El Condor F***ing Pasa

I'm continuing my ethnological research in order to answer our reader's questions. Today the focus has come to music!

Before coming to Peru I had one association to Peruvian music - El Condor Pasa on pan flute. After more than 2 weeks in Peru not much has changed... Of the music I've heard here about 75% is pan flute and of this half is El Condor Pasa, a fourth "Andean music" (the kind of music you will hear if you're getting a massage in spa's) and the rest is old Elton John, Phil Collins and Celine Dion hits in pan flute versions.

At every possible chance the Peruvians will throw in a pan flute performance - in restaurants, in the local bath, on the bus, in every freaking street corner... And they will try to sell you their CDs and get some tip, not caring a bit that they were standing 50 cm from your ear while you were trying to talk to your husband. And their friend who never learned to play will be dressed up as an Indian, dancing and making bird sounds in some strange clay instrument.

When they are not thinking about the tourists Peruvians seems to have a weakness for the eighties, I really have had the opportunity to listen to Samantha Fox, Roxette and Fine (Five?) Young Cannibals on this trip. And Rick Astley. I had completely forgotten about him, how could I...

There is of course some modern, local music. R'n'B (how do you write that??) with a lot of latino influences, Ricky Martin-style singers and Beyonce in spanish, but really, who cares the least bit about that??