MANU CHAO

DOSSIER March 2001
by elMago

Manu Chao was born in Paris in 1961 to a Galician father and a Basque mother. As he himself says, if in his home there had been a football, now he would be playing soccer, but there was a guitar, instead...as well as many refugees : intellectuals, singers, composers, painters...all fleeing south American dictatorships. Those were frequent visitors to his father, Ramón.

Joint de Culasse, Hot Pants, Los Carayos, are the first bands formed by Manu, with which he began to mark his present in the Parisian scene. The real music earthquake, however, was undoubtedly the Mano Negra, whose contribution to multicultural and fiesta music has left indelible marks and influenced a huge numbers of bands that came later.

After the break-up of Mano Negra during their Colombian adventure, Manu created Radio Bemba: more of a group of friends than a collectivity of musicians. They settled into a building (occupying one floor) of the Gran Via in Madrid. The "community" initiative did not work out all that well, so Manu decided to leave Europe and begin a long pilgrimage through Africa and Latin America, taking along a recording studio that would fit in his rucksack.
Such trips (his interviews with Eduardo Galeano in the Brazilian NortheasT impressed him so much that he considered publishing a book with Zona de Obras) allowed him to collect fragments of sounds, cultures and diverse impressions which he brought together in his first solo work: Clandestino.
Recorded with the collaboration of many friends, this intimate record was conceived as a compilation of life snapshots not meant for a larger public.
Its more than two million copies sold without any sort of promotion were to prove the contrary. Melancholy rhythms, love poetry and melodies that lure the hearer into dance follow each other without pause in this unique album, which rose unexpectedly to a place of utmost importance in the musical panorama.

But this was not enough for Manu.
Now based in Barcelona, he brought together new (Caravanne des Quartier) and old (Mano Negra) friends and soon Radio Bemba began to rehearse, going out into the streets again. It was probably during the "Feira das Mentiras" a huge fiesta organized in his paternal Galicia during the France World Cup that he recovered the desire to come back to the scene "with all his heart".
With two tours through Lost America and a larger number of unofficial than of official concerts, Manu turned a quiet-sounding album into a gigantic fiesta , mixing Mano Negra songs loved by the public with reminiscences from Los Carayos, adaptations of merengue classics and many new tunes with a constant message of optimism and hope delivered with incredible energy on stage.

Records [up]
  Clandestino
   1998 Virgin - Album
 

Main contributions [up]
  Negu Gorriak: Gora Herria
   1991 - EP
 

News [up]
  18.12.2009: Calendario RadioChango 2010 & RadioChango Añejo Reserva 7 Años (Castellano)
  30.10.2009: Radio Alter On The Road Communications (Italiano)
  07.08.2009: Jornada 'Barcelona Postiza' a FNAC LOUNGE (Català)
  07.08.2009: Jornada 'Barcelona Postiza' en FNAC LOUNGE (Castellano)
  29.07.2009: Manu Chao pide "la voluntad" por su último álbum 'La Colifata' (Castellano)
  08.06.2009: Manu Chao actuarà al Cruïlla de Cultures el 4 de juliol (Català)
  29.04.2009: CHECKPOINT ROCK - Canciones desde Palestina (Castellano)
  31.03.2009: Radio Alter on the Road Communications, el libro de Paula Pitzalis (Castellano)
  23.09.2008: Manu Chao en el Foro Alicia: Estación México (Castellano)
  03.09.2008: Recopilatorio RadioChango Añejo Reserva 7 Años (Castellano)
  03.09.2008: Recopilatori RadioChango Añejo Reserva 7 Años (Català)
  15.07.2008: In viaggio con don Gallo, Libro + DVD (Italiano)
  21.06.2008: Disco Homenaje a Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (Castellano)
  27.05.2008: Presentazione "RADIO ALTER ON THE ROAD COMMUNICATIONS" (Italiano)
  22.05.2008: Kusturica me dio el respeto que toda persona necesita (Castellano)
  15.05.2008: Manu Chao ofrece en Sant Cosme un concierto para el barrio organizado con la entidad GATS-RadioChango (Castellano)
  08.05.2008: MANU CHAO presenta POLITK KILLS REMIXES EP (Castellano)
  03.08.2007: RadioChango à ESPERANZAH! (Français)
  03.08.2007: RadioChango en ESPERANZAH! (Castellano)
  10.07.2007: ESPERANZAH! 2007: Soirée « spéciale » Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System - SOLD OUT ! (Français)
  01.06.2007: Exposició fotogràfica en el Ateneu Popular 9Barris (Català)
  01.06.2007: Exposición fotográfica en el Ateneu Popular 9Barris (Castellano)
  15.03.2007: Clandestin, remix du Matanzas... (Français)
  23.02.2007: MÉXICO TAMBIÉN QUIERE BAILAR A LO MESTIZO (Castellano)
  18.06.2006: A PER LOCA MUSICAL (Castellano)
  18.06.2006: Concierto Manu Chao Nou Barris - Entradas agotadas (Castellano)
  04.04.2006: Fotografia musical al BAHIA (Català)
  04.04.2006: Fotografía musical en el BAHÍA (Castellano)
  08.11.2005: Comunicado Manu (Castellano)
  25.08.2005: Retrouvez la Radio Esperanzah 2005 en ligne (Français)
  06.08.2005: Interview Manu Exclu Estacion actual Esperanzahhh (Français)
  28.07.2005: Live For Life - G8 (Français)
  28.07.2005: Live For Life - G8 (Castellano)
  10.06.2005: CRONICAS DE ROCK MESTIZO - Música sin papeles (Castellano)
  11.04.2005: RECOPILATORIO RADIOCHANGO AÑEJO RESERVA (Castellano)
  07.04.2005: José Couso: 2 años de lucha (Castellano)
  17.09.2004: Nuevo libro-CD de Manu Chao y Wozniak (Castellano)
  18.03.2004: Un inédit de Manu dans la compilation de soutien au réseau Ras l’front (Français)
  25.01.2004: Nouveau livre sur Manu Chao (Français)

Forum [up]
  The Forum for Manu Chao

Interviews [up]
  Intervista con MANU CHAO - 07/2006 (Italiano)
  RADIO ALTER ON THE ROAD: MANU CHAO E RADIO BEMBA - 09/2005 (Italiano)
  Los Indios de Barcelona contra el Sherif del Ayuntamiento - 09/2002 (Castellano)
  Les indiens de Barcelone contre le sheriff de la mairie - 09/2002 (Français)
  Gli "Indios de Barcelona" contro lo sherif del comune - 09/2002 (Italiano)
  "I'm at the best moment of my creative life" - 09/2002
  "Sono nel miglior momento della mia vita creativa" - 09/2002 (Italiano)
  "Je suis au meilleur moment de ma vie creative" - 09/2002 (Français)
  "Estoy en el mejor momento de mi vida creativa" - 09/2002 (Castellano)
  Conferenza stampa di Manu Chao a Cagliari - 07/2001 (Italiano)
  AUDIO: Interview avec Manu Chao - 08/2005 (Français)
  AUDIO: Interview - 09/2001 (Français)

Extras [up]
  MANU CHAO Live in ROMA 2006 - 07/2006 (Italiano)
  Con un hasta siempre se despidió Manu Chao de Caracas - 03/2006 (Castellano)
  In viaggio con Manu Chao, intervista a Marco Mathieu - 04/2003 (Italiano)
  Toulouse: Festival Ça Bouge Encore - 09/2001 (Français)

Videos [up]
  05.2008: Manu Chao Politik Kills
  05.2008: Manu Chao & Radio Bemba en Sant Cosme, 13/5/08
  10.2007: Videoclip: Manu Chao - Me Llaman Calle
  07.2007: Videoclip: Manu Chao - "Rainin in Paradize", by Kusturica
  06.2006: Concierto Pro Chiapas: Manu Chao, Amparanoia y Obrint Pas

Photos [up]
  Manu Chao & Radio Bemba - Sant Cosme 13.5.2008
  Festival Espantapitas 31.8.2007
  Esperanzah! 2007
  VIÑAROCK 2007
  Musicarios 2007
  Salut à toi: Firminy 14/9/2006
  Déjà Vu, Barcelona, octubre 2005
  Entrevista Colifata 2002
  La Faktoria d'Arts - Terrassa 2001

Contact & Management [up]
CORIDA
120 boulevard Rochechouard
75018 Paris - France
Tel : (+33) 1 49 25 82 82
Fax : (+33) 1 42 23 67 04

Artists related [up]
  Join the Culasse
  Hot Pants
  Los Carayos
  Mano Negra
  Radio Bemba

Links [up]
  www.manuchao.net
  www.myspace.com/manuchao
  www.vivalacolifata.org
  www.corpoesperanza.com
  www.bestofmanuchao.com
  digilander.iol.it/manuchaoit/
  www.audiokat.com/artistas.asp?aid=00000075
  www.calarumba.com
  www.manuchao.com.mx

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