Play Boy / Descarga Rogers

Two almost-impossible-to-find Amazonian rarities, finally reissued together for the first time on a single. On one side, Los Playboys’ instrumental ‘Play Boy’, packed with all the hallmarks of psychedelic cumbia—playful surf-tinged guitars and a hypnotic, dancefloor-ready groove. On the flip side, a fiery Cuban-influenced Descarga jam from Iquitos’ obscure band Los Roger’s. Iquitos, one of Peru’s most remote cities and the capital of its Amazon region, was the epicenter of the psychedelic cumbia movement. Countless bands emerged from this place, each with a different fate in their musical journeys. Some rose to become international stars and flag bearers of cumbia, while others remained local legends, their fame never traveling far beyond the Amazon jungle. Groups like Los Playboys belong to that mysterious category of almost-forgotten bands we know very little about.

On Ranil’s label, Producciones Llerena, they released a superb single—now reissued here with their track ‘Play Boy’, an instrumental bursting with all the essential ingredients of psychedelic cumbia: playful surf-inspired guitars and a hypnotic yet danceable groove that’s simply irresistible. We complete this single with another great band from Iquitos: Los Roger’s. Their magnificent ‘Descarga Rogers’, never before available on 45, is the opening track of their only album and dives deep into Cuban-influenced sounds, where the guitar shares the spotlight with powerful percussion and vocals. Two Amazonian musical gems, reissued now for the very first time.