CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO-AMANSARA.

dereksmusicblog ♦ September 10, 2014 ♦ Leave a comment

CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO-AMANSARA. 

It’s been three long years since Chancha Via Circuito released his sophomore album, Rio Arriba in 2011. Hailed as an innovative, groundbreaking, genre-melting album, Rio Arriba lifted the profile not just of Chancha Via Circuito, but cumbia. 

The commercial success and critical acclaim of Rio Arriba lead to  Chancha Via Circuito being asked to remix several high profile tracks. This included tracks from The Ruby Suns, The Gotan Project and a track for Giles Peterson’s Havana Remixed project. Then in 2013, Chancha Via Circuito contributed a track, Lacandona to the Sub Pop 1000 compilation. Rio Arriba had transformed it seemed, had transformed Chancha Via Circuito’s career. It also lifted the profile of cumbia music.

Although Rio Arriba featured cumbia, this was cumbia reinvented. it wasn’t like anything people had heard before. This was cumbia reimagined and given a modern makeover by a musical maverick. Essentially, Chancha Via Circuito took what some people perceived as obscure Latin rhythms, chopped them up, then combined them with native drum beats. They were then given a contemporary twist. This became Rio Arriba, which found favour with a global audience.

As soon as music lovers heard Rio Arriba, they were won over by this captivating combination of musical influences and genres. No wonder. Chancha Via Circuito is akin to a call to dance, one that is impossible to resist. All you can do is submit to the charms of Chancha Via Circuito’s music. That’s what discerning music lovers did on 2011, upon the release Rio Arriba. Having won over a new audience with Rio Arriba, his new fans hungrily awaited Chancha Via Circuito’s third album.

They’ve had to be patient. Three years have passed since the release of Rio Arriba. However, the wait is almost over.  Chancha Via Circuito will release his fourth album Amansara on 29th September 2014 on Crammed Discs. Amansara is Chancha Via Circuito’s first album for Crammed Discs. The long awaited followup to Rio Arriba marks a new chapter in the career of musical maverick, Chancha Via Circuito.

Originally, Argentinian producer Pedro Canale came to prominence as part of Buenos Aries’ famous digital cumbia scene. It was during that period, that Pedro adopted the nom de plume Chancha Via Circuito. By then, he was gaining a reputation for pushing musical boundaries. 

Soon, Chancha Via Circuito was gaining a reputation as a musical alchemist. He was fusing the unlikeliest of musical genres. Brazilian rhythms were combined the music of the Andean mysticism, Argentinean folklore and the Paraguayan harp. Add to this elements of avant-garde, electronica and post dub-step. The result was music that’s futuristic and innovative. This was music for 21st Century dance-floors. It was also music that caught the imagination of other artists and music lovers.

Rodante.

This was the case from Chancha Via Circuito’s debut album Rodante. Released in 2008, Rodante saw Chancha Via Circuito accompanied by a cast of guest artists. This included Khumba Keta, Jahdan and Rancho MC. With their help, Chancha Via Circuito took cumbia in the most unexpected directions on Rodante. 

During the ten tracks on Rodante, cumbia headed off on a genre-melting, musical journey. It’s a captivating journey full of twists and turns aplenty. Before long, you realise to expect the unexpected. You never try to second guess Chancha Via Circuito on Rodante. This made Rodante a truly refreshing and innovative album. Rodante was also an album caught the imagination of other artists. 

Cumbia, other artists realised, was only the starting point for Chancha Via Circuito. It was just one of many musical building blocks on Rodante. What he added to cumbia made all the difference. This inspired other artists to follow in Chancha Via Circuito’s footsteps. Music lovers were also inspired by Rodante. They were won over by the futuristic sound of a musical alchemist. This they realised, would be the music that filled dance-floors in the future. So would the music of  Chancha Via Circuito’s sophomore album Rio Arriba.

Rio Arriba. 

Three years later, in 2011, Chancha Via Circuito returned with his sophomore album, Rio Arriba. The release of Rio Arriba was eagerly awaited. Both other artists and music lovers wanted to hear the direction Chancha Via Circuito’s had headed. After all, music is in a constant state of evolution. Similarly, Chancha Via Circuito wasn’t the type of artist who would stand still.

That proved to be the case. The three previous years had been well spent. Chancha Via Circuito took  these so called obscure Latin rhythms, chopped them up, then combined them with native drum beats. They were combined with South American folklore and then given a contemporary twist. This resulted in Rio Arriba, which was released in 2011.

On the release of Rio Arriba in 2011, it was released to critical acclaim. Rio Arriba has hailed as a truly groundbreaking album. Chancha Via Circuito was lauded by critics and hailed as an artist with a big future. That proved to be the case.

Following the commercial success and critical acclaim of Rio Arriba,  Chancha Via Circuito was asked to remix several high profile tracks. This included tracks from The Ruby Suns, The Gotan Project and a track for Giles Peterson’s Havana Remixed project. Then in 2013, Chancha Via Circuito contributed a track, Lacandona to the Sub Pop 1000 compilation. The success of  Rio Arriba had Chancha Via Circuito’s career. However, during this period, Chancha Via Circuito was  still making new music.

Semillas E.P.

This included his Semillas E.P. It was released in 2012, and featured five new tracks from Chancha Via Circuito. Two of the tracks were collaborations. Karpis and Papas featured on Gevgelis, while Leando Frías featured on Tornasol. Just like his two previous albums, the Semillas E.P. was a reminder that Chancha Via Circuito’s music was constantly moving forward. It was as if Chancha Via Circuito was determined to reinvent himself and his music. Chancha Via Circuito. continues to do this on Amansara.

Amansara.

For Amansara, Chancha Via Circuito has been busy. Over the last few years, Chancha Via Circuito has written and recorded eleven tracks. Of these eleven tracks, he wrote seven tracks and cowrote the four other tracks. This includes Jardines with Lido Pimienta, Coplita with Miriam García and Camino de posguerra with Sara Hebe. The other track is Sabiamantis, which Chancha Via Circuito penned with Barrio Lindo and Sidirum. These four collaborations became Amansara, Chancha Via Circuito’s long-awaited third album.

Opening Amansara is Hola (intro). Drums pound. They drift around, reverberating and pulsating. Then washes of eerie synths meander in. They quiver, shiver and shimmer, adding to the cinematic sound.

Percussion plays as Sueño en Paraguay’s arrangement unfolds. Before long, a myriad of instruments combine. A Paraguayan harp, keyboards, guitar and drums join percussion. Briefly a haunting, mocking laugh escapes from the arrangement. Midway through the track, the arrangement is stripped bare, before rebuilding. The instruments gradually rejoin before musical influences and genres melt into one. 

Futuristic. That describes the introduction to Jardines. Waves of synths reverberate. Drums are added, giving the arrangement a broken beat, nu  jazz sound. Then Lido Pimienta’s vocal enters. It’s best described as heartfelt, soulful and beautiful. It grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. When it drops out, a myriad of sci-fi sounds and drums take centre-stage. After that, the sultry sound of Lido Pimienta’s vocal returns. It’s crucial to the track’s success. Her vocal is yin to the arrangement’s yang.

Dramatic drums open Tarocchi. They plod across the arrangement. It has an almost uneasy, eerie sound. That’s the case as waves of synths and percussion combine with drums Adding to uneasiness are bursts of a cooing vocal. Then there’s stabs of synths and wistful keyboards. When all this is combined, the results is a haunting, mysterious,  cinematic sounding track.

Thunderous drums opens Sauce. Having more than made their presence felt, they’re joined by jangling percussion. What sounds like a harmonium is added. It’s distant, hidden amidst the drums of percussion. The result is a what’s best described as hypnotic meets melancholy. 

Dark, dramatic and guaranteed to grab your attention. That’s how to describe the arrangement to Coplita. It’s made up of layers. The foundation is the drums. They pound and drive the arrangement along. Above them, sits percussion, flutes and synths. Then there’s Miriam García’s pensive, thoughtful and emotive vocal. This is the perfect foil to the arrangement. It proves the perfect contrast to the darkness and drama of the arrangement.

Urgent, stabs of synths and percussion open Guajaca. Together, they create a futuristic, eerie and industrial arrangement. Avant-garde, electronica, experimental and industrial combine. A melange of disparate influences and genres, it’s a track full of twists and turns. Just like previous Chancha Via Circuito albums, it’s a case of expect the unexpected, as he creates what’s akin to a musical representation of a 22nd Century futuristic cityscape.

As Coroico reveals its secrets, it has a much more understated sound. Gradually, the arrangement unfolds. The arrangement is  reminiscent of a late night walk through an urban environment. Chancha Via Circuito toys with your emotions. Sometimes, you think danger lurks round every corner. Then later, it’s all change. The track takes on an irresistible Latin influence. It’s Chancha Via Circuito at his best, as he creates the soundtrack to a film that’s yet to be made.

Camino de Posguerra is a fusion of Latin and hip hop. There’s even a nod to the old Spaghetti Westerns and French film soundtracks of the sixties. Joining Chancha Via Circuito is Sara Hebe. She delivers an impassioned, swaggering rap. This she does against a bold backdrop of drums and washes of synths. Although Sara’s vocal takes centre-stage, there’s much more going on. The keyboard that sits deep in the mix plays an important role. Its atmospheric sound helps frame Sara’s feisty, swaggering vocal.

Sabiamantis features the last of the guest artists, Barrio Lindo and Sidirum. Again, the arrangement is full of contrast. Bells and percussion provide a subtle contrast to the thunderous drums and washes of otherworldly synths. Before long, a captivating fusion of influences unfolds. Avant-garde, electronica, experimental and industrial rub shoulders. They play their part in a futuristic, industrial sounding track that veers between eerie, ethereal and otherworldly.

De Tu Mano (Outro) closes Amansara. At just over a minute long, this bookends Amansara nicely. After all, a short track opened Amansara. With its hesitant, melancholy, understated sound, this shows another side to Chancha Via Circuito and his music.

Three years have passed since Chancha Via Circuito released his sophomore album, Rio Arriba in 2011. It was hailed as an innovative, groundbreaking, genre-melting album. The same can be said of Amansara which will be released on 29th September 2014 on Crammed Discs. Amansara, like Rio Arriba, is another fusion of musical genres and influences.

Listen carefully and Chancha Via Circuito combines a myriad of disparate musical influences. As a starting point, Chancha Via Circuito uses cumbia. He adds to that avant-garde, electronica, experimental, hip hop, industrial, Latin and soul. The soul comes courtesy of Lido Pimienta and  Miriam García. Although they’re both Latin vocalists, they’re both deeply soulful. They provide a contrast to Chancha Via Circuito’s arrangements. Each of these arrangements are very different.

That was case with Rio Arriba. It’s also the case with Amansara. During Amansara, Chancha Via Circuito seems determined to constantly reinvent himself and his music. He successes in doing so. Amansara is a genre-melting, musical journey. It’s a captivating journey full of twists and turns aplenty. Before long, you realise to expect the unexpected. The other thing you realise, is never try to second guess Chancha Via Circuito. He is after all, a musical maverick. That’s why Amansara is a truly refreshing, genre-melting and album of ambitious, innovative music.

CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO-AMANSARA.