Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Greek and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his musical career in Paris, busking and playing with groups such as Hot Pants and Los Carayos, which combined a variety of languages and musical styles. With friends and his brother Antoine Chao, he founded the band Mano Negra in 1987, achieving considerable success, particularly in Europe. He became a solo artist after its breakup in 1995, and since then tours regularly with his live band, Radio Bemba.
Mano Negra was a French music group active from 1987 to 1995 and fronted by Manu Chao. The group was founded in Paris by Chao, his brother (Antoine) and cousin (Santiago), all born of Spanish parents with partly Cuban roots. Their songs were mostly in Spanish, English and French, often switching from one language to the other in the same song or in the middle of a sentence or title. They also had a hit song in Arabic. They are considered pioneers of world fusion.
Los Carayos was a French band which released four albums between 1986 and 1994. They were active mostly in Paris in the mid-1980s, but side interests of the musicians, notably of Manu Chao, did not allow the band to take off.
"Mr. Bobby" is the last single from Manu Chao's second album, Próxima Estación: Esperanza. Originally, the song was released in a stripped-down form without any wind instruments on the "Bongo Bong" single in 1998. The song, which is a tribute to reggae legend Bob Marley, had success in European countries such as Spain, Italy and Switzerland. During live performances, Manu Chao's band performs the "Politik Kills" version as it is more reggae-influenced than the album version.
Amerika Perdida is a compilation album by Mano Negra, released on 28 October 1991.
Manu Katché is a French drummer and songwriter.
Próxima Estación: Esperanza is an album by Manu Chao. The album was released in Europe in 2001. It was released in the United States on 5 June 2001 on Virgin Records.
Clandestino is the first full-length solo album by Manu Chao, released in 1998. The album contains many soundbites throughout, two of which are bits of a speech by Subcomandante Marcos and, like Chao's subsequent albums, was mostly recorded by the musician himself in various locations around the world, using a small laptop—which is referred to in the liner notes as Estudio Clandestino. The French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named this album the 67th greatest French rock album. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Radio Bemba Sound System is a live album by Manu Chao that was released in 2002. It is the accompanying CD to the performer's live DVD Babylonia en Guagua, filmed over two nights in 2001 during the tour for Proxima Estacion: Esperanza. Many of the songs found on Radio Bemba Sound System, such as "Machine Gun", "Peligro","Mala Vida","King Kong Five" and "The Monkey", are songs originally recorded by Manu Chao's previous band, Mano Negra. However the arrangements performed with Radio Bemba Sound System are more reggae-, ska-, and rock-oriented. The album is sequenced and edited in such a way that there is very little audience noise and cheering between the tracks, thus giving the impression of an all-night happy party - which calms down in the penultimate track only to explode again in the last one ("Promiscuity"); the cheering at the end of "Promiscuity" is cut short by a very early fade.
Todos Tus Muertos is a rasta-punk band from Argentina formed in Buenos Aires, in 1985. The longtime line-up comprised by a young vocalist Fidel Nadal, Horacio "Gamexane" Villafañe on guitar, Felix Gutiérrez on bass, and drummer Pablo Potenzoni. Achieved international success throughout the 1990s. The band was part from the second Argentine punk movement that emerged during the mid-1980s. By 2015, was announced a reunion show with Fidel Nadal, Felix Gutiérrez and Pablo Molina at the Jamming Festival in Bogotá, Colombia on 5 June 2016, and more recently three more show in Chile and Mexico.
Les Wampas are a French punk rock/psychobilly band, who refer more exactly to their music as "Yé-yé-punk". The band was formed in Paris in 1983.
Balkan Beat Box (BBB) is an Israeli musical group founded by Tamir Muskat, Ori Kaplan and now including Tomer Yosef as a core member. The group plays Mediterranean-influenced music that incorporates Jewish, Southeastern Europe and Middle Eastern traditions, Gypsy punk, reggae and electronica. As a musical unit they often collaborate with a host of other musicians both in the studio as well as live.
Angeles Del Infierno is a heavy metal band from Basque Country, Spain, formed in 1980. Signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1984, they achieved success in their home country and Latin America during the 1980s and the early 1990s. In 2003, the band reformed and signed back onto Warner Bros. Records, releasing Todos Somos Angeles later that year.
O Samba Poconé is the third studio album by Skank, released in 1996. It includes the hits "Garota Nacional" plus "Tão Seu", "Poconé" and "É Uma Partida de Futebol." O Samba Poconé sold 1.8 million copies, with 800,000 in two months.
La Radiolina is the fourth studio album by Manu Chao. It was released on 4 September 2007. Italy saw an advance release of the album on 30 August.
Tijuana No! is a Mexican ska, rock and punk band, from Tijuana, Baja California, México. The band is considered a punk rock,ska band in Mexico and influenced by The Clash, Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols and Black Flag. In the beginning their name was Radio Chantaje(Blackmail Radio), and later they became No, but upon the knowledge of another band called the same, they changed their name to No de Tijuana(Not From Tijuana), to later just shorten it to Tijuana No!. They were characterized by the social criticism in their lyrics, where they also showed their support to the EZLN, and made reference in their songs to racial, cultural, international, and governmental problems, like the immigration policies in the United States. In 1991 they recorded their first album under an independent label, and one year later (1992) they released the same album under Culebra Records (BMG), who gave them international recognition promoting the single Pobre de Ti(Poor You).
Emmaüs Mouvement: 1949–1999 Emmaüs a 50 ans is a compilation album for the 50th anniversary of the Emmaüs Mouvement, founded by Abbé Pierre in 1949.
Tonino Carotone is a Spanish singer-songwriter. His stage name "Tonino Carotone", which is translatable in English as Tony Pokerface, is inspired by his great idol, the Italian pop pianist and singer Renato Carosone. The majority of his childhood and adolescence were spent in Pamplona, Spain. In 1995, Tonino moved to Italy, where he gained success five years later after releasing the single Me cago en el amor from his debut album Mondo difficile. In 2003, Tonino released another album, Senza Ritorno.
SMOD is a Malian musical band established in 2000 made up originally of Sam, Mouzy, Ousco and Donsky. The name of the band is an acronym of their first names. Mouzy eventually left the band to pursue a solo career in France. Their music is a mix of rap, hip hop, folk and traditional music. Smod is also a common pet name given to a loved one
Los Mustang is a Spanish rock band from Barcelona formed in the 1960s originally made up of Santiago "Santi" Carulla (vocals), Marco Rossi, Antonio "Toni" Mercadé, Miguel Navarro and Antonio "Tony" Mier (drums). They are best known for their Spanish language covers of songs from the 1960s and the 1970s.
