The way this album was recorded was quite particular. Chao began capturing ideas, street sounds, and fragments of conversations on a portable recorder while traveling. Back in Spain, he continued composing in Madrid and Galicia before going to Paris. There, with producer Renaud Letang, he began to organize the songs and sounds he had accumulated. Initially, the sound had a strong electronic influence, with danceable rhythms. However, a technical error on Letang's computer erased a large part of those elements, leaving a more acoustic and organic sound. Far from being discouraged, Chao saw this as an opportunity, saying that "chance is my friend." The process became a kind of therapy for him. They tested the mixes with their neighbors' children, and the songs that resonated most with them were the ones that ended up on the album. The result was something that sounded completely new, as if they had "given birth to a UFO," according to Letang. Despite the industry's initial doubts, which expected an audience limited to Mano Negra's followers, the album contained gems like Clandestino, Desaparecido, and Bongo Bong, which became landmarks.
Clandestino was released in 1998 and was notable for including fragments of speeches by Subcomandante Marcos. The recording took place in various locations around the world, using a small laptop, which was reflected in the album notes as "Estudio Clandestino." This work was recognized by the French magazine Rolling Stone as one of the best French rock albums, ranking it 67th out of 100, and was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2020, Rolling Stone placed it at number 469 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album, with a total duration of 45:51, explored genres such as reggae rock and worldbeat, and was produced by Manu Chao himself and Renaud Letang.
