Electronic circuit building in Peru: A subaltern case on participation and technology

In this paper we take a brief look at the history of circuit building for musical performance in Peru and examine its current status, focusing particularly on the attempts made during the last decade to generate a local popular electronic musical scene derived from the use of home made sound generating electronic devices. Acknowledging the historical shortages common to many subaltern societies and their role in the development of Peruvian sound arts, I examine here a social history from below1 that serves as social commentary for the Peruvian electronic musical scene and the development of particular musical identities. To this aim, I argue for the necessity to apply alternative educational strategies tailored to meet the needs of a new generation of Peruvian musicians; strategies that can make this shortages not a deficiency but an opportunity. I present at the end of this paper a case report: a workshop I developed in 2012 at the Escuela de Musica of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, PUCP), in Lima.2 This workshop was dedicated to the fabrication of basic electronic circuits for sound generation. The intention was twofold: (1) to provide the student with basic technical knowledge for the development of musical instruments non dependant on their economical possibilities; and (2) to open the students conceptually to forms of composition and performance not currently discussed or present in their educational or social environments.