— Nivedita Kashyap

I am making a Playlist of Peruvian dance and music meant mainly for my friends at home and for me when I feel saudade for Peru.

The playlist as it stands now:

1. Chabuca Grande – One of the most popular Peruvian singers, she created and interpreted a vast number of Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms
2. Adictos al Bidet – Lima based ska group
3. La Sarita – Their sound is alternative hard rock fused with a latin flavor, peruvian folkloric music and afroperuvian sounds. La Sarita have a huge underground following in Latin America. Cariñito is a very popular Peruvian folk song. Saw them live in  Ayacucho, Peru, April 2010
4. Novalima – Founded by four friends from Lima with a shared passion for traditional Afro-Peruvian music and modern DJ culture, Novalima searches for the common ground between past and future, between tradition and innovation. Saw them live at Dragon de Barranco, Lima, Peru, April 2010
5. Huayño from Huancavelica.
6. Danza de las tijeras – Folk dance from the south of the Andes
7. Cumbia / Huayño mix - The first few songs are Peruvian Cumbias, music popular in the coast and in the Amazon part of Peru and the last 2 are huayños, music from the mountains
8. Eva Ayllón – A very popular contemporary Afro-Peruvian musician
9. Dina Paucar – Popular huayño singer
10. Chacalon – A very popular Peruvian singer and musician. ‘Soy Provinciano’  is one of his classics
11. Bareto - A very popular peruvian band that plays a fusion between Peruvian folk music, ska, cumbia, and other latin rhythms. Saw them live at Festival de la Vendimia, Ica, Peru, March 2010
12. Susana Baca (Toro Mata) – Toro Mata is a song influenced by Afro-Peruvian musical styles (this song is classified as a landó), and over the years, has become a popular anthem for Peru. A dance of “Toro Mata” also developed, which mocks and parodies the stylized waltzes of European conquistadores.
13.  Marinera: National dance of Peru
14. La Mente: Mixes dub reggae, dancehall and Amazonian cumbia, merging them with electronic beats into a style they call “electropical”. Saw them live at Sergento Pimienta, Barranco, Lima, March 2010