Macaco
Sun-drenched Mediterranean fusion that blends rumba rhythms with reggae bounce and hip-hop energy. Uplifting, global, and impossible to sit still to.
Sun-drenched Mediterranean fusion that blends rumba rhythms with reggae bounce and hip-hop energy. Uplifting, global, and impossible to sit still to.
Macaco sounds like a vibrant street festival in Barcelona where every culture is invited to the stage. The music is built on a foundation of 'mestizo' - a melting pot of Spanish rumba, Jamaican reggae, and modern Latin pop. It is bright, rhythmic, and deeply organic, characterized by nylon-string guitar flourishes and a heavy emphasis on hand percussion that makes the tracks feel alive and breathing.
What sets this sound apart is Dani Carbonell's distinctively raspy, rhythmic vocal delivery. He moves effortlessly between melodic singing and a percussive, rap-adjacent flow, often switching between Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese within a single track. The production is polished but retains a 'live band' warmth, favoring acoustic textures even when incorporating electronic beats or modern pop structures.
Start with the album 'Puerto Presente' to hear their most iconic, radio-ready anthems like 'Moving.' If you want something with a bit more of an underground, experimental edge, dive into 'El Mono en el Ojo del Tigre' to hear the raw roots of their multicultural fusion project.
Macaco (Vianey) is a musical band from Barcelona, Spain formed in 1997 by Dani Carbonell, who was also one of the original lead singers of the new flamenco group Ojos de Brujo. Carbonell left Ojos de Brujo after the debut album, Vengue in 2001, but has continued to make guest appearances on the group's later albums. Prior to his singing career, Carbonell had dubbed over Sean Astin's character Mikey Walsh in the 1985 film The Goonies. The members, from different countries such as Brazil, Cameroon, Sweden, Venezuela and Spain, give to its music a mixed colour, with electro accents of Latin music and rumba. Carbonell sings in Spanish and Catalan, but also in Portuguese, French, English and Italian. Many of their songs are played in the EA Sports video games FIFA : "Moving" (from his fifth album, Puerto Presente, released in 2009) appeared in FIFA 09, "Hacen Falta Dos" (released in an EP version of Puerto Presente) appeared in FIFA 10 and "Una Sola Voz" (from his latest album, 2012's El Murmullo del Fuego) appeared in FIFA 12.
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