MACACO

Macaco is a Barcelona-based band founded in 1997 by singer and songwriter Dani Carbonell, also known as "El Mono Loco." Carbonell was a founding member of the new flamenco group Ojos de Brujo before leaving after their debut album *Vengue* (2001) to focus on Macaco as his main project. The band brings together musicians from Brazil, Cameroon, Venezuela, and Spain, blending Rumba Catalana, reggae, hip-hop, and world music into a distinctive fusion sound. The debut album *El Mono en el Ojo del Tigre* (1998, Edel Records) already mixed rap, rumba, and reggae; later releases such as *Ingravitto* (2006, EMI) and *Puerto Presente* (2009, EMI) cemented the band's international reputation. *Puerto Presente* reached number one in the Spanish charts, went Platinum, and earned Macaco the Ondas Award, the Premio de la Música, and a Rolling Stone Spain Award. The eighth studio album *Civilizado Como Los Animales* (2019) is the band's most international project to date, featuring guests including Joan Manuel Serrat, Jorge Drexler, Estopa, and Alejandro Sanz. Rhythmically, Carbonell's sound is rooted in Barcelona's Gràcia neighbourhood – the birthplace of Rumba Catalana – woven together with the global influences of the band's internationally diverse lineup.