Los York’s are a psychedelic-garage band from the 60s in Peru. Their melancholy lyrics and voices are emotive and hit deep. In “Solo Estoy” (“Only I amÛ), almost a Cartesian ballad, the singer talks about how his lover is leaving him: she represents life and without her, he simply exists and is not living. Los York’s song “Abrasame” is seen as the benchmark track of Peruvian garage music.
Another psychedelic-rock and roll band from the 60s in Peru, Los Datsuns, were one of the most famous rock bands in Peru at the time.
The Peruvian rock group, Traffic Sound, seems almost Soviet-inspired in its vocals for “MeshkalinaÛ. The psychedelic aspect is certainly present in this track with the repetition of the phrase, “give me some meshkalinaÛ.
The music scene from Peru during the 60s and 70s provides a Pandora’s box of musical treasures. One of my personal favorites is the psychedelic-Cumbia group, Los Mirlos (1975). Their album “Cumbia Amazonica” is just as stimulating as it sounds; utilizing sounds from their native town in rural Peru. The band originates from Moyobamba, Peru, located in the northern region of the country.
Psychedelic Cumbia, also known as “ChichaÛ, is a subset of the Cumbia genre. Cumbia originated from the Caribbean coastal regions of Colombia and disseminated to other parts of South America: Chile, Argentina, and Peru. Cumbia is the product of a cultural fusion between the native Colombians and the slaves brought from Africa during the colonial era. During the 60s, this original form of Cumbia was moulded into the psychedelic and surf rock music that was popularized at the time in Lima and wider Peru. A notable difference between older Cumbia and later Chicha, is the influence of Andean music, while also utilizing electric guitars, keyboards and synthesizers. Bands may also utilize electric organs. Certainly whenever I listen to these tracks, it reminds me of a better time and place.