Local Emerging Artists

By Michelle Hopey

As Elvis Presley exploded onto the American rock and roll scene in the 1950s, the Peruvian contemporary music scene started an inferno of its own, only to see it crash and burn in the late 1960s with the banning of what was called, “alienating, Yankee” American rock music. But that was 40 years ago.

Today, contemporary rock music in Peru is on the rise, and while still maintaining a somewhat underground scene, artists like Miki Gonzalas and classy Susana Baca have hit a new cord, making a serious mark, perhaps even the upswing that Peru has been seeking all these years. Peru’s rock scene is going to explode one of these days, and as history shows, the rise and fall of Peru’s economy and development is linked to this rock scene’s growth. Despite a small commercial industry, Peru is crawling with top-grade musicians, but you’ll only hear them at small concerts, bars or clubs. Not witnessing one of these performances is to not fully experience modern day Peruvian culture.

Traditionally speaking, Peruvian music consists of folkloric sounds. Afro-Peruvian music came from slaves the Spanish brought, with lots of raw, up-beat tunes. Most artists today have found a way to use their Andean or Afro roots to cultivate rock and roll, alternative rock or new age rock styles. It’s been a hard road, but they are arriving. This music is a mesh of Latin sizzle, acoustic sounds, grunge, electronic vibes, smooth and deep voices.

As Elvis was making his mark, so were popular Peruvian bands like Los Incas Moderno and many others—it looked like rock and roll was going to sweep Peru and it continued in the 1960s with British beats and American surf songs becoming the rage. But in the late 1960s and early 1970s, thanks to then-General Juan Velasco Alvarado, rock music, Peruvian or otherwise, came to a halt. It is said that Alvarado banned all things to do with the import of American rock music and also banned concerts—including Peruvian shows—in major venues, making what seems to be a serious mark on contemporary Peruvian music.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Peruvian rock was pushed further underground with the popularity and airtime of salsa and disco. With no media support, no outside influences and a bad economy there was no commercial rock. The underground scene, however, thrived because frustrated and angry youth found an outlet that resonated: bad boy British punk rock, impacting Peruvian music and giving gusto to its new scene. As the economy built muscle and liberalization began, the underground world began to emerge in the 1990s, albeit, with few promoters and little airtime. Finally, with the initiation of MTV’s Latin America division in the early 2000s, Peruvian bands captured the spotlight, giving them the well-deserved air-time they deserved.

Only one Peruvian has truly broken through the commercial surface. Susana Baca is a Peruvian singer of Afro-Peruvian descent and is the queen of the Afro-Peruvian revival. In 2002, Baca became the first Peruvian to win a Latin Grammy (best folk album, Lamento Negro). With her deep, poetic voice, Baca’s music is a mixture of contemporary and traditional Afro-Peruvian sounds complemented indigenous Peruvian instruments and accented by Cuban and Brazilian influences.

Then there are folks like Miki Gonzales who was on the rise in the late 1980s and 90s, but didn’t make it big until 2004 when he threw himself into the spotlight with Café Inkaterra which sold locally at number one for several weeks back in spring 2004, but still lacks serious commercial fame. Musician and producer, Gonzalas, has studied traditional Afro-Peruvian and Andean music since the 1970s. His music has always fused traditional Andean music with jazz, rock and pop. His style is now classified as Peruvian remix, since his most recent work has mixed electronic music with popular and traditional music.

And while there have been success stories, there have also been stardom one day, not the next. In 2002, Líbido, a fun-upbeat dance band, also received recognition, with nominations for a Latin Grammy Award and then won the Best South-West Artist honor at the MTV Latin American Awards in 2002, one of the first times that a Peruvian musician or band has received international attention. But in 2005, with the departure of drummer, Jeffry Fischman the band, began to slip and has spiraled since. Another popular Peruvian rock band, TK has a similar story and in 2006 announced their break-up.

There are thousand of Peruvian musicians to discover and as history shows, soon some of the rising stars will be set into stardom and before they are, you might want to get a glimpse of the best music. So, when in Peru, do just that—and revel in these sweet, unique sounds of contemporary Peruvian music.