Music like Chicha Libre

Chicha Libre is a Brooklyn-based six-member band founded by Olivier Conan. Its name is a reference to Chicha, which is the name of a corn-based liquor that has been produced in South America since the time of the Incas. It is also the name of a Peruvian musical genre (also known as Peruvian cumbia) on which the band's music is based.

Conan was first introduced to Chicha music on a trip to Peru in 2005. Their debut album, ¡Sonido Amazonico!, was released in 2008 on Barbes Records, a label which Conan runs from his home in Brooklyn. They released their second album, Canibalismo, in 2012. They also released an EP, Cuatro Tigres, in 2013, both digitally and on vinyl. The band's original members were Olivier Conan (lead vocalist, cuatro); Josh Camp (DuoVox, keyboards, background vocals); Vincent Douglas (guitar); Greg Burrows (percussion--background vocals, timbales, bongos, guiro, reco-reco); Timothy Quigley (percussion--bongo, shakers, conga); and Nick Cudahy (bass). Additional members: Neil Ochoa (congas), Karina Colis (timbales). Featured guest artists included Jose Carballo (former member of seminal Peruvian chicha band, Los Hijos del Sol).