Chicha Libre

While based in Brooklyn, Chicha Libre is made up of musicians from France, Mexico, Venezuela and the US, and since 2006, has been at the forefront of a global movement to revalorize Chicha - psychedelic cumbia from Peru.

Chicha was first popularized outside of Peru by a compilation released by Chicha Libre's Olivier Conan and entitled "The Roots of Chicha." The music proved immensely popular, inspiring countless new projects, and new fans around the world.

Chicha Libre was first conceived as a tribute to Peruvian pioneers but quickly evolved into an original project that MTV has called “one of the world's preeminent Tropical Psychedelic band”.

Indeed, while they remain true to their Chicha roots, Chicha Libre's music has taken a definitely psychedelic turn drawing more and more from its members varied backgrounds.

Like its mentors, Chicha Libre uses surf guitar, organ sounds and Latin percussion to play a mixture of borrowed and homegrown sounds – but its music is a freeform reinvention, not an exercise in nostalgia. Synth sounds, treated guitars, French songs, classical music and pop debris from three continents contribute to Chicha Libre’s freeform approach to the tropical genre.

2020, the year when everything stopped, should see the release of a few collaborative singles with friends from Colombia and Mexico - recorded in Bogotá and CDMX. Stay tuned. Official website: https://www.chicha-libre.comContact: info@barbesrecords.com