Hey guys! Let’s start off with a quick introduction - who are Man-E and where does the name come from?
Hi Timo! Man•E is first of all a couple of friends, DJ Giamma Soren and bass player Federico Freni, who share the passion for music.
Man•E has two meanings: itäs the acronym for Man Electric and as a single word is a latin world, mane, that means “early in the morning” and is related to concepts as waking up and restarting.
How did you get introduced to dance music and electronic dance music in particular?
We both started clubbing in the early 2000’s in some underground clubs in Milan and north of Italy and we fall in love immediately with house, electro and progressive.
G: I started collecting music in all the way my wallet allowed me, then i bought cdjs pioneer 100s and turntables about fifteen years ago..
F: i started very soon to play bass in some milanese bands and i had the chance to play a lot around. But in the same time i kept my fascination for electronic dance music.
Can you tell us a little about how you started with DJ’ing in the first place and what motivated you back then? You are not restricted to a certain genre.
G: I always found my self building compilation, mixtapes with my personal greatest hits of one genre since early teen age, then i’ve been fascinated watching the djs in the clubs. After practisin some years in my room i started to do some sessions in the bar where i was working. Concerning electronic dance music i always tried to not be caged in a genre.
F: While i was playin with my band I started to compose some electronic music and started to want explore also the world of house and techno. Then i started to produce some tunes collaborating occasionally with some djs. Then mane project was born and i found my balance in that.
For us to DJ is to tell a story, between sounds and imagiry. We don’t follow the last musical hype or a single genre. Our favorite DJs don’t do that and are able to surprise the crowd with something unexpected, but remaining coherent. Behind the decks we focus on empathy with the dancefloor, and when we dig we focus on that.
How did the duo come together? Are you concentrating more on producing at the moment or performing?a
We started for fun, after we had done some DJ-sets with bass improvisation and discover that we’ve got musical empathy.
As we share the same taste in music was naturally to form a producing duo that is naturally evolved in a performing duo. Right now we are focused on the performance, even if somenthing special will come out in a bit.
Does the motivation to still come from the same original source or has it changed?
The motivation is the same and it has increased since it has become a professional comminttment.
Tell us a little about your approach to making music?
We usually start from an idea which is an atmosphere we want to create, often focusing on choosing a sample that can comunicate some imaginary and figuring out how Fede’s bass and guitar can merge. In the same time we create drums and melodic. Is definitely an instintctive approach, but with a fixed idea of the atmosphere we want to communicate.
Tell us a good story about a club night where you were DJ'ing and suddenly...
Playing for Balkan Advanced Music Conference in Sarajevo this april was definitely one of the best experience so far!
A villa on the hills, a intimate room with a small but passionate crowd, 5 hours djset ...suddendly our homeboy Rick Nizzy grabs his harmonicas and we did a very nice impro, people went crazy. Was pure magic!
Can you tell us a little more about your current musical endeavours? We haven’t touched the fact that you also run the label Taste Recods.
Focus on Man•E project while launching a label is not easy at all.
We’ve already produced a very important album by a italian jazz master, Enrico Intra. Piano improvisation mixed with electronics, touching trip hop and dub techno. But still is the best job in the world!
How do you guys divide your time between running a label, DJ’ing and producing music?
It’s quite a mess, but we manage that also thanks to the place where we have the studio, the offices and which can also host our shows. Shout out to SAM - Sampling Moods in Milan, ouplace of the soul.
Do you have any fond musical memories from your childhood, like what was the first record or a song that made a lasting impression on you?
G: Ray Charles, 70’s disco and jazz from my dad’s records. Then came hip hop when i was 13th, then house music gave the coup de grace.
F: Jaco pastorius - Portrait of Tracy. When I heard that song I knew I had to play the bass guitar.
Who are the artists and DJ’s you think deserve more attention than they get currently?
While we dig we find a lot of unknown artist who deserve to be more well known, too many to mention all. There’s a ton of underground producers of musician unknown to the most.
So the mix, can you tell us a little something about that?
Is a journey into our favourites. Start with a deep and atmosferic house, goes into a progressive mood infused with electro and disco and returns to house with a blending of acid and vocal. As said eclectism is our mood, because we feel trapped when it comes to genres.
Many thanks, anything else?
Let the music speak!
playlist
Move D & Pete Namlook - Stranger
Harrison BDP - Decompression
Baeka - Right at it
New Jackson - Glass Stabs
Boo Williams - Rockin Chairs
Lauer - Mausback (Fabrizio Mammarella Remix)
Hard Ton - On & On (Uabos Instrumental Remix)
Javi Redondo - Fictional Friendship (Original Mix)
Sholan - Can You Feel (What I'm Going Thru) (Sono's Pelican Dub)
Max Graham - Tell You - Luke Fair Remix
Totally Unknown Artist - Status 303
Pound Boys vs. Martello Bros. - Jack It Up (Martello Bros. Remix)
Mijan - Alright (95 North Gospel Dub)
Odysea - Jam 3 (Meggy & Tilmann Jarmer Refix)
DJ profile
Man•E
Location: Milan, Italy
Facebook | Soundcloud
Man Electric is a duo formed by dj Giamma Soren and bass player Federico Freni. Their production trait consists of a balanced synthesis of what they adore most in the vast field of electronic music . The result is a fresh sound marked by a peculiar approach to deep house and disco with electro and progressive elements, characterized by the use of unusual samples and a strong presence of acoustic instruments.
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