The historical origins of cumbia are nebulous and imprecise. The mythology surrounding it suggests an ancient past when Amerindian, African and European musical sounds were mixed together.

After digging deep into the overwhelming archives of Discos Fuentes and Codiscos in our previous volumes, this third instalment in the series “Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!!” comprises 28 Peruvian cumbia bangers for the dance floor from the deep vaults of Discos MAG, all of them originally released between 1964 and 1987.

MAG had released porros since the label was set up, and by 1957 it was already selling records by the Colombian Lucho Bermúdez, a leading figure in porro and cumbia in orchestra format, from Buenos Aires. Colombian cumbia has come a long way in Peru since those years and put down its own roots, just as it has in other Latin American countries. This third volume of the series “Cumbia, cumbia, cumbia” demonstrates how the rhythm has persisted over three decades of Peruvian recordings, ranging from versions by orchestras and ensembles to original cumbias with electric guitars, with lingering echoes of Caracas-born Hugo Blanco, Tulio Enrique León, Los Teen Agers and Amparito Jiménez. These records were played nonstop in the Peruvian coast, mountains and jungle to the cry of “¡que sigue la cumbia!”.

“Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!!” combines well-known classics and rarities that are difficult to find in their original formats. An invitation to enjoy and be amazed, above and beyond ethnographic and academic concerns.