Drink Your Juice

Burgeoning American talent Chris M A N I K came to Fresh Meat's attention in late 2009. Mazi 'friended' Chris after a short IM chat on Facebook. A demo soon followed. Quite rapidly the label became enamored with the New Yorker’s raw and uncompromising house music. A self described post-genre artist, he has stayed busy since 2007 creating techno under his proper name and as Chatterbox. Now he's unveiled an alchemical brew of hybrid nu-house as M A N I K. His debut release on Josh Wink's Ovum Recordings this January received a standing ovation from all quarters including the likes of Steve Bug, Jimpster, Milton Jackson, Deetron, Lauhaus, Tiefschwarz, Martin Landsky and others. “Drink Your Juice” Chris’ second release as M A N I K is a four tracker featuring three originals and a remix by Wiretappeur (the underground chart topping trio of Nils Nuernberg, Florian Kruse and Stelios Vassiloudis). The EP opens with “Yeah”, a playfully arranged moody beater that sets a droning chord and low pitched vocal against subsonic bass and the hallowed drums of Roland's TR-909. “Juice” the deepest cut, is the first M A N I K tune that Fresh Meat heard. This warm swelling warehouse track shows unusual depth. For Fresh Meat, it immediately established Chris as a roots house artist needing to be heard. The third original track “Soul Glo” (digital only) is a proper New York / Detroit dub house groove. It is the kind of skippy chord hopper developed by artists like Chez Damier and MK and now championed by the likes of Ethyl & Huxley or Agnes. M A N I K gives the style his own touch keeping his classic drum aesthetic up-front and letting the track develop organically. Three tracks of beautiful modern House and the beat goes on! Taking a chance, Wiretappeur reinterprets "Yeah" into a sardonic, hypnotic builder featuring raw drums, jumping synths, fizzling effects and deeper bass. The vocal hook and keys from the original are still there only appropriated and mangled into Wiretappeur's speaker destroying juggernaut.