The sounds of Africa have taken multi-instrumentalist Chico Mann—aka Marcos García—all over
the world. So itʼs fitting that after spending years learning to speak Afrobeat, albeit with a Cuban
accent, Chico Mann has employed several dialects to make a larger musical statement, creating a
hybrid of Afro-Cuban rhythms, Afrobeat and classic freestyle that has emerged to be one of the new,
vibrant musical styles of today.
Born in New York City to Cuban parents—his mother a pianist and disc jockey, his father a record
label head and producer of merengue records—a young Chico started early, diving headlong into the
spheres of guitar, piano, and break dancing; the works of Willie Colón, Fela Kuti, Lisa Lisa, and
Afrika Bambaataa led the way. His father told him to steer clear of the business, but did he really
have a choice?
Fast forward to the early 2000s. When he wasnʼt burning up stages worldwide with the mighty
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Chico was home cooking up a more personal sound, featuring himself
on all the instruments (guitar, bass, keyboards, programming) and vocals (in Spanish!). A debut
album Manifest Tone, Vol. 1 emerged in 2007 and now 2010, he is ready to drop another
groundbreaking statement – Analog Drift, his first for Wax Poetics Records. Here Chico
Mann introduces the rhythms of Afrobeat to the music of Cuba, the Latin freestyle flavors of 1980s
New York and Miami, and the synth-heavy electro beats of dance floors across the globe.
This is music for your mind and behind. And itʼs always real. The total package. Chico says it best
himself: “If you want it you can have it / If you want it, you can take it, you can grab it.”
