Mano Negra
Mano Negra first came onto the scene in Paris, France during the mid-80's. Ten years, and five albums later, they have made it out to each of the four corners of the earth. Fortune met? No, better than that: mission accomplished. This group, made up of immigrant sons, daughters, and grandchildren, gave themselves a clear mission: to get an entire generation dancing to song offerings so fiery that neither cultural barriers nor borders of any kind could come between, and of course, who could resist?
Their weapons? First of all, a universal Rock 'n Roll, that speaks with the language of the body, from Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry to the rebellious spirit of the Clash. Then there's the explosive mixture of Funk, Salsa, Rap, Flamenco, raw Ska, and smooth Raï to which these eight agitators inevitably add the perfect and last touch of live conviviality at every concert. There's no denying that it is on stage, before thousands of excitable fans that Mano Negra has built its fevered popularity in Europe as well as in Latin America.
With all this word-to-mouth power and street credibility, it's no wonder that this legend has endured. Album after album, Mano Negra has consistently gathered an enthusiastic following in countries as diverse as England to Mexico, and Germany to Portugal, finally going on to unleash the passions to be found on both sides of the Andes. It is important to add that one of this group's major assets is that Manu Chao, lyricist for most of the songs, is equally at ease singing in Spanish as he is in English, or French, and does pretty well in Arabic too.
Media and press everywhere have echoed that same refrain that Mano Negra is indeed "one unique musical phenomenon that combines the energy of a huge rock group with the extreme sensitivity and camaraderie of a group of artists-adventurers." "Frenzy", "a taste for adventure", "generous musicality" are the key words that describe the secret of the success that Mano Negra has enjoyed with album sales of over 2 million worldwide.
And best of all… it continues. Less than five years after the group's regretful parting of ways, the flame was nevertheless passed on with "Clandestino", the first solo album by Manu Choa, released in 1998 that has surpassed the 500,000 sales mark and with the newly-released "P-18" by fellow member, Tom. The joy is enhanced with the "Best Of Mano Negra ", refreshing the memories and/or winning the hearts of already 400,000 new and old fans in the space of only a few months… proof the fiesta has never stopped, with more and more joining in everyday.
