At Full Throttle With Los Sanders de ÑaÑa

In the universe of Peruvian tropical music, one can distinguish a wide variety of styles. One of the most unique is known as the “carretero” style, also referred to as the “Carretera Central” sound, which alludes to the sound developed by a series of musical groups that became known during the 1970s in the areas surrounding this major highway. At that time, this area received a large influx of migrants from the provinces who came to the capital in search of a better future.

The initiators of this carretero style were Los Sanders de Ñaña, and following them, other groups emerged, not only creating a unique style but also establishing a circuit. Today, the Carretera Central has been urbanized and has become a major commercial area and an important venue for tropical concerts.

The story of Los Sanders de Ñaña began in the early 1970s when Fernando Arias, at that time a representative of a poultry company, heard some young musicians rehearsing in front of his house in Ñaña, at kilometer 14 of the Carretera Central. Arias quickly connected with the enthusiasm of the young group, which included guitarist and composer Lener Muñoz and the singer, bassist, and also composer Rolando del Castillo, also known as Rholando. The idea of founding a musical group had been lingering in Arias’ mind, as his father had been part of a musical group in the past. Within a few days, he bought them instruments, they improvised their first rehearsals on one of the farms where he worked, and he became their director and music entrepreneur. The name was taken from a foreign last name, as Arias recalls, because anything foreign-sounding was popular in Lima at the time.

During this period, the sound of the electric guitar had found its place in the world of Peruvian tropical music, ushering in a new genre of cumbia that incorporated the instrumentation and sounds of rock, with groups like Los Destellos and Los Orientales de Paramonga leading the way. Simultaneously, a rock scene was developing in Lima that was beginning to embrace psychedelic sounds. However, styles like beat music, instrumental surf, and the new “oleranueva” ballad had left a mark on a generation, and these rhythms remained popular well into the 1970s. Bands like Los Belkings and Los Doltons were still in the market with their latest productions.

According to Arias himself, at that time, tropical groups were typically composed of three string instruments: the first guitar, the second guitar, and the bass. For Los Sanders, they excluded the second guitar in favor of a Yamaha keyboard, although their initial choice had been a Hawaiian guitar, which they couldn’t obtain. This interest in replacement instruments stemmed from Arias’ childhood memories when he saw his father in a musical group that used different instruments. Perhaps this is where the uniqueness of Los Sanders’ sound lies.

The fact is that the group absorbed the variety of musical styles flourishing in Lima at that time. This gave birth to an eclectic style that ranged from instrumental music to soul and ballads, with occasional contributions from the singer Rholando. They also delved into elegant electric guitar cumbias, which some have called “salon cumbia,” with Lener Muñoz’s distinctive touch. “Cristinita” and “El engaño” were the first two songs that Los Sanders recorded on a 45 RPM record through the Discos Ramírez label. The first was an electric tropical tune, and the second was a slow rock song. Both laid the foundation for the musical language that would later be known as cumbia beat, or more precisely, the sound of the Carretera Central.

The group began performing in neighboring neighborhoods such as Vitarte, Morón, and Santa Clara, which evolved into a circuit for various tropical groups in the area. The need for new recordings grew as their shows became more frequent. The long waiting times for recording and release prompted Fernando Arias to establish his own record label, allowing him to control the release schedules according to their needs. Thus, DIFA (Discos Industria Fernando Arias) was born in 1970 as part of a wave of independent record labels, primarily focused on tropical and folk music, which were crucial for the development of the Peruvian record industry, which saw great success in the 1970s and early 1980s. In addition to Los Sanders, DIFA hosted many great names of Peruvian cumbia and “chicha” music, such as Paco Zambrano, El Super Grupo, Grupo Celeste, Chacalón y la Nueva Crema, Los Orientales de Paramonga, among others.

Los Sanders made their debut on DIFA with a 45 RPM record, featuring the guajira “Baila Mulatica” on one side and the soul song “No Vayas a Llorar” on the other. With the addition of the Nikkei singer Enrique Goya, they recorded the ballad “Un beso y nada más,” which became a sales success. However, it was only with DIFA’s fourth release, the hit “La Mazamorrita” (1972), written by Lener Muñoz, that the group transcended the borders of the Carretera Central and gained national fame, touring the entire country of Peru, from Sullana to Tacna. The single sold over 90,000 copies and was even played over the loudspeakers at the Estadio Nacional during a soccer match.

Around 1974, Lener Muñoz and Rolando Castillo left the group, and they were replaced by Teodoro Laura on guitar, Delfo Pascual on bass, and Teodoro Arellano and Pascual Coronado, also known as “Pascualillo,” on vocals. This marked a new phase for the ensemble, with not only a change in execution (faster-paced) but also a fusion of styles, giving rise more clearly to the called “sound of the Carretera Central.” In this style, one could hear a ballad-style introduction seamlessly transitioning into a cumbia. Thus, a vocal style associated with the “new olera” ballad but also with barroom bolero became infused in Peruvian cumbia, serving as a precursor to the later “chicha” sound. Good examples of this can be found in songs like “Reina de mi corazón” (1974) or “Mujer de mi vida” (1974). However, Los Sanders could also explore new horizons, as seen in the song “Un recuerdo para ti” (1977), a ballad with a psychedelic Santana-style coda, or in “Amor no me dejes” (1978), a ballad with unusual keyboard embellishments, showcasing the group’s originality.

Teodoro Laura, better known as Teo Laura, came from another cumbia group called Los Blue Kings de Ñaña, while Lener Muñoz joined the ranks of the newly founded Grupo Celeste, led by Víctor Casahuamán, and later founded El Super Grupo, where, as with Grupo Celeste, social themes and references to the migrant life were incorporated, becoming a link to the “chicha” genre. Rolando del Castillo, on the other hand, alongside his participation in El Super Grupo, embarked on a solo career and later moved to the United States.

With Teodoro Laura, Los Sanders recorded the albums “Tú y yo” (1978) and “El inagotable estilo de los Sanders” (1982), along with a large number of 45 RPM records. This new phase of the group featured several hits, including the song “Quiero emborracharme” with wah-wah guitar effects, which became one of Los Sanders’ most listened-to songs and achieved great success in Ecuador and Venezuela. Similarly, “Por qué me sigues,” which was a hit in Colombia. By then, Los Sanders had firmly established themselves as a tropical group, moving away somewhat from the repertoire of “new ola” ballads. However, whenever the opportunity arose, they could perform all those songs, as was the case when they were hired to strictly play “new ola” repertoire at a police club in Barrios Altos.

From then on, their record production gradually decreased. DIFA entered the cassette market. New musicians passed through the ensemble. In the 1990s, with the appearance of mass-produced CDRs, which were exploited by piracy, the business of many record labels declined. This was the case with DIFA, which ceased to release records. Their two vinyl pressing machines were sold as scrap metal. With the closure of the label, progressively, it was also the end of Los Sanders de Ñaña, although its members continued to perform in many groups, some of which are still active today.

Los Sanders de Ñaña are the cornerstone of an entire musical style, and their growth goes hand in hand with the development of a commercial area like La Carretera Central, a geographic space that has seen the emergence of groups such as Costa Azul, Los Jharis de Ñaña, Cielo Gris, Los Blue Kings de Ñaña, Conjunto Luz Roja, Pascualillo Coronado, and many more.

In the story of Los Sanders, many sources can be found to understand the emergence of “chicha,” a style associated with the life of migrants in the city that saw its heyday in the 1980s, but also to understand the connections between youth music, “new ola,” and rock with tropical rhythms. Los Sanders serve as a bridge between periods and styles, and their ability to adapt to musical genres and reinvent them has given them a unique style. Los Sanders de Ñaña reflect a Lima that was transforming, giving way to a new face and a new urban soundtrack.

Luis Alvarado