Dissembling 160 beats per minute, the surreptitious footwork stalwart and former DJ Rashad protege DJ Manny takes a romantic approach on his new album Hypnotized. Yet his laid-back and reflective rhythm and blues gestures soon give way to a nagging penchant for nocturnal pleasure-seeking as Manny begins to uncork acidy basslines, frantic dubstep numbers, jungle homages and passages of dark minimalist techno.
The record opener ‘Hard Drive’ finds the Harvey, Illinois native featuring the New York City producer SUCIA! to sensual and syrupy effect. Yanked from the vault, ‘Ooh Baby’ is an essentially unreleased DJ Rashad collaboration which has previously knocked around via an old Ī¼-Ziq mix from Rotterdam ContainerFest and a YouTube video of various artists dancing footwork on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Darker atmospheres and desirous hollers cake and crest the middle of the album. And as the manner remains deft rather than menacing, easygoing without losing its energy or dancefloor zeal, ‘Turn Me Up’ comes described as something like Paul Johnson at his most wild before the penultimate track ‘Lost In Da Jungle’ arrives as a moment of ‘enjoyably hype daftness’ evoking the popular early manner of the nineties breakout LTJ Bukem.
