Within his mixes you will find a colorful mindtrip of perfectly balanced moods, reflecting his quest for peace and solitude. Even his profile picture exudes tranquility and is the epitome of chill. When I'm in need of a deep mental massage or that escape pod that houses my turbulent mind for intergalactic travel, I look no further than Mantraman's mixes. His quest for the perfect mix to calibrate the soul is not without merit.
Mantraman (Paul Haynes) has a very musical background, having been the bass player in the early 80's indie-pop band INTIMACY that was based around Birmingham, England. Discovering ambient music would lead to the decline of performing live and would birth the interest in creating, mixing, and producing the ambient music that permeated his soul. Paul's love for ambient music began when he first heard the Brian Eno & Harold Budd creation PLATEAUX OF MIRROR in 1981, and the implosion of Intimacy in 1983 allowed him to finally begin following his muse. The motivation to spark his creative genesis was purely recreational and was meant as a way to make music that he wanted to listen to. Through the persuasion of a friend, he posted some of his music on LAST.FM, and this gave him the impetus to carry on. Although he claims that his music making tools are primitive (using basic MIDI software and Audacity), he nonetheless captures the essence of true ambient spirit. His first creations didn't even evolve a keyboard, but rather using QWERTY and Cakewalk. One could say that his technological grasp for weaving sounds has evolved quite nicely. If there's one thing that Mantraman can admit about the whole ambient scene, it's that it's highly addictive and very time consuming. I can echo that. Unfortunately, that has left a lot less time for him to create new tapestries due to business commitments. I, and I'm sure I'm not alone, wish that Mantraman had more time to create and bless us with such beautiful sounds. Hopefully in the future (nudge, nudge).
For all of the eager listeners that crave peace, I've been given a 'go' on hosting 3 mixes by Mantraman. For some reason, I tend to gravitate to the mixes that have to do with the oceans or tidal ebb and flo. So I've chosen to host EVENTIDES (my first exposure), THE LIGHTHOUSE TAPES (my favorite), and a newer mix entitled OTHER OCEANS. I would be foolish to say that this is his best; they all are. The next one will be his best, and the one after that, and so on. Mantraman has created a gold mine of ambient mixes that I know the music lover will lose themselves in.
You can follow Mantraman on his MIXCLOUD page, follow him on TWITTER, and get updates on his creations on his LAST.FM and SOUNDCLOUD pages. Many, many thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his vision with everyone. Peace.
Turn on, tune in, sleep...
4 comments:
I never thought I would say this about any mixes...
but..
a little too heavy on the Eno/Budd.
I agree that it IS heavy on the Eno and Budd, but I look at it like it were a tribute. I'm familiar with all of the tunes, and I was into hosting a mix that I would not have otherwise created. Thanks for your input, Uncle John.
a tribute.
fair enough!
These all RULE, thanks for posting.
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