Feb 4 2013

ARTIST FEATURE: Manic Focus – Q&A (New Tour, Video, Free Music, & More)

There are some up-and-coming producers that stand out as that special gems in the pile of jewels. Manic Focus seems to be one of those gems. We have been fans and friends of Minnesota born/Chicago based producer since we first discovered his music just a couple short years ago. Since then, Manic Focus has been proving to the world why he is the next big bass producer. With two original albums, a remix compilation, and a huge catalog of singles under his belt (all for FREE DL), Manic Focus is a slave to the music. Whether it’s hiding in the studio or spending weeks at a time on the road, the madman won’t stop.

Coming off a huge NYE show with Big Gigantic & GRiZ in Chicago plus a few dates with Future Rock in the Midwest, MF is well rehearsed on putting the show on the road. Manic focus is now gearing up for a dozen dates on the Big G Winter Tour. In honor of the tour, Team MF released a smooth promo video that features a brand new track from the genre defying producer entitled “Free Man” that can be heard on the road and will be on the upcoming EP from the bass master. With all of this excitement in the world of Manic Focus, Curated Music found it fit to catch up with the young gun. You can read the interview below:

Curated Music: Your sounds reach a multitude of genres. How do you decide what type of track you are going to produce?
Manic Focus: It really depends on my mood and life experiences.  I made We Won’t Land at a time when I didn’t have a lot of gigs and several of the gigs that I did have got cancelled due to crappy promoters.  Many people told me that I shouldn’t quit, so I put those emotions into the track.  When it comes to remixes, I usually like remixing tracks that my friends suggest.  The Mad World remix was my friend Ryan’s idea.  I had started working on it in the fall of 2010 but then lost interest in working on it, and Ryan bugged me for months to finish it.  I’m glad he did, it turned out nicely.

CM: Are there any specific artists that influence the Manic Focus sound?
MF: Moby’s Play album was what really got me into making beats when I was a kid.  The Crystal Method was also a big influence.  I was a huge hip-hop head too, and grew up listening to Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Eyedea and Abilities….pretty much the whole Rhymesayers label.  Today, my main influences are Pretty Lights, GRiZ, Big Gigantic, Bassnectar, Gramatik….too many to name actually.  The whole EDM scene is very inspiring.

CM: We are huge fans of your remixes (Red Hot Chili Peppers, MIA, Umphrey’s McGee, an official Rebelution). What makes a specific track or artist more or less appealing to remix to you?
MF: While a lot of my remixes come from my friend’s suggestions, the four you listed came about in many different ways.  I usually like remixing tracks that have an official a cappella, like Dani California and Bad Girls.  The Umphrey’s remix came about from a contest I entered over a year ago, and Umphrey’s provided the stems to the track.  My friend Emily hooked up the stems for Rebelution.  Basically, if there are stems or a capellas, I’m usually down to remix the track.  I won’t remix Katy Perry though.

CM: You are an accomplished instrumentalists. What instruments do you play and have they ever been featured in a Manic Focus track?
MF: Piano is my instrument.  I can’t play everything I compose, but more often than not if you hear a piano or an organ, that’s me jamming on the track.  I play the strings and synth lines on my keyboard too.

CM: You deffinetly have dedicated fans. How do you stay connected with them? How can they stay connected with you?
MF: I try to stay connected to my fans by constantly releasing music.  I definitely need to up my twitter game.  Facebook is really the main way I stay connected with fans.  I can also be contacted through my website.

CM: We have imagined you collaborating with a number of different artists. Will our dreams come true?
MF: I sure hope so!  I have yet to meet a lot of the guys I’d like to collab with, and the ones I have met seem to always be on the move, so there is very little time to socialize.  I’m also very new to the scene and honestly feel like a bit of an outsider at the moment, but I have a feeling that will all change this year.

CM: 2012 was a big year for Manic Focus. You crushed Summer Set Music Festival, played a slew of dates with some other awesome artists, released a ton of amazing singles and remixes plus two albums, and ended 2012 with a huge show in Chicago for NYE with Big Gigantic and GRiZ. How do you plan to keep that high level of productivity up in 2013?
MF: On NYE I asked Grant (GRiZ) for advice going into 2013, and he said “keep making music”, so I’ve been grinding hard to make as much music as I can.  It can be tough to get in the zone sometimes, and its also easy to get burnt out on work, but listening to music while zoning out on Xbox surprisingly helps for coming up with ideas and refreshing my ears.  I live a few blocks from Lake Michigan, so I’ll walk there on occasion to clear my head.  I stumble a lot too.  As much as I try to make deadlines for myself to finish tracks, rushing the creative process is usually a bad thing.  It has to flow naturally.  When inspiration strikes, I can get my ideas down pretty quickly.  I’ve been putting a lot of pressure on myself to make bigger and better tracks, but I think I’ll be releasing some simpler beats in the near future just so I don’t get too strung out.

CM: You are joining Big Gigantic on a dozen dates next month, are you excited?
MF: Hell yea!  Its gonna be nuts!

CM: We heard you have some awesome news on the business end of Team Manic Focus. Can you leak anything to your fans yet?
MF: 2013 will be crazy.  I’ll be playing a lot more shows, and I can’t wait for festy season.

CM: What would be your dream studio setup?
MF: Most of my studio is in my laptop, so other than a crazy beast of a laptop, I’d want some place with a awesome view and a mic facing the view so any singers or emcees I’d work with could take in the awesome view while recording.

CM: What equipment are you using in the studio and on stage now?
MF: I mainly use an MPK49 and an APC40 to control Ableton and a bunch of plugins, but I’ve got an MPC1000, a KP3, and a bunch of other noise making/warping devices.  On stage I’m currently using just my laptop and APC40, mainly because setup and takedown is easy, and it fits in my backpack.  I’ve definitely got some tricks in the bag for down the line.

CM: What was your best memory of 2012?
MF: The whole year was amazing, but NYE at the Aragon was surreal.

CM: What message is Manic Focus sending out to fans?
MF: It doesn’t matter what religious, political, or social views you have, everyone gets down to Chumbawumba.  I’ve seen it.  Its ridiculous.

CM: Thanks brother!
MF: Thanks for the interview!  Download the music for free at manicfocus.com

Watch Manic Focus – Winter Tour 2013 with Big Gigantic Promo Video on YouTube:

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