Rollets Rollets

Label / Buh Records
Category / Disco, South America
Code / BR184

Buh Records proudly presents the long-awaited reissue of a classic Peruvian disco album. Building on the saga that began with the Viva el sábado compilation, Buh Records now introduces the debut album of Rollets, originally released in 1981. Rollets was one of the fundamental groups for the development of disco in Peru. Their career was brief, only two years, with one album and a couple of performances. Although they are remembered for their mega-hit "Patinando," they were more than a one-hit wonder. The nine tracks included in their self-titled album Rollets (1981) surprise with the maturity with which they embrace the sounds of disco and boogie. They emerged in Lima in 1980, at a decisive moment of democratic transition and renewal of the local music scene. The impact of the film Saturday Night Fever (1978) was felt not only in a massive audience flocking to cinemas but also in the record sales that the soundtrack achieved nationwide. Rock, which had gained popularity in the 60s and early 70s, entered a phase of reformulation, and many of its figures started to migrate to other genres like jazz, folklore, tropical, and of course, soul disco, in search of new audiences. This was the case for Manuel and Saúl Cornejo, who began working as producers at Iempsa. They had composed and recorded “Patinando” as the theme music for a new TV show on Channel 5 called Speed Boogie (1980), without anticipating the success the song would have. The Cornejo brothers recorded all the instruments, including the synthesizers. The vocals were provided by Malena Calisto. Her delicate vocal timbre was an important element for the song's success. "Patinando" gave them the confidence to propose recording an album to Iempsa. They again called on Malena Calisto, and also her sister Nancy, Giovana Reynaga Da Silva, and Rosemary Paz Wells for the backing vocals. Combining some never-recorded songs by New Juggler Sound (rock band they formed in the 60s) and new compositions, they put together the repertoire for an album. Rollets' songs were nourished by the thematic and musical universe of the aforementioned films, especially Roller Boogie, and offered a period portrait marked by sentimental education and dance as a catalyst for youthful emancipation, with Malena Calisto's voice transitioning from innocence to hedonism. We can distinguish explorations of disco music with a notable pop accent (“Es mejor reír,” “Patinando,” “Baila junto a mí,” “Recordando”), but also perfect boogie compositions with soft rock airs (“Lágrimas,” “Sé que mientes,” “La primera vez”), and another block with a disco rock imprint (“Sandy,” “Ser libre”), always accompanied by keyboards and synthesizers, which gave it a modern sound, very typical of the change of decade. Rollets marked the beginning of a path for Peruvian disco that many groups later followed, such as Grupo América, Grupo San Francisco, Los Roller’s de Tarapoto, Grupo Swing, Grupo Galaxia, among others, significantly, many of them linked to tropical music. Rollets wrote a main chapter to understand the change of decade and the phenomenon of a new dance culture that spread throughout the country.

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Rollets Rollets

Same Label :: Buh Records

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