Chicha Libre


Chicha Libre is a Brooklyn-based six-member band founded by Olivier Conan. Its name is a reference to chicha, a corn-based liquor that has been produced in South America since the time of the Incas. It is also the name of a Peruvian musical genre on which the band's music is based.
WWW chicha-libre.com𝕏 chichalibre

History

Conan was first introduced to chicha music on a trip to Peru in 2005. Their first album, ¡Sonido Amazonico!, was released in 2008 on Barbes Records, a label which Conan runs from his home in Brooklyn. They released their second album, Canibalismo, in 2012, and an EP, Cuatro Tigres, in 2013, both digitally and on vinyl.
The band's original members were Olivier Conan, Josh Camp, Vincent Douglas, Greg Burrows, Timothy Quigley and Nick Cudahy. Additional members are Neil Ochoa and Karina Colis. Featured guest artists have included Jose Carballo.

Style

The band's music is based on chicha, a fusion of rock and roll and cumbia produced by the native population of the Peruvian Andes and Amazon. This music was most popular in the 1960s and 1970s in northern Peru. Conan has described his band's music as "free-form Chicha" and has said they take many liberties with chicha music.

Reception

Sonido Amazonico received a favorable review from Brendon Griffin in PopMatters. Griffin wrote that "...like the best music of any genre it leaves you wondering about the mystery of it all" and gave the album a rating of 9 out of 10. Jon Lusk wrote on the BBC's website that the album's music was "too self-conscious and contrived to match the fevered originals". Robert Christgau awarded Cuatro Tigres an A− and wrote that the band "acknowledge their true roots" on the EP.

Discography

Studio albums

Sonido Amazonico! (2008)

  1. Sonido Amazonico
  2. Primavera en la Selva
  3. Mi Plato de Barro
  4. Tres Pasajeros
  5. The Hungry song
  6. El Borrachito
  7. Pavane
  8. Six Pieds Sous Terre
  9. Un Shipibo en España
  10. Indian Summer
  11. La Cumbia del Zapatero
  12. Popcorn Andino
  13. Yo No Fui
  14. Gnosienne No. 1

Canibalismo (2012)

  1. La Plata
  2. Danza Del Millonario
  3. El Carnicero De Chicago
  4. Muchachita Del Oriente
  5. Depresion Tropical
  6. Juaneco En El Cielo
  7. Intermission
  8. L'Âge d'Or
  9. Papageno Eléctrico
  10. Number 17
  11. Lupita En La Selva Y El Doctor
  12. The Ride Of The Valkyries
  13. La Danza De Don Lucho
  14. Once Tejones
  • Engineers: Jason LaFarge, Joshua Camp, Olivier Conan
  • Mastered by: Scott Hull
  • Mixed by: Bryce Goggin
  • Producers: Joshua Camp, Olivier Conan

EP

Cuatro tigres

  1. The Guns of Brixton
  2. Rica Chicha
  3. Alone Again Or
  4. La Danza de los Simpsons
  • Producer: Olivier Conan and Joshua Camp
  • Mixed by: Bryce Goggin at Trout Recording
  • Cover: Elliot Tupac