Mano Negra is a French group formed in Paris in 1987 and originally composed of Manu Chao, Santiago Casariego, Antoine Chao, Alain Wampas, Thomas Darnal, Daniel Jamet, Philippe Teboul, Jo Dahan and Pierre Gauthé.
Group whose name is more or less a reference to the Spanish expression "Black Hand" which means more or less illegal work.
A first album "Patchanka" was released in 1988, an album which will allow the group to make a sensational entry on the front of the French music scene with the enormous single "Mala vida", single which will literally set on fire all the Dancefloor of France that year.
Despite this incredible success, the hardest part for the group remains to structure himself because most of the members continue to pursue a parallel career with their groups before. Mandatory restructuring which took place shortly after and which allowed the group to finally take its final form and move from the Boucherie Productions label to a much more prestigious label than Virgin Records. The icing on the cake is the welcome arrival of Bernard Batzen as manager.
A restructuring which bore fruit the following year with the release of the album "Puta's fever" in 1989. Album of the consecration which will be even stronger than its predecessor by reaching 400,000 copies sold thanks to two flagship singles what are "King kong five" and "Pas assez de toi".
The transition to the 90s was going to be more complicated to manage than expected and the album "King of Bongo" which came out in 1991 was not really going to be as successful as "Puta’s fever". A counter-performance that will shake the group somewhat ...
With the key to an inevitable beginning of decline that they will be unable to stop thereafter with the inevitable consequence of the outright disappearance of the group in the middle of the decade, despite the release in 1994 of the album "Casa Babylon" .
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others ...) :
Takin’ up 1987
Mala vida 1988
King Kong five 1989
Pas assez de toi 1990
Patchanka 1990
Sidi ‘h’ bibi 1991
King of bongo 1991
Out of time man 1991
Don’t want you no more 1992
Mad man’s dead 1993
Santa Maradona 1994
El Senor Matanza 1994
Hamburger fields 1994
Clips :
1987 ... a first title at the antipodes of all that they will offer thereafter. Who could imagine at this stage the ultimate sequel that is on the horizon ...
1988 ... and the awesome sequel, here it is ! They deliver here a totally supercharged title which projects them in a shattering way on the front of the stage. In a single title, the group will have become one of the biggest phenomena of the moment !
1989 ... the group confirms all the good we could think of him and continues his ascent to the heights. All good little guys !
1990 ... they specialize in tracks that are quite wacky but it is clear that they are far from unworthy in the Rocko-Intimist register. Versatility, the hallmark of the Greats !
1990 ... a unique style, completely atypical for the time but which works perfectly. Like what, when the talent is there, everything is fine !
1991 ... the group maintains himself with obvious ease in the leading pack. And it is set to last a few more years thanks to an inspiration that is really very particular to them ...
1991 ... the great adventure continues thanks to titles with obvious originality. Surely one of the most crazy groups but also among the most creative of the moment !
1991 ... we really go from one extreme to another. This is also the strength of this extraordinary group, knowing how to mix all styles and all possible and imaginable influences !
1992 ... after 4 years spent at the peak of success, the group will begin to slow down somewhat. Their style begins to tire and inspiration is not as powerful as before. Attention danger...
1993 ... a production of titles in free fall and a quality which crumbles slowly but surely. The group is only a shadow of himself ...
1994 ... they will save the furniture with this title but it will indeed be the last major success of the group. When it doesn't want anymore, it doesn't want anymore ...
1994 ... the rest is more figurative than anything else. The adventure continues, of course, but the group has completely disappeared from the radar and is slowly but surely approaching an end that is at the very least inevitable ...
1994 ... the year 1994 may well be provided in titles, unfortunately that will not change the situation. Even if this title holds up, it is already far too late to reverse the trend. Mass is said as they say ...
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