Chambao, the platinum selling band from Malaga defined the technological frontier of Spain’s reinvention of Flamenco. Somewhere between the organic passion of gritty flamenco of the barrios of Andalucia and the electronic sound of Ibiza, Chambao became stadium fillers in their own country.
Chambao, formed by María del Mar Rodriguez Carnero (La Mari), Eduardo Casañ (El Edi) and Daniel Casañ (Dani). exploded on the scene in 2002 with their self-titled debut and inclusion in the monster selling Flamenco Chill series guaranteed them a huge following. They were soon branded ‘Flamenco Chillout’, a way of defining a music that mixes the outdoor element of Flamenco with the indoor element of chillout. Time has proved Chambao to be one of the only groups capable of creating artistically viable songs from two such disparate elements.
Taking their name from a ‘chambao’ (a type of thatched beach hut to protect people from the sun and wind used during the San Juan celebrations) in the Malaga district of El Pedregalejo, their sound captured the spirit of Spain’s partying lifestyle and became the soundtrack to thousands of beach parties.
Chambao’s UK debut in the fall of 2006 saw them sell out shows in Bristol, Brighton and London with no national publicity or UK album release, something not seen since the debut of the Gotan Project.
Singer La Mari’s duet with Ricky Martin was phenomenally successful in Latin America and she was the subject of several MTV features.
Chambao celebrated its 10th anniversary with 10 Años Around The World, a double album that included updated and brand new versions of their essential songs.
The group disbanded in 2017.
Discography:
Flamenco Chill Sony Music , 2002)
Endorfinas en la Mente (Sony Music Spain, 2003)
Pokito a Poko (Sony Music Spain, 2005)
Con Otro Aire (Sony Music Spain, 2007)
En el Fin del Mundo (Sony Music Spain, 2009)
Chambao (Sony Music Spain, 2012)
10 Años Around The World (Sony Music Spain, 2013)
Nuevo Ciclo (Sony Music Spain, 2016)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.