Soul of Black Peru
The slinky funk of Peru's black communities - the legacy of Spanish slave trade - was a secret on the international scene until Luaka Bop's Afro-Peruvian Classics: the Soul of Black Peru. An entrancing amalgam of Afro-Caribbean beat, flamenco flash and Spanish poetry, the music of Peru's African communities has undergone a renaissance in that country. Now revered in Peru on a par with our devotion to the Delta, Afro-Peruvian music has turned the worlds impression of the Andes upside down. This is secret music - a collection of beautiful songs and infectious grooves that's been hidden for years in the coastal towns and barrios of Peru. It�s not the guys with flutes and drums in woolly hats - it's music of the black Peruvian communities. Black Peruvians? Yes, Peru was involved in the slave trade too - and this wonderful, funky music is part of that legacy. This music survived (barely) within the black communities, and was not accepted outside of those communities until the spark of black pride, ignited in the 1960s, caught fire in the 70s and 80s. Now, in the 90s, this music is the pride of Peru - cassettes of it are sold on the street alongside techno, Megadeth and Andean folk groups. And while it maintains its funky roots, it has attracted the creative talents of the best contemporary musicians, writers and poets who have furthered the evolution, growth and spread of this music. It's not a secret anymore - and it's yours to dance to. Some Notes on the Songs: Casa Blanca, Matalapo, Villarona, Acari, Cutucan, San Luis, San Regis, El Carmen, El Guayabo and Cañeñe, all mentioned in the lyrics, are black Peruvian communities. The three main dances in Afro-Peruvian circles are the Landó, Samba Malato and the Alcatraz. Toro Mata, Son de los Diablos, and Zamacueca are also dances.