Manuzik Life 2.0
Manuzik’s EP Life 2.0 takes a unique approach to nu-jazz music that takes on a life of its own. The album, born out of traditional jazz instrumentation and technique, evolves into a new kind of hybrid lifeform all its own. The music on this album almost seems to live and breathe — the airy melodies throughout the compositions are breathtaking. Although the melodic structures can sometimes be simplistic, it still comes across as something larger than life.
The first track, “Life On My Balcony,” is an invitation to step outside and take a deep breath of fresh air carrying the freshest sounds you will hear inside this record. The unique soundscapes almost become landscapes bustling with new life. Life 2.0.
Next follows “The Incident,” which sparkles with electrifying electric piano melodies. “The Incident” is one of the shorter compositions on this album, but there is so much going on you do not want to miss. The upright bass is downright uplifting over the jiving percussive rhythms. All of it brilliantly comes together in one exciting, inciting incident.
The sonic textures in “And the World Slowed Down” brings thoughts of being on a giant carousel ride slowly grinding to a halt. Sometimes it feels like things are quickly spinning out of control in our lives through its many ups and downs, and this is the perfect soundtrack to just slow down and bask in all the sights and sounds this world has to offer.
You can find out the meaning of “Life 2.0” from its title track of the same name. Ironically, this brief but provocative composition happens to be in the dead center of the album. It has this nervous tension, which almost seems to audibly mimic mankind’s first few shaky baby steps into a new kind of precarious lifestyle since the onset of the pandemic. The short staccato notes from the saxophone create tonality out of doubt and fear. It gives all the anxieties we are experiencing daily musical substance.
The piece “Stay Home” really has the power to stay with you even after it is over. Buried underneath layers of jubilant reverberations the piano melody has this eerie quality. The most haunting about it is that in the passing of every ghost note, you almost get a sense of the ghosts of the people or the former lives we lost from the coronavirus. “Stay Home” is such a chill song that it can give you goosebumps.
“Until When?” poses the question we have all been asking ourselves: When will our lives return to normal? Is this the new normal? If it is, then this nu-jazz anthem is definitely the perfect theme song. When the unconventional ambiance of this track fuses with the upright bass typical of jazz music, it creates a blend of something unique and new while maintaining an orthodoxical aspect.
You really “Need Nothing More” with the way Manuzik’s Life 2.0 ends. What has so far been an instrumental album now features a female vocal track that feels perfectly at home with the music. The words and voice wrap around you like a warm, cozy blanket on a cold rainy day. The instrumentation lays the foundation for a happy place we can weather out any storm. In recent times while it is not uncommon for us to feel isolated and alone, we can find a perfect companion in music here. A faithful friend who is always waiting and willing to lend a sympathetic ear no matter what we feel.
Overall, Manuzik’s Life 2.0 is a great album containing a little bit of something for everyone. Even though the playing time of the record is just under 30 minutes, it is easy to mistake it for something longer because of how readily things are changed up in the music. While most of the album stays true to traditional jazz elements, there are styles present that defy classification. It is avant-garde in its own right and is definitely worth a listen, especially considering you can pick this album up for free, via this link: Manuzik – Life 2.0 | Jamendo Music – Free music downloads
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