapes?
A mix of vinyl and master tapes from labels in Peru.
- Has it been difficult to integrate the different qualities of the sound on a single compilation?
Yes definitely, some of the vinyl is very rare and copies we had had to go through a rigorous mastering and reconditioning process.

- Have you got any projects after 'Peru Maravilloso'?
Tiger's Milk Records will release compilations of new and old music, explore and promote current trends in Peruvian music, work with artists, develop artists and we aim to become one of the most respected and authentic Peruvian cultural outlets outside of Peru.

Duncan Ballantyne, Tiger's Milk Records.

Interview by Ricardo Garcia, translation by Antonio Ayora.

Cumbia All Stars european Tour 2013

FINAL DESTINATION: 2.11. Berlin.

Singer Lucho Carrillo and guitar player Fernando Diaz Loli 

Sitting in a restaurant near the city center, I started my conversation with Lucho Carrillo, singer of Cumbia All Stars. "We really rocked the house!" He replied enthusiastically when I asked how the concert was in the WOMEX .
Cumbia All Stars came to Berlin after several performances starting with their concert at the World Music Expo in Cardiff (UK) representing Peru. Artists from around the world like Sidi Touré from Mali , Les Tambours de Brazza from Congo or the famous Van Van from Cuba were also there.

Sitting at the same table (shortly before their concert) I was honored to see the musicians who played in bands like Compay Quinto, Los Destellos, Los Diablos Rojos or Los Beta 5 : the founders of Peruvian Cumbia, now known by various nicknames, including "Psychedelic Cumbia" or what I like most "Cumbia Beat".
Lucho Carrillo (who answered my questions) was for four decades the lead singer of Los Diablos Rojos, with whom he toured through the country.  Under the direction of Marino Valencia he recorded ten Lps : "Our cumbia was aguarachadita" he told me confident , "we had our own style, Los Destellos  their own style too, you recognized our sound immediately, not like the groups from now sounding similar to each other "
.
GUITARS IN THE ORBIT !
Asking about their European tour he told me that in the peruvian carp of WOMEX they initially  had trouble checking the sound. But then people, their audience, surrendered completely dancing to the hot music that they carry in their drums, guitars and blood.
In addition to be excellent musicians, Cumbia All Stars are perfectionists of sound and proudly want to leave a mark on the European public. Their concert is like opening the door of their homes and like letting you into their world, a world in which sympathy and joy of life make you spend an unforgettable night .
"Thanks to Selvámonos, because of them we are here. They wanted us to play the authentic, original Peruvian cumbia. At the beginning they casted about twenty musicians, but now only eight stayed." As he said it, I saw them eating. It was clear that they fitted together very well.
At the concert in Glashaus Fernando Diaz Loli started playing his stratocaster, making his “solo” with his teeths in the style of rock and roll! Or Manuel Pecho, coming out of the shadows to do a bass solo , starting with deep to the higher notes!

What defines Peruvian Cumbia as music style? " Electric guitars! " answered Enrique Yllescas, "We added effects like Fuzz and Wah Wah " remarked Lucho "And Los Pakines used the Tape Echo" ( predecessor of Delay) -  added Enrique again.
"And how this reinterpretation of cumbia was accepted in Colombia, these new sounds from Perú?  I asked with curiosity : "Well” - Lucho Carrillo told me - “years ago, I was invited to  Bucaramanga in Colombia, and when I arrived they had closed several streets of the city. It was a tremendous party in the whole city. They had put together a huge sound system. More than three blocks of people dancing in the street and they were dancing Peruvian cumbia! The DJs put Los Destellos, then my group Los Diablos Rojos... Everything! I had stayed 15 years living in Colombia, but fate brought me here, to Europe, to be the voice of Cumbia All Stars."

"After Berlin, when we will return to Perú, we will complete our recordings of the first album with the band, we´ll gonna finish the mixing and mastering" concluded Lucho Carrillo.
Jose Rodriguez "El Gato", manager of the 2013 European tour, told me that the album will be officially launched on January 3rd in Lima. He also said that they are working with La Gris Films, for the realization of the next video clip, which will be released about March 2014.

My thanks to Selvámonos team, especially José Rodríguez and Juliette Boggio and Lakino.
Ricardo Garcia, Sótano Beat correspondent from Berlín.

Cumbia All Stars Tour Europeo 2013 : Reportaje.

Entrevistando a la banda

Sentado en un restaurant cerca del centro de Berlín inicié mi conversación con Lucho Carrillo, cantante del super grupo Cumbia  Allstars. “La rompimos !” me contestó con entusiasmo cuando le pregunté cómo les había ido en el Womex.
Cumbia All Stars había llegado a Berlín después de varias actuaciones iniciadas con su concierto en la World Music Expo en Cardiff, Reino Unido, representando al Perú juntos a  artistas de todo el mundo como Sidi Touré de Mali, Les Tambours de Brazza del Congo o los famosos Van Van de Cuba.
Sentados en la misma mesa ( poco antes de su concierto) tuve el honor de ver a los músicos fundadores de la cumbia peruana, ahora conocida bajo diversos motes, entre ellos “Cumbia Psicodélica” o el que a mí más me gusta “Cumbia Beat”.
Lucho Carrillo fue durante cuatro décadas el vocalista de Los Diablos Rojos, con los que recorrió el país y bajo la dirección de Marino Valencia grabó una decena de Lps: “ Nuestra cumbia era aguarachadita “ me comenta confidente, “ nosotros teníamos nuestro estilo, Los Destellos el suyo, reconocías nuestro sonido al toque, no como los grupos de ahora que suenan tan parecidos unos a otros”

Preguntando por su tour europeo me comentan que en la carpa peruana del Womex, al principio  costó trabajo poner el sonido a punto, pero después la gente, su público, se entregó completamente bailando al son de esa música caliente que ellos llevan en los cueros y en la sangre.
Y es que, además de excelentes músicos, los integrantes de Cumbia All Stars  son perfeccionistas del sonido y con orgullo quieren dejar huella en el público europeo. Un concierto para ellos es como abrir la puerta de sus casas y dejarte entrar en su mundo, un mundo en el cual la simpatía y la alegría de vivir te hacen pasar una noche inolvidable.
“Y todo gracias a Selvamonos, es por ellos que estamos aquí, porque querían que tocaramos la auténtica, original cumbia peruana. Convocaron cerca de veinte músicos y hemos quedado solo ocho” y mientras me lo decía, al verlos comiendo juntos poco antes de subirse al escenario del Glas Haus, fué claro que además se llevan muy bien, como cuando más tarde durante su concierto cada uno de ellos fueron haciendo “solos” en sus respectivos instrumentos :

Fernando Díaz Loli arrancando octavas imposibles de su stratocaster para terminar tocando las cuerdas con los dientes al más puro estilo del rockanroll ! o Manuel Pecho, saliendo de la sombra para hacer un solo de bajo eléctrico, empezando con las notas graves y profundas y llegando hasta abajo ! del instrumento me refiero.  Y es que la picardía sale al menor descuido.
Qué es lo que define una agrupación de Cumbia Peruana? “Las guitarras eléctricas !” me responde Enrique Yllescas, “...le anadíamos efectos como el Fuzz y el Wah Wah” remarca Lucho “...y Los Pakines solían usar el Eco de Cinta !” (antecesor del Delay) - añade Enrique nuevamente.

Y cómo aceptaron los colombianos esa reinterpretación de la cumbia,  esos nuevos sonidos desde Perú? pregunto curioso: “Mira - me cuenta Lucho Carrillo - yo fuí a Colombia invitado a la ciudad de Bucaramanga, y cuando llego habían cerrado varias calles de la ciudad y armado tremendo fiestón, con unos equipos de sonido enormes ! Más de tres cuadras de gente bailando en la calle y lo que bailaban era cumbia peruana! Los pinchadiscos ponían Los Destellos, mi grupo entonces Los Diablos Rojos...todo! Me quedé 15 anos viviendo en Colombia pero el destino me trajo aquí, a Europa, a ser la voz de Cumbia All Stars “
“Después de Berlin, cuando regresemos a Perú vamos a poner a punto las grabaciones de lo que será el primer disco con la banda, vamos a terminar las mezclas y la masterización.” concluye Lucho Carrillo. Conversando después con José Rodriguez “el gato”, persona clave y tour manager de la banda, me aclara que el disco será oficialmente presentado el 3 de Enero en Lima.













Mis agradecimientos al equipo Selvamonos, en especial José Rodríguez y Juliette Boggio y Lakino Berlin.

What "Sellouts" Were

Este blog está dedicado a mis propias experiencias y normalmente no posteo nada de otros escritores, pero esto es importante:
por Hamilton Nolan

Once upon a time not so long ago, there was an idea: that some things in this world should be able to exist free from the influence of money—that these things should be done because of their own intrinsic value. You would be forgiven for scoffing at the notion that this idea was ever taken seriously at all.

These things that people believed were intrinsically valuable were called, broadly, "art." Art could be music, or dance, or graffiti, or whatever the hell else people did to express themselves. Little subcultures developed around each of these art forms. These subcultures were often fiercely protective of the perceived purity of the art. That is, they didn't just believe that the artshould be free of the influence of money and corporate sponsorship; they believed that it had to be free of those things, or else it was corrupted. They believed that art was expression, that came from your soul, and that was it. You could no more sell product placements in your song lyrics or make music at the behest of corporate brands and still remain respectable than you could inject poison into your blood and still remain healthy.

Some people, of course, did not care about this standard. Some people wanted to maximize their earnings. They didn't want to just make money from selling their art, or performing. They wanted to make money any way they could. So they did shout outs to paying brands, and made product endorsements, and allowed their songs to be sold to companies for use in television commercials for cars, or liquor, or fashion. This was perfectly legal. No one could stop them. But by doing this, these artists traded something for that money: the respect of their peers and their most devoted fans. Because they had, very consciously, chosen to sell off to the highest bidder the good will and credibility that they had earned through their art. It was understood by all parties involved that this decision would change things for the artist in two major ways. He would be much wealthier than other artists who had not made the same decision. And he would, at the same time, lose a good deal of respect from the people who cared about the art for its own sake. There was a name for this choice: selling out. It had advantages, and it had disadvantages. All of which were more or less accepted by the sellouts, the artists, the companies, and the fans alike.

Today, things are different. There are still artists, and there is still art, and there are still fans. And there are still corporate interests seeking to buy and use that art to attract customers. And there are still artists who make the choice to sell out, and cash in. The only thing that's changed, really, is that the concept of "selling out" no longer exists.

There is no longer a penalty for selling out. There is no longer a public censure that accompanies it. There is no longer an outcry within an artistic subculture when one of its members is fully subsumed by corporate America. The idea that an artist should preserve the sanctity of their work—that they should not allow it to be manipulated by commerce—is no longer considered a mainstream opinion. It is regarded as utopian, dreamy, unserious. The sellouts have lost their critics.

Consequently, the current young generation is being sold wholesale the idea that music and advertising go hand in hand. Why, there's an entire special section in Ad Age about it. It's not that using music in commercials is new; it's that advertisers have succeeded in buying the good will of musicians while those musicians stay cool. The world's biggest brands, with the help oftheir savvy friends in the advertising world, have won the battle to convince young people—who possess the inherent cool aura that corporations so crave to adopt for themselves—that it is absolutely normal and natural for artists to work on behalf of companies, selling things. That this is the proper state of affairs. That, if anything, the target of ridicule should be the person pointing out the fact that someone has sold out, rather than the sellout himself. The sellout, after all, is just living in the real world.

Selling out is now keeping it real.

I have no illusions of smashing capitalism or dissuading the advertising industry from its business. Nor of returning to a past which is long gone, for both economic and cultural reasons. I have a much more modest goal: of keeping the idea of selling out alive. Of pointing to a line in the sand that has been casually erased and saying, "This still exists." The broke young people who are the most passionate music fans in this world may not have the money or connections to be heard in the boardrooms of the world's biggest companies. But collectively, they have something even more powerful: the ability to call bullshit. The ability to deny their approval, which is what all those billions of dollars of advertising spending are really seeking. No matter how much companies talk about it, there really is no "authentic" "DNA" that resides inside a brand. There is only a shiny outward surface, composed of fictions, designed to get you to buy things. There is no soul inside.

There are people out there—powerful people, who work for powerful companies, with a lot of resources at their disposal, and the ability to bombard you everywhere you turn with the same message—who will tell you that brands are the future of the human experience. They will tell you that allowing your identity, and your art, and your thought to be defined by corporate logos is progress. It is not so. Art is free to make. And your approval is free to give. And you do not need to be crazy, or unrealistic, or a ridiculous utopian to raise your hand and register, for the record, that selling your classic song that enraptures the souls of your fans to a car company is fucking selling out, and that a loss of respect is going to ensue. That's it! You do not need to blow up the system. You just need to redraw that line in the sand. Over time, the world tends to stay within the lines. So someone needs to make sure that the lines don't disappear.

Weep not for the sellouts. Weep for the ones who didn't sell out, and nobody cared.

Pere Ubu in Berlin

Pere Ubu in concert! I`d made this film in May 2011 when they played at Quasimodo, a nice Jazz pub on the west side of the town. It was a memorable night because of the strange vibe (bad mood)  both from people and band. As we see here, people are dancing but it was sometimes very aggressive too!

All in all, a night i`ll always remember.

Cumbia Allstars se divierten

Aqui les traigo más de Cumbia Allstars y esta vez una mirada rapida para mostrar cómo los integrantes de la banda se la pasaron bomba en el festival del Agua, en La Casa de Culturas del Mundo, en Berlin, frente a un público dispuesto a bailar x gozar! Ya viene más.

Is That All There Is?

Well my friends, yes it is:that's all.

Jonathan Richman LIve in Berlin: 13.08.2012

Si claro, lo fuí a ver y aunque el concierto no fue largo, tampoco me dejó insatisfecho. El hombre todavía sabe divertir, bailar, brincar y hacer todo lo posible para que pasemos un buen momento.

Sonido 2 : Vox AC15

Sonido 1: Fender Twin Reverb

El sonido de los 60s en el Perú: La guitarra eléctrica. Parte 2

En EEUU, las firmas Fender, Gibson, Gretsch y Rickenbacker producían guitarras de muy alta calidad y precio, orientadas a músicos profesionales y a géneros musicales establecidos como el Country y el Jazz.

De ellas sólo Fender y Gibson destacaban por su flexibilidad en la introducción de nuevos modelos, pero también podemos decir que, con pocas excepciones, a inicios de los 60s los modelos Fender se orientaban a las características de la música Country, y la Gibson se orientaba hacia el Jazz y sus derivados instrumentales como el Easy Listening y Pop.

Les Paul en el estudio

 De ésta manera Fender producía guitarras de madera maciza como el Aliso (Erle) y Fresno (Ash) con un diapasón de Aliso, que produce un sonido brillante y sonoro (Twang) y después a inicios de los 60s introdujo el diapasón de Palisandro (Rosewood), que produce un sonido profundo y más oscuro. 

Por otro lado Gibson fabricaba guitarras de caja (modelos ES 335 p.ej.) de madera de Arce (Maple) o guitarras macizas de fina Caoba (Mahogany) como la Les Paul Standard. Con un diapasón de Palisandro éstas guitarras tenían un sonido profundo, con gran cuerpo y vibración sostenida (sustain).

Asimismo en la guitarra eléctrica las pastillas (pickups) juegan un rol fundamental. Fender y Gibson desarrollaron 2 líneas totalmente distintas.

Fender utilizaba pastillas de una bobina con un sonido de carácter vocal, con agudos delgados y brillantes, frecuencias bajas roncas y con mucho twang, no había que dar muchas vueltas para hallar sonidos que se ajustaban muy bien al mencionado Country, pero también al Blues, Calypso, Rock, Ska y Surf. Este sonido podía ser solista pero también afiladamente rítmico. Intérpretes de los 50s y 60s como Buddy Holy, Dick Dale, Buddy Guy, Hank Marvin (Shadows), Ritchie Valens y Jimi Hendrix prefirieron la Stratocaster e impulsaron la fama de éstas guitarras, mientras que Steve Cropper (Booker T & MGs), Jeff Beck y Jimmy Page (Yardbirds) usaban Telecaster.

Gibson por otra parte, desarrolló dos tipos de pastilla: de una bobina, llamada P 90 y de doble bobina (Humbucker) la cual producía menos ruido estático.

La P 90 tenía un carácter agresivo, gutural e intenso, distorsionaba armónicamente con mayor facilidad que las Fender. En realidad tenían casi nada en común y fueron utilizadas mucho en el rocknroll de los 50s, pués eran estándar en los modelos Les Paul Goldtop. Artistas como Charlie Christian, T-Bone Walker, Scotty Moore (Elvis Presley), Roy Orbison y Carl Perkins la preferían.

Luego estaba la pastilla de doble bobina, que tenía un sonido mas suave, intenso, con notas que se sostenían y silbaban antes de caer. Tenía un carácter solista y los arpegios sonaban estupendamente. Los artistas que utilizaron esta pastillas fueron Les Paul, BB King, Duanne Eddy, Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Brian Jones (Rolling Stones), Clapton, Beck, Page (Yardbirds) y Dave Davies (Kinks) entre muchos otros.

Continuará...

Estamos en las nubes

Bueno chicos y chicas, es el mismo Primitive track pero ahora en soundcloud.
Desde ahi uds pueden escucharlo y bajarlo y claro comentar de que manera mi humilde canción ha roto sus corazones.

Primitive

the Groupies en el local de ensayo, en algún lugar de NY
La canción Primitive fué originalmente grabada por la banda newyorkina The Groupies a mediados de los 60s. Posteriormente The Cramps realizaron una versión que aparece en su disco Psychedelic Jungle de 1981.
Aunque mi primera escucha se debió a los Cramps, las posteriores me trajeron nombres como los de Howlin Wolf a la cabeza.
Mi versión, a pesar de los ilustres antecedentes, tiene sus diferencias de sonido y definitivamente otra atmósfera, diría "pantanosa".
La grabé en casa y en la sala de ensayo con una Tascam DP004.
dibujo cedido gentilmente por : el_cielo

El sonido de los 60s en el Perú: La guitarra eléctrica. Parte 1

Los Yorks, en la Television peruana

En los 50s el rocknroll llega al Perú y con él la guitarra eléctrica encuentra su lugar privilegiado, el cual se confirmará a través de los 60s en géneros como el Surf, Instro, Beat, Calypso, Soul, Psicodelia y en los 70s con el Hard Rock, el Funk, la Cumbia etc.

Si bien grupos pioneros como los Kreps y Millonarios del Jazz habían utilizado guitarras eléctricas de caja (archtop), con un sonido especifico para el jazz, los grupos que siguieron adquirieron guitarras de madera maciza para obtener un sonido eléctrico de rock, agresivo y brillante.

Grupos como los Incas Modernos, Los Saicos, Los Shains, Doltons, Belkings, etc, compraron guitarras tipo Fender o se las hicieron ellos mismos. Los amplificadores a válvulas que utilizaban eran Fender, Vox, Geloso modificados para guitarra y bajo o aquellos hechos por ellos mismos, los cuales eran tocados a altos volúmenes en las Matinales.

Los grupos peruanos de los 60s estaban influidos por el sonido instrumental y melódico de los Shadows y Ventures, pero también el sonido agresivo y distorsionado de los Kinks o los Yardbirds.

Después del triunfo de los Beatles en Norteamérica y las invasiones de grupos Beat británicos, en el mundo ocurrió un fenómeno sin precedentes, chicos y (algunas) chicas formaron sus propias bandas en sus barrios y colegios, y sin ningún pudor salieron a tocar y a grabar discos.

En los EEUU a estas bandas adolescentes las llamamos de Garage. En otros países, de México hasta Hong Kong,  estos grupos fueron los fundadores de una tradición de rock que no acaba aún. Este fenómeno se extendió incluso  más allá de la cortina de hierro!

Guitarra alemana Kira, modelo Haiti.

Así la demanda de guitarras y bajos eléctricos explotó y muchas firmas tradicionales de Europa se vieron obligadas a sacar una línea juvenil. Las marcas alemanas Framus, Hoefner, Hopf, Klira y Dynacord  vendían guitarras que eran más o menos basadas en el diseno de la Fender Stratocaster. Firmas inglesas como Burns, Vox y la italiana Eko, introducían nuevas líneas e innovaciones. En Asia las guitarras Teisco y Guyatone eran las mas conocidas. En EEUU los grandes almacenes Sears empezaron a satisfacer la demanda sacando series baratas de guitarras Silvertone encargadas a las firmas Danelectro, Harmony, Supro y a la misma Teisco.  

Pero todas estas firmas tenían algo en común : sus guitarras tenían un precio accesible y pastillas de una sola bobina (single coil), al ser disenadas copiando los modelos Stratocaster o Jaguar.

Kela Gates : Muñeca de Cera (Pouppe de cire, pouppe de son)

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