Manecas Costa

Manecas Costa was born in 1967 in Cacheu a Colonial town in northern Guinea, an ethnic group Manjaco family, but that was later adopted by the Creole language and the local culture. The musical environment in his childhood consists of local rhythms like gumbe and kasunde , as well as dance music from Guinea Conakry , Congo , Senegal and Mali.

Grew up in the great tradition Guinea listening to traditional music as the choirs of Manjaco and Fula , Mandinka , Balanta and Pepel , age 8 learned the first musical notes with the pioneer of modern music of Guinea-Bissau Jose Carlos Schwartz . The sensuality of Gumb , a pace of Creole dance inspired Manecas Costa forming his first group " Free Africa " with his brother Nelson Costa .

 His fame has spread so that by Guinea in their youth (19 years) UNICEF appointed him as Ambassador of Good Will for the recognition of their lyrics entirely dedicated to the social problems of their country. With that travelled throughout Africa and Europe.

In 1990 Manecas Costa moved to Lisbon due to conflicts in Guinea-Bissau , which gradually builds his career as a great guitarist, producer and arranger , working with legends like Lusophone Waldemar Bastos , Paulino Vieira , Paulo Flores , Tito Paris, Mariza , Rui Veloso , Luis Dams the late Bana , and with other international artists such as Susheela Rahman , Mory Kant , Narf , Carlos Orozco, Tama, Chico Csar, Uxia ....

In 1990 was also the year that records his first album "Mundi di Fema" with the support of UNICEF, and the production of Joo de Barros.

Produced their second album "Fundi di Mato" in the Studio Edit, edited by Balafom , with the support of Jos Augusto Tavares , in which two themes " Ermons di Terra " and " Background di Matu " were included in the compilation Palop Africa ( Sterns Music 2001) .

April 2003 was a special year in which the BBC recorded his 3rd album " Paraso di Gumbe ", part of it was recorded in a mobile studio installed in a disco in Guinea-Bissau and elsewhere in Livingstone Studios , London , with Late Junction Label, journalist and producer Lucy Duran, with the co - production of Jerry Boys, famous for his work with the Buena Vista Social Club .

Charlie Gillett on BBC Radio London said:" ... Manecas Costa is one of the best voices to emerge from Africa, singer songwriter and guitarist has in his music roots and traditions of their homeland, but also contemporary with its acoustic and electric styles , reflecting the soundscape of Portugal where he resides today. His melodic approach to guitar makes him one of the "rich" musicians from Africa, with a powerful texture of diverse rhythms of Guinea-Bissau ... "

Even with this album " Paradise di Gumbe " was featured on "The Current" Top selling in 1st position and the renowned journal of world music " Songlines top of the world "where the album was ranked 1 among several international artists. In August of the same year, in 2003, participated in a concert organized by the BBC Proms having as godmother of the event itself Queen Elizabeth II, one of the largest rooms of the London Royal Festival Hall .