Friday, November 13, 2009

Manic: One-Man Band



Creators of instrumental tracks have to work hard to grab the listener's attention - there are no vocals to rely on, no singer to belt out a chorus or croon a verse, just music - and in this case, beats.

San Fransisco Bay area based Manic makes stellar, mostly instrumental down tempo/ambient soundscapes and lists many influences. French classical composer/pianist Eric Satie (1866-1925) - generally recognized as the father of modern music - is not listed but were he alive today, he'd be playing around in his homestudio and coming up with something very much like what Manic is doing: the tracks "Premonition" and "Music for Film" sound like Satie collaborating with Massive Attack.

The Nightfly's favorite track: "L.A. Theory" with its distinct Groove Armada/Weekend Players feel and sound.