This week we turn your attention to one of the latest additions to the All Good Records music label, John McCarten aka Manic Focus. Signing with All Good comes as no surprise to followers of Manic, as his sound meshes perfectly and he’s been playing shows with fellow artists like GRiZ and The Floozies for years.
Going back three years, his first album Definition of the Rhythm showcases his sampling skill both with instrumentals and vocals. Tracks like “That ThanG” and “Kareoke” are a great place to start when trying to grasp his early vision. Both tunes are heavily sampled and vary in style, while hinting at the elements that Manic has held onto to this day.
In October we were treated to a brand new Manic album, Cerebral Eclipse, with a decidedly more focused (no pun intended) electro-soul sound similar to that of his previous album Distant Perspective. Featuring collabs with Michal Menert, Dom Lalli (of Big G), Torch (of Conspirator) and GRiZ (to name a few) it was obvious before we clicked play this album was going to make waves. What we weren’t expecting was a compilation of bangers from the second you press play. Starting with “Dedicated to the Service”, “Rooster” which has a similar vibe to “Kareoke” mentioned above, “We Can Fly” ft. Torch, and finally “Bumpin in the Voodoo” ft. Dom are just a select few of the songs that have us going in. It would take all day to break down all the tracks we love off this album so we advise you to get some comfortable headphones and take it all in in one listen.
If this short spotlight of Manic Focus has you digging deeper into his discography and checking his tour dates then our job is done. Everything this young man puts out is quality and he’s taken off in the last year. If he’s in your area come out to a show to show him some love and experience his music.
Manic Focus will also be at one of our most highly anticipated festivals this spring: Counterpoint. Snag your tickets to see him if you haven’t already! Tickets here.
Connect with Manic Focus:
http://manicfocus.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ManicFocus
https://twitter.com/manicfocus
https://soundcloud.com/manicfocus
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