Debut LP of Manuel Carvalho, half of Paralaxe Editions, under his Manta moniker, after a self released CDR and a tape on Marvellous Tone. Inching a few steps towards the dance floor, ‘Citadel’ revolves around notions of space and its emotional resonance within the human psyche, conjuring visions of Detroit Techno or early Warp into a Ballardesque dream of hazy synth lines, layered percussion and glassy textures. Over six tracks, Manta ebbs and flows seamlessly from the neon lit utopias of ‘Kayseri’ and ‘Grid’, through to the paranoia infused thumping rhythms of ‘Citadel’ and ‘Blackwater’ and into the synthetic tropics of ‘Ghost’ and ‘Grid’, all the while creating a headspace where Juan Atkins, B12, Porter Ricks or Black Dice all fit within the same dimension.

Bruno Silva

All tracks by Manta
Cover photo by Thomas Albdorf
Label Photo by Sarah Bernhard
Mixed technique Letterpress and digital print cover.
Hand assembled at L’Automatica