Macaco

Traveling through Europe in Oct 2005 I dropped into a funky music store in Bern, Switzerland. Asked the gent in dreads at the counter what was the hottest thing he thought was out at the time. He asked, any genre in particular? No, I replied. I'm pretty eclectic - open to about just anything. I've just the thing for you. Left for minute or two and returned with "Entre Raices y Antenas" by Macaco (release May 2005). Never heard of them before. Let me sample the CD. I was simply stunned! The latin rock diversity of inner genres w/in "Entre Raices y Antenas" is amazing. Extremely well produced. A jewel! I don't want to spoil... you're missing a great world album.

biography -
Ex-Magia Animal, Dr. No, and Ojos de Brujo Macaco (Dani Carbonell) joined La Hermandad Chirusa, a band formed by talented musicians from Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, and Spain, to make his first solo record. Playing a mixture of rap, rumba, pop, funk, and reggae, Macaco's El Mono En El Ojo Del Tigre was released by Edel in 1999, featuring a song called "Veraveraboom," which was later remixed by David Byrne. ~ Drago Bonacich, All Music Guide

I got curious about Macaco through El Mono Loco's contributions to Ojos de Brujo (all their albums highly recommended as well by the way) and was blown away by Rumbo Submarino. I am usually not a fan at all of groups described as 'a little reggae, a little funk, a little hip-hop, a little latin" but Macaco incorporates these styles and more in the service of really great tunes, not just as a way to show off their versatility. Incredibly musical throughout and highly recommended. Also well worth tracking down is their new one, "Entre Raices y Antenas" a 2 CD set which, although not quite as successful overall as "Rumbo" still has some of his best stuff yet. "Giratutto" is a masterpiece of pop songwriting.

Honestly, who has heard of Macaco-Dani Carbonell outside Catalonia? I was recently presented with Rumbo Submarino and El Mono En El Ojo Del Tigre. Since then I keep playing these albums and I feel privileged to be one of the happy few to be able to do so. But this fellow is so good and his music so inspired it would be selfish to keep it for myself. I read somewhere on the net that a 3rd album is under way (Entre Raices Y Antenas). It might be already out in Spain (I suspect it is) but over here in Paris, noone seems to have a clue. Find out about this man and his music before mass tourism sweeps through. Brilliant.

I first heard Macaco, Dani Carbonell, when he was part of Ojos de Brujo and he is great.
His style, as he describes it, is "fusion, not confusion" and mixes spanish music with flamenco and catalan rumba along with brazilian and latin beats and rhythms which results in a very diverse mix of songs.
I totally recomend this cd to everyone who likes to have fun. His music is funky and great to dance to.

one of the best half-blond cd in the world!

I originally bought this album because I heard "Sideral" at my work place and liked the beat. I had never heard the song before so I just wrote down the lyrics and found out who sung it. At first I was skeptical on just getting just that one song but the review on this site (As well as the ones I found on the apple store) made me decide to get the whole album. For 8.99 it's a great deal. Awesome songs.

Personal favorites: Sideral, Fast Lane, Somos Luz, Con la Mano Levanta, Bajo el Mismo Sol and Son Son. Although I like the whole disc in general. Listen to the song previews and get it if you enjoy artists like Shakira, Mana, Julieta Venegas, Juanes and the like.

The culture-clasher, Macaco does it up real nice with their fourth album "Ingravitto." I always imagined Macaco like a giant walking the Earth--one foot in Spain, the other in Brazil. With each step leaving an imprint while taking a bit of everything with him as he travels. On Ingravitto, you'll discover lyrics sung, spoken, rapped, and whispered in french, portuguese, english, italian, spanish, and catalan. If you wanted to tie them down to a genre in the record store, good luck--there's reggae, hip hop, rock, funk, flamenco, folk, and who knows what else. One would think it impossible to mix so many elements into one thing and still be able to get a nice song out of it. Macaco does just that, always true to their own sound, defying the constraints of the average packaged cd.

There's plenty of special guests on the album as well. Muchachito Bombo Infierno, Naz from Nação Zumbi, former Planet Hemp vocalist BNegão, Italian rapper Caparezza, Ms. Maiko, and La Mari from Chambao.

"Mama Tierra" has a bassline that'll make it impossible not to bump your head back and forth--"Brasil 3000" has a similar effect but with the heavy drums from Brazil. "Crece La Voz" is frenetic, like speeding through traffic way too fast. "Somos Luz" is a dreamy breather.

"...La claridad me dice ya voy. La sombra me mató mi voz, sin ella estoy muda, se enfria, se enfria, se enfria el calor..."

"Hilo y Aguja" is similarly dreamy, but in a more melancholic tone--like a dying flower that comes back in spring.

Ingravitto isn't an album to play in it's entirety at a house party OR if you're feeling like the walls of your tiny apartment are caving in on you. Instead, Macaco cuts through all the ups and downs of your day-to-day with a stroke of genius and lust for life.

Obviously, if you've gotten this far, you've probably noticed that there are two different versions of Entre Raices y Antenas. The version with the second disc includes, among other tracks, "People" and "Pocion," both of which are among the best on this album.

I originally bought this album because I heard "Sideral" at my work place and liked the beat. I had never heard the song before so I just wrote down the lyrics and found out who sung it. At first I was skeptical on just getting just that one song but the review on this site (As well as the ones I found on the apple store) made me decide to get the whole album. For 8.99 it's a great deal. Awesome songs.

Personal favorites: Sideral, Fast Lane, Somos Luz, Con la Mano Levanta, Bajo el Mismo Sol and Son Son. Although I like the whole disc in general. Listen to the song previews and get it if you enjoy artists like Shakira, Mana, Julieta Venegas, Juanes and the like.

The culture-clasher, Macaco does it up real nice with their fourth album "Ingravitto." I always imagined Macaco like a giant walking the Earth--one foot in Spain, the other in Brazil. With each step leaving an imprint while taking a bit of everything with him as he travels. On Ingravitto, you'll discover lyrics sung, spoken, rapped, and whispered in french, portuguese, english, italian, spanish, and catalan. If you wanted to tie them down to a genre in the record store, good luck--there's reggae, hip hop, rock, funk, flamenco, folk, and who knows what else. One would think it impossible to mix so many elements into one thing and still be able to get a nice song out of it. Macaco does just that, always true to their own sound, defying the constraints of the average packaged cd.

There's plenty of special guests on the album as well. Muchachito Bombo Infierno, Naz from Nação Zumbi, former Planet Hemp vocalist BNegão, Italian rapper Caparezza, Ms. Maiko, and La Mari from Chambao.

"Mama Tierra" has a bassline that'll make it impossible not to bump your head back and forth--"Brasil 3000" has a similar effect but with the heavy drums from Brazil. "Crece La Voz" is frenetic, like speeding through traffic way too fast. "Somos Luz" is a dreamy breather.

"...La claridad me dice ya voy. La sombra me mató mi voz, sin ella estoy muda, se enfria, se enfria, se enfria el calor..."

"Hilo y Aguja" is similarly dreamy, but in a more melancholic tone--like a dying flower that comes back in spring.

Ingravitto isn't an album to play in it's entirety at a house party OR if you're feeling like the walls of your tiny apartment are caving in on you. Instead, Macaco cuts through all the ups and downs of your day-to-day with a stroke of genius and lust for life.