Manipulant – What Good Are The Stars?

Heads up, folks, Manipulant is back with new music, dropping July 4, 2018!

I am honoured to receive the tracks of this single in advance of release, and I am here today to tell you about it. All the details you need for this release will be below the following thoughts…

There are four tracks here, all titled What Good Are The Stars, though one features a special guest, and two are remixes. Check it out…

01 What Good Are The Stars swings along on a sweet urban groove, open and breezy and big-sounding. The electronics wash in and out as he posits his questions, and the piano catches your ear in a haunting way. This is a feel good track, I love the bass line. It’s thought-provoking and beautiful at the same time.

02 What Good Are The Stars (with Beltism)(Beltism Burnt Umber Mix) brings the drums to the fore with cool snare rumbles to boot, and brings back the brilliant piano stabs of the original track. The feel here is perfectly matched to the contemplative nature of the tune.

03 What Good Are The Stars (featuring Jennifer Doll) is next. Here we have the original track with Doll’s harmony vocals added to the mix. Damn, that extra layer makes a strong track even better! Manipulant’s deeper vocals contrast nicely with Doll’s, and I love the inflections she adds. This one really, really draws the ear!

04 The Anisotropic Mix turns the bass fuzzy, adds different wonky electronics, a filtered-sounding cowbell-like percussion for texture (while removing the piano parts), and adds broad echoes to the vocals. It’s the soundtrack of a dream sequence in an avant-garde film. Awesome!

In Sum:

You know, a lot of remixes seem superfluous to me, but these are four very different looks at the same track, a creative and artistic feat that shows intent and willingness to boldly play with the recipe. I highly recommend all four! This is truly superb work.