Martin Morales’ passion to discover the musical history of Peru led him to create the first Peruvian label based outside of the country, Tiger’s Milk. He and his team spent years searching for Peru’s best tracks from the 1960s and ‘70s, ranging from cumbia to chicha, and huayno to psychedelia. Tiger’s Milk’s desire to showcase the works of past greats resulted in two compilations, Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical and Cumbia and Peru Bravo: Funk, Soul & Psych from Peru’s Radical Decade. With the success of their vintage selections, the label has become the go-to platform for digging up the country’s rarely heard and perhaps, undiscovered catalog.
Peru Boom: Bass, Bleeps and Bumps from Peru’s Electronic Underground is their third and latest compilation, and it’s not what you might expect. After watching Dengue Dengue Dengue spin 3 years ago, Morales had a life-changing experience and realized that “DJs were mixing chicha rhythms with serious basslines… Kids would go nuts at both the tropical bass and the traditional sounds… Peru Boom tries to capture that.”
Peru Boom is comprised of heavy bass…heavy, tropical bass to be exact. The intoxicating, 16-track collection transports you back and forth between Peru’s sonic future and past. The project may be guided by the roots of chicha and Peruvian cumbia, but it effortlessly fuses dubstep, trap, grime, house and electronica with the intents and purposes of directing you to the dance floor. Peru Boom features key DJs and producers who have carved out Lima’s well-deserved reputation as the “jewel in the crown” of South America’s rave scenes. Featuring the likes of Dengue Dengue Dengue, DJ Chakruna, and Animal Chuki, Peru Boom takes you into the depths of the most vibrant contemporary club scene in the world.
The theme of Peru Boom is most evident in Deltatron’s “Ego Trip.” It begins eerily slow with syncopated and synth-ed, cumbia rhythms. As the track continues, it captivates the listener with its disjointed, electronic backbeats. With every second that it progresses, “Ego Trip” strikes with a heavier hitting bass, and allows an almost hypnotic escape into a Lima nightclub. The song culminates with fading instrumentals, as if waking up the next morning after a long night out.
After years spent resurfacing Peru’s past, Tiger’s Milk is now showcasing artists who recreate the sounds they have held so deeply. Peru Boom displays how electronic DJs are forging their lane in Peruvian music, while simultaneously taking aspects from their musical heritage.