PERKUTAO - Mis Ancestros

"If, among the Afro-Peruvian music groups that have emerged in recent years, there is one that has dared to take the sound to new dimensions, it is Perkutao. Heirs to the best Afro-Peruvian tradition, they have been able to integrate Afro-Cuban elements and various contemporary popular styles, which they play with amazing with speed and precision. Mis Ancestros, is their debut album for Buh Records. Perkutao is an Afro-Peruvian percussion ensemble founded in 2005, directed by Percy Chinchilla, musician, percussionist, zapateador, and teacher of young generations of percussionists. Mis Ancestros (My ancestors) is their first record under the production of Manongo Mujica and is the fourth title of the collection Perspectivas de la Música Afroperuana (Perspectives on Afro-Peruvian Music). Chinchilla shares the artistic direction of Perkutao with William Nicasio 'Makarito', another outstanding percussionist. Both grew up in the famous Callejón del Buque, in the district of La Victoria, a spot preferred by bohemians and known by local music partying -- jaranas criollas. Both were also formed in Perú Negro, an emblematic Afro-Peruvian ensemble, and both carry in their blood the cult of percussion and Afro tradition. Perkutao arose precisely from the merging of Afro-Peruvian, Afro-Cuban and Caribbean music traditions, and have become one of the most sought-after percussion ensembles due to the intensity of their sound and their powerful performances. In addition to Chinchilla and Makarito, the ensemble is completed by Edu Campos, Andree Liendo, and Víctor Sánchez Pitín. "Azañero Colorao", "Trucutum Kiti Pa", and "Cancha con Sabor", composed based on minor percussion (cajita, quijada), zapateo and cajón, respectively, are compositions that serve as an introduction, a tribute to the essential instruments of the Afro-Peruvian tradition. The last one in particular already defines Perkutao's style: a trepidant and orgiastic rhythm, hypnotic and hard hitting, Dionysian and cathartic. With "Madre África" and "Al Tayta Bukense", for djembes and congas, respectively, you find Perkutao retaking the Afro-Cuban heritage embedded to the Afro-Peruvian sounds, abakuá and festejo. "Lloraré", a version of a famous Cuban song, mirror the ensemble's fascination with Caribbean music (salsa is another genre cultivated by its members). Mis Ancestros is an album about a tradition, but it is also a renewal. Perkutao opens a new direction for Afro-Peruvian music, its sound is an evocation and the here and now, it is deep-rooted but freely flowing percussion." - Buh Records .