Mantra serves up acrid and coarse Acid music. Sounds for sweat filled club nights, very early mornings and red ringed eyes.
It’s Grim Up North. The KLF’s Techno anthem is a glib summary of the North of Britain, but nevertheless there is some truth to the title. Perpetual greyness. Wind. Emptying towns and rising unemployment. The North of England, despite its friendly people and scenery, suffers from a number of ailments that produce quite a melancholic disposition. One artist from this part of the world is Chris Stainton aka Myriadd aka Mantra. This Northerner has released Techno gloom and House moodiness on labels such as Bunker, Signals and Crème Organization. For his latest Stainton once more recedes into the shadows as Mantra for a two tracker 12” to start a new singled sided colored vinyl series on Solar One Music: The Crystal Issue.
The single sided 12” opens with “Beat The House.” Chicago pastiche is the product. Samples feature heavily with 707 claps arriving before Acid lines descend for a floor friendly piece of body jerk House. The title track “Many Worlds” follows. Iron fist acidified Techno is the result. Some of the sounds Jak are present but the raw distorted energy of the 90s, with bludgeoning basslines and bruising machine beats, dominates.
I’m not a fan of single sided records. But, when the contents of the one sided are of such quality I can’t complain. Mantra serves up acrid and coarse Acid music. Sounds for sweat filled club nights, very early mornings and red ringed eyes. A hard hitting beginning to The Crystal Issue series.
Many Worlds is available on Solar One Music. [Release page]
