A passion project from a pared-down lineup of Brownout and Grupo Fantasma vets, Money Chicha has dished out gritty, effects-laden cumbia since 2012. With their proper debut, and as host of an annual chicha summit, the homegrown six-pack honors a formerly derided brand of Peruvian Sixties psychedelia sharing its name with the region’s saliva-fermented corn booze. The organ-wafting instrumentals offer a quick buzz and, as the title track suggests, reverb by the pound. “Quieren Efectos” slyly reimagines a Nineties Das EFX hip-hop hit, while “Animalitos” swirls and twirls like a South American circus. And just in case you thought you’d mastered the web of Grupo-derived bands and side projects, “Yo No Soy Turku” references yet another, the elusive Turku, bridging the gap between Anatolia and the Andes with a stone-milled mash-up of chicha and bizarro Turkish funk. Echo en Mexico is a strange brew, indeed. Bottoms up!
This article appears in December 23 • 2016.
