J Manny is both known and unknown. Despite being firmly embedded within the Footwork elite and being regarded by many as a DJ's DJ, Manny has yet to receive the kind of attention his peers have. His joyous new album for Planet Mu "Signals In My Head" is set to alter that for good.
Born in March 1990 in Chicago but raised in Robbins/Harvey, IL, Manuel Gaines first encountered Juke/Footwork before he was 10 years old while out with his brother at a party he was too young to be at. Dancing became a big thing for him, then throwing parties, then meeting Rashad and DJ Spinn when he was in middle school, then making his first recordings at his cousin Jonathan's house (R.I.P.) using FL Studios. His first release "Kush On Deck" came about in 2010 with DJ Rashad's help, when he was already a ten year veteran of the scene.
Here we are eleven years later and "Signals In My Head" marks a long worked for new chapter in DJ Manny's career. Now based in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with partner SUCIA! Manny's sound has widened out and taken on a more romantic edge. He openly admits that his goal for the new album was "to do something that nobody (in Footwork) had ever done before which is an R&B love type of album but still keeping it footwork, juke, house, techno, with a few breaks. I just want people to know it's love out there." Tracks like "U Want It", "Never Was Ah Hoe" and the title cut "Signals In My Head" are strong standouts that show what DJ Manny means when he says 'R&B love.'
"Signals..." also brings in a drum & bass flavour, something you'll find on cuts like "Good Love" and on "Havin' Fun" made with DJ Phil. When asked about D&B Manny shouts out LTJ Bukem as a inspiration. Tracks like "Club GTA" and "That Thang" also call back to the classic Chicago house of the nineties while "Smoke 'n' Fade Away" and album closer "At First Site" both recall the golden era of Detroit techno. Meanwhile "Wants My Body", created with DJ Chap, and "All I Need" are classic Footwork workouts sure to ignite dancefloors.
Looking back at the selection, DJ Manny says he was "actually able to get the sound I wanted." His set up, a mixture of MPC, Abelton, Boss drum machine and synths like the Triton and Omni has served him well. Well aware that some in the past have thought of him as a sleeper - he notes "It's not a problem to be low key at all with your music, when you trying to better yourself and your sound." DJ Manny has succeeded in moving himself forward. "Signals In My Head" brings us back to the joy of Footwork as a dance, as a mid-west American movement and most importantly as a mental and spiritual boost.
| A1 | Never Was Ah Hoe |
| A2 | U Want It |
| A3 | You All I Need |
| A4 | Club GTA |
| A5 | Wants My Body |
| A6 | All I Need |
| B1 | Havin' Fun |
| B2 | Good Love |
| B3 | That Thang |
| B4 | Smoke 'N' Fade Away |
| B5 | Signals In My Head |
| B6 | At First Site |
