The Malena production sound comes from the Southpaw Production team of Dan Broad and Chip Wickham. Working out of the infamous Moolah Rouge Studios in Manchester, their production credits include Badly Drawn Boy, Happy Mondays, Doves and I Am Kloot. Both are also experienced session players, having worked with likes of Nightmares on Wax, Aim, Embrace, The Audiowhores, Jimpster and the soundtrack to the Guy Ritchie movie 'Snatch'.
Singer/songwriter Susana Montero is most recently known for her work with top UK Latin band RSL (best known for their huge ?Wesley Music? smash), writing and touring with the band for two years. However, she is also one of the UK's top Latin vocalists, with credits that include Tito Puente, Tania Maria, Isaac Delgado, Pichi Valdes (Orchesta Reve), Jesus Alemany (Cubanismo!) and Roberto Pla. An extremely versatile musician, Susana writes in Spanish, English and Portuguese, making her in high demand!
The Malena sound has deep latin grooves, firing percussion and rich vocal harmonies. Their first release 'Para Ti' quickly established them as a top Latin act, reaching number 1 in the HMV dance chart. Their music is a hardhitting mix of Latin breaks, deep vocal harmonies, barrio soul and Brazil-Electro.
?Fried Samba? represents a long road of releases for Malena. Born at the height of Latin House in 2001, Malena has grown from the world of funky Latin house into the darker waters of breaks and beats, still retaining a few hard edges with the production, but with more depth, twists and turns. It?s a bit of Salsoul mixed with a Brazilian Cool and a dark slice of Serge Gainsbourg. Although at home in the studio, Malena also has a kick-ass 8-piece band, which has been turning heads and moving feet across the UK!