Rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

entered the Peruvian scene in the late 1950s, through listening to performers like

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, Buddy Holly and

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

, who popularized

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...

in the United States. The first Peruvian rock bands appeared during this time. They included Los Millonarios del Jazz, Los Stars, Conjunto Astoria, Los Incas Modernos, and Los Zodiacs.

History

1960s

New trends like British Merseybeat and American surf became popular, and a number of Peruvian bands built a loyal audience.

Los Saicos Los Saicos is a garage rock band formed in 1964 in Lima, Peru. Their use of fast tempos, screamed vocals and aggressive riffing has led some publication to retrospectively credit them as pioneering punk rock. In a short amount of time during th ...

blended psychedelic rock, garage rock and surf. Los Shains featured rock guitar hero (later in

Pax Pax or PAX may refer to: Peace * Peace (Latin: ''pax'') ** Pax (goddess), the Roman goddess of peace ** Pax, a truce term * Pax (liturgy), a salutation in Catholic and Lutheran religious services * Pax (liturgical object), an object formerly ki ...

). Traffic Sound, the first Peruvian supergroup, merged core players from Los Hang Ten's with other important musicians. Also popular were Los York's, Los Jaguars, Los Silvertons, Los Belkings and Los Doltons.

1970s

After the military coup in October 1968, rock music was branded an alienating phenomenon by the government of General Juan Velasco Alvarado. There was a ban of concerts in key venues including a highly anticipated Carlos Santana concert in 1971. However, some AM radio stations continued to play rock music (such as Radio Miraflores, Radio 1160, and Radio Atalaya). Also, record companies continued to release LPs of rock bands (such as Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix) in Peru. The movie ''

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

'' was shown in Lima every two or three years. Moreover, some bands left their mark, such as El Polen, Traffic Sound,

, We All Together,

Telegraph Avenue Telegraph Avenue is a street that begins, at its southernmost point, in the midst of the historic downtown district of Oakland, California, and ends, at its northernmost point, at the southern edge of the University of California, Berkeley cam ...

, Black Sugar, Crossroads, Tripping Foxters, Red Amber (the first Peruvian progressive rock band), and Fragil (in the late 1970s). In the late 1970s, the band Breeze with Roxana Valdivieso released a self-titled album with English lyrics. Peruvian rock descended into its most obscure era during the mid-1970s, losing the momentum it had laboriously gained. Disco and

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...

dominated the airwaves for the remainder of the decade. Some rock musicians became jazz musicians, such as guitarist Richie Zellon.

1980s

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Peruvian rock bands were confined to the underground scene; with no radio or TV support. The half-hour TV show Disco Club led by singer-songwriter Gerardo Manuel (Rojas) was an occasional exception. Fragil released its first LP in 1981. Nevertheless, because of the deep crisis that the country was suffering, Peruvian rockers looked for a way to channel their frustrations. In this environment, it is no surprise that British punk rock became a major influence to a few young Peruvians rockers of this era, and quickly a small "underground" scene started brewing parallel to the free-again 'mainstream' scene. Bands like Leusemia,

Narcosis Narcosis may refer to: In science * Carbon dioxide narcosis, carbon dioxide retention leading to a reduction in the hypoxic drive * Hydrogen narcosis, an effect of diving deep with hydrogen * Nitrogen narcosis, an effect of diving deep with nit ...

, Autopsia, Guerrilla Urbana, Zcuela Crrada formed part of the first wave. The members of these bands were mostly from poor neighborhoods, but a few came from upper-class neighborhoods and had learned English in their schools. Bands like Fragil, Rio, Miki Gonzales,

, Jas, Imagenes, Trama, Danai y Pateandolatas came from upper and middle-class backgrounds, uncovering the social division in Peruvian society. According to some scholars (mainly left-wing thinkers), the 'underground' scene was by far richer in creativity, though lacking technical skills; others thought the 'commercial' scene was more worthwhile, since the underground scene only reached a few hundred supporters per concert and was focused in the capital of Lima, being virtually unknown to the rest of the country. Quickly several bands started appearing and creating subgenres within the umbrella 'underground' scene. Radio or TV support was nonexistent for them (the mainstream bands did have some), poverty and lack of technology prevented most bands from recording any moderate-quality material. Despite all this, the present and future looked much brighter than in the 1970s, since these bands, especially the mainstream ones, were pioneers in the rock scene after the 1975–1985 downturn. At the same time, an underground scene of death metal and

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...

developed in Lima, influenced by European bands. Local bands such as Mortem and

Kranium Kemar Donaldson popularly known as Kranium, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer known for his 2013 hit single "Nobody Has To Know" which gave him an international recognition and led him to the Atlantic Records record label. Personal life ...

were formed in the 1980s.

1990s

The further growth of the underground scene and the liberalization of Peruvian society and economy allowed rock musicians to create sub-circuits, and rock became very diverse. Some of the best (but not necessarily best known) rock bands from Peru came out during this decade. Leusemia became the leaders of not only the 'underground' faction, but of all Peruvian rock, undergoing a change from very basic rock band to a prolific and influential group that included rock anthems, ballads and symphonic, almost

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

. For those who liked the 1980s

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

, Dolores Delirio, Voz Propia and Cardenales were among the best at the goth sound. Huelga De Hambre was one of Peru's grunge-influenced group. El Aire, G3, Arcana, Radio Criminal, Los Mojarras, Mar De Copas, La Liga del Sueño and Rafo Raez were very solid bands of diverse genres that were followed in the late 1990s by La Sarita, Ni Voz Ni Voto, Cementerio Club, D'Mente Comun and Líbido, greatly expanding rock music in Peru. Due to financial difficulties and lack of support from promoters, most bands had to play the same few venues, where they build loyal and knowledgeable fanbases. Although the concerts were very small at the beginning (typically 50 people), as the decade progressed, more young people started to notice these bands and fill bigger venues with 500, 1000, or 2000 people. Towards the end of the decade, major concerts like "Acustirock", "El Niño Malo", "Antimiseria" and "Inrockuptibles" each brought in at least 10,000 fans. Peruvian media began to pay attention to these bands in the late 1990s, giving exposure to bands of a decidedly more upper-class and 'safer' sounding rock. The most prominent bands of 'mainstream' 1990s Peruvian rock were Nosequien y Los Nosecuantos, Miki Gonzales and Arena Hash. From this last band, Pedro Suárez-Vértiz went on a solo career and became the most commercially successful Peruvian rocker of the decade. The black metal and death metal scene remained an underground, with a few bands releasing self-produced material. Bands included black-metal acts Illapa, Belzec, and Nahual; and death-thrash metal acts like Dark Silence, Ensalve, and Hadez. Many conflicts between bands (which include trash-talking and rivalries) and critical political and economic issues led to the breakup of many metal groups. A report on Peruvian rock included in the July 1999 issue of ''

Maximum RocknRoll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily featu ...

'' mentions the following bands: Aeropajitas, Manganzoides, 60s garage punk/garage revival, Asmereir, a blend of punk/ska/reggae/hardcore/thrash, Leusemia, that put out a double CD through Coyote Records titled '' Moxon'', Histeria Kolectiva reminiscing of Leusemia, dios hastío euro-crustcore intense and desperate, Ataque Frontal classic I-spit-on-your-face band, one of the shapers of the scene,

Psicosis Dionicio Castellanos Torres (born May 19, 1971) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Psicosis (sometimes Anglicised as Psychosis) and Nicho el Millonario. He is best known for his appearances with the promotions Luc ...

ska/punk orchestra, 3 Al Hilo, punk rock and roll, Metadona female-fronted pop-punk, Magras punk/hardcore and reggae, P. T. K. this means Pateando Tu Kara, Sudor de Huevos (SDH)-punk, Los Rezios,

Autonomia Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theoretical system, it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist and anarchist tend ...

, Migraña, Irreverentes, Hazloquechuchapunkron, Perú No Existe, Generacion Perdida. It also mentioned fanzines: Caleta, Sub, Cuero Negro and Crash Boom Zap.

2000s

A mature and prolific rock scene soon gained exposure due to the improved economic presence of Peru in the region. Peruvian TV and the Latin American division of MTV took notice of Peruvian bands, and included them in their shows ahead of the Peruvian mainstream radio. Peruvian rock videos were in normal rotation alongside regionally known acts like

Soda Stereo Soda Stereo is an Argentine rock band formed in Buenos Aires in 1982 by Gustavo Cerati (lead vocals, guitar), Héctor "Zeta" Bosio (bass) and Carlos Alberto Ficicchia "Charly Alberti" (drums). As the first Hispanic group to achieve mainstrea ...

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...

and Jaguares. Líbido became Peru's most successful band, selling hundreds of thousands of discs worldwide and receiving Grammy nominations and several Latin MTV awards. Soon other bands like

Amen Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and ...

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

and TK found success.

Aliados ''Aliados (English: Allies)'' is an Argentine television series created and produced by Cris Morena aired by the network Telefe in Argentina and by the FOX Network to the rest of Latin America. It's aimed at teen and youth audiences. The pre ...

and Inyectores (both made up of ex- G3 members), Los Fuckin Sombreros, Campo De Almas, Pelo Madueño (drummer of the 1980s Peruvian rock band

and leader, vocalist and guitarist of the 1990s Peruvian rock band La Liga Del Sueño), 6 Voltios, Space bee, Zaraúz, Brinvonda, Turbopotamos, Vaselina, Leusemia, Pancho Pepe Jazz Band, Los Claxon, DaleVuelta, Tráfico, Uchpa which is a rock & blues band in

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

, Jose Arbulú (the vocalist and lead guitar of Cementerio Club), and Area 7 (an exponent of Peruvian Nu-Metal and the country's only all-female metal band), were acts that developed at the local level. Peruvian electronic music has its representatives in bands like Theremyn 4, Unidad central, Deimos, Insumision, Ensamble, Vacuna tu hijo, Kollantes. Dozens of new bands kept coming out and most of the 1990s bands were still playing and improving their recordings. The albums of the early rock banks, including

, Traffic Sound, and We All Together were released on CDs. Radio stations became more receptive of mainstream Peruvian Rock, given its recent commercial success. Most of the Peruvian media continues to not promote popular underground acts such as punk and reggae.

2010s

During the 2010s, many groups have emerged in the larger cities of Peru, especially in Lima. The growing world scene of psychedelic rock had led to the psychedelic sound being mixed with other genres, influencing Peruvian bands Cholo Visceral (blending with prog rock), Los Silver Mornings (vintage rock), Spatial Moods (blues), Onerom (jazz), and The Dead End-Alley Band and El Jefazo (stoner rock). In some Internet articles it is called "Nueva Psicodelia Latinoamericana" as a way to differentiate it from other kinds of psychedelic rock music that have emerged in Latinamerica during the 1970s, 1980s or 1990s.https://noisey.vice.com/es_co/article/el-despertar-de-la-nueva-psicodelia-en-latinoamerica-parte-2

List of bands and solo performers

* Frágil *

* 6 Voltios * Mar de Copas * Crimson Death * Dale Vuelta * Los Dickens * Theremyn 4 *(1957) Los Millonarios del Jazz *(1958) Eulogio Molina y sus Rockanrollers *(1959) Jorge Botteri *(1962) Los Kreps *(1962) Los Incas Modernos *(1963) Los Sunset *(1963) Los Golden Boys *(1964) Los Zodiacs *(1964) Los Saicos *(1964) Los Shains *(1965) Los Termits *(1965) Los Doltons *(1965) Los Drags *(1965) Los Steivos *(1965) Los Fannings *(1965) Los Teddys *(1965) Los VIPs *(1965) Los Belkings *(1966) Los Spectros *(1966) Los Golden Stars *(1966) Los York's *(1966) Los Silverstons *(1967) Los Holys *(1967) Los Zanys *(1967) Traffic Sounds *(1968) The Mad's *(1968) Los Comandos *(1969) El Opio *(1969) Los Far Fen *(1969) The (St Thomas) Pepper Smelter *(1969) Telegraph Avenue *(1969) PAX *(1970) Black Sugar *(1970) Grupo Amigos *(1970) Gerardo Manuel & El Humo *(1971) El Alamo *(1971) Smog *(1971) Cacique *(1971) We All Together *(1972) El Ayllu *(1972) El Polen *(1972) Tarkus *(1974) Red Amber *(1976) Frágil *(1980) Up Lapsus *(1982) Autocontrol *(1983) Rio *(1983) Leuzemia *(1984) Feiser *(1984) Narcosis *(1985) M.A.S.A.C.R.E. *(1986) Arena Hash *(1986) Miki Gonzáles *(1986) G-3 *(1986) XDinero *(1987) Trama *(1987) Orgus *(1988) No se quién y no se cuántos *(1991) UCHPA *(1991) La Liga del Sueño *(1992) Mar de Copas *(1993) Los Zopilotes *(1993) Pedro Suárez-Vértiz *(1994) Campo de Almas *(1994) Dolores Delirio *(1994) Ni Voz Ni Voto *(1994) Huelga de Hambre *(1995) Amen *(1996) Madre Matilda *(1995) Trémolo *(1996
Deimos
*(1996) El Aire *(1996) Libido *(1996) Arcana *(1996) Cementerio Club *(1998) Semillas *(2000) Chaska *(2000) Inyectores *(2001) TK *(2001) Chabelos *(2001) Gaia *(2002) La Negra *(2002) Fuera del Resto *(2002) ZEN *(2003) Wayo *(2004) Pamela Rodriguez *(2005) YAWARHIEM *(2005) Dos Vírgenes *(2005) Emergency Blanket *(2007) Alerta Rocket *(2007) Los Silver Mornings *(2007) Diego Dibós *(2007) Grisho *(2008) Pelo Madueño *(2008) Autobus *(2009) Jhovan *(2010) Zhoria *(2010) Difonía *(2010) Los Luna *(2010) Kanaku y El Tigre *(2010) Los Casablancahttp://elcomercio.pe/impresa/notas/adios-casablanca/20110714/862989 *(2011) Alejandro y Maria Laura *(2011) Cholo Visceral *(2011) Francois Peglau *(2012) Gris Volta *(2012) Spatial Moods *(2012) Tourista (rock) *(2013) Danitse *(2013) Puto Man Insecto *(2014) La Lá *(2014) Almirante Ackbar *(2014)

Mundaka Mundaka ( es, Mundaca) is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, northern Spain. On the coast, Mundaka is internation ...

*(2015) Los Lagartos *(2015) Serto Mercurio *(2015) Fabricio Robles *(2015) Astronaut Project *(2015) Banana Child *(2015) Manuel Vera Tudela Wither *(2016) El Cuarto de Juegos *(2016) Bricheros *(2016) Golden Cameleon *(2017) Inzul *(2017) Santa García *(2017) Mecánica del Caos *(2018) Lorena Blume *(2019) Putzy

References

{{Music in Spanish Rock * Rock music by country