Carlos de Nicaragua is a man with a long, long musical history. From his Central American birthplace to the banlieues of Paris via the Caribbean, Cuba, Africa and all the influences along the way, he has developed a truly unique sound over the last quarter of a century.
Now Carlos de Nicaragua y Familia are ready to explode into Europe once again.
They are releasing a new album, Militante, embarking on a ten date tour of Germany and the Czech Republic, and launching a brand new website to boot.
Carlos de Nicaragua, born Carlos Wiltshire on the Atlantic coast of the country that gave him his name, has been a huge player on the Parisian sound system scene ever since he came to Europe in the early 1980's.
Spinning a unique mix of salsa and reggae in the suburbs of the French capital, Carlos and his crew released a mini-album, entitled Mayombe and sung in Spanish, way back in 1984.
He moved on to work with the great Manu Chao - co-writing the song ‘El Alakran' - and he toured with the Radio Bemba Sound System, helping take the sound of reggae-latin all over the continent and making it the popular hybrid it is today.
Having learned from and worked with the best in the business, and influenced by legends like Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana, he created his own big band, to be christened his ‘familia', with whom he has now played for ten years.
Together, Carlos and the Familia have released an album, named after Carlos' favourite battle cry: ‘Escuche Familia'. They have had songs featured in prestigious compilations of European reggae and played some of the biggest and best festivals and clubs all over the continent.
Now Carlos has finally stayed still long enough to produce a full length album, Militante, that fuses reggae, latin and even rock & roll. But whatever style it is, this is a record that will make you groove.
Militante will surely have heads nodding to Carlos' infectious vibe all over Europe and the world. The title track itself, referencing his heroes of the musical world and beyond, is a call to arms for everyone who believes music can set you free.
‘Militante' is a feeling. It is what Carlos himself is, and it transmits itself to his audience. It expresses the pain and problems in the world, but in the most joyous form possible.
And the future for Carlos? To carry on doing what he does best: Take the music and its message all over the world.