Name: Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System
Genre: World
Day: Sunday

Wikipedia sez: “Manu Chao (born June 21, 1961 in Paris) is a French Latin singer of Galician-Basque Spanish origin. Chao and other bandmates from Mano Negra formed a new group, Radio Bemba Sound System, featuring artists from widely varying groups such as Tijuana No! (from Mexico), Skank (from Brazil), and Todos Tus Muertos (from Argentina). The goal was to replicate the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures; to that end, Chao and the group spent several years travelling throughout South and Central America, recording new music as they went. The resulting music differed drastically from Mano Negra; the songs were primarily sung in Spanish with far fewer French tracks, and the musical style had shifted from punk and alternative styles to the street vibe Chao was aiming for.”

I’ve been seeing a whole lot of talk about Manu Chao on the various Coachella related blogs and message boards, so I was a bit worried that Radio Bemba would disappoint. At first I thought they were just okay, but the more I listened to the more I liked. Songs like Por El Suelo will begin in one direction with a bit of Spanish reggae, stay in that direction for a little while then smack you in the face with a ska-like chorus, totally unexpected only to slow back down again. Other tracks like Hamburger Hills give off a punk rock feel that you just want to chant along with. Mano Chao Radio Bemba Sound System make songs that grow on you, they have for me in the little bit of time I’ve listened to them and if they are playing on Sunday night I might make a point of seeing them.

Likelyhood of Seeing at Coachella: Should be good.

Read on to view Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System live videos…

Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System - Por El Suelo? (Live in Brooklyn)

Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System - Last Chance Train (Live at the Fuji Rock Festival)