A few weeks ago it was announced that Malagueño singer-songwriter El Kanka had been commissioned to compose and perform the new anthem that his city club, Málaga CF, brings to fans to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the first match held in Málaga, on 3rd April 1904 and the birth, therefore, of Malaguismo.
“I must say it hasn’t been an easy task, since I had the pressure to live up to it and it’s not every day that one faces a challenge like this, but it has been a process of connecting with my roots and my very beautiful home, and I have done it as always, putting my heart on the table.” El Kanka.
'Una cosa inexplicable'
As from today, 'Una cosa inexplicable', is available on all digital platforms, the name with which El Kanka has named this new anthem in which he also invited Malagueña singer, María Peláe:
“I didn't want (nor were they looking for) a standard anthem that was all about clichés, so I tried to make a song, one that was as good as possible. A motivating, poetic, singable, even beautiful song. The 120th anniversary slogan is “It's inexplicable, but it explains everything,” and I think it's extremely accurate. It defines not only the team, but the city, that's why I used it as a catchphrase to describe a team with ups and downs, far from the elite. A charismatic and surreal team. A tremendously attractive antihero. And I wanted to reflect the feeling of belonging to the fans, which is a kind of irreducible resistance,” said El Kanka.
From Málaga and with Malagueños and Malagueñas
For the composition of the song, El Kanka wanted to do it from Málaga, to mix with the city and the fans and feel first-hand what the club's followers feel. And regarding the composition, he explains: “I have based it, rhythmically, on the verdiales rhythm, a popular rhythm from Málaga folklore, which is also very pounding and powerful. It seemed perfect to me to sustain the rage and character that permeate the song.” The producer of 'Una cosa inexplicable' was Carlos Manzanares, El Kanka's trusted producer, but everyone else involved in the creation of the song are from Málaga, “it seemed fair to do it that way,” says the author. “At the Moby Dick studios in Soho, there featured a great verdialero musician (and much more) well known on the Málaga scene, to a string and horn section and even a choir of more than 50 Malaguistas.
When recording the song, El Kanka also wanted to invite María Peláe: “Before writing the first phrase or having the slightest idea of where I was going to start, I already knew that I wanted to sing it with María Peláe. In fact, I proposed it to her beforehand and had her in mind while I was composing. She seemed perfect for this, being a popular artist, Malaguista, football fan and of course, extremely talented. Furthermore, with women's football in such an epic moment, and given the minority presence it has always had, it seemed cool to me to sing the song with her.
The singers of the song are from the Málaga University Choir; the violins, violas, cellos, double bass and horns, from the Malaga Symphony Orchestra; the violins and verdiales percussions, by Carlos Fernández Campos; percussions, bass, choirs, programming, piano, trombones, symphony orchestra composition, production, mix and master, by Carlos Manzanares; and the second voice, by María Peláe.
In addition, the cover design is the work of Anabel Perujo, also from Málaga, the designer of the covers of all El Kanka albums.
As such, El Kanka contributes his essence to the new Malaguista anthem with very special lyrics and an unmistakable sound, making his art, his ingenuity and his voice available to the club and its fans with a piece of music that will endure in the history of Málaga CF.