Artist Interview: Manami
By Resonate | April 22, 2022
Words by Dylan Shortridge
Photos by Ruu Media
“As you grow up, you realise that being different is good, and it makes us who we are,” says Manami, reflecting on how she became who she is today. She’s just off the back of some European tour dates with the legendary Bicep, and her weekend was filled with lots of heavy partying. These dates with Bicep mark a very special point in Manami’s career, as she takes flight from local legend status to the national and international stage. She has long been a well-qualified selector and hero of Bristol’s dance scene, but as much as we would like to, we can’t keep her as our little secret much longer.
We’re sitting in one of Bristol’s oldest pubs, The Christmas Steps. It’s before opening hours, and the staff are pottering as early spring sunbeams reach through the window and bounce off Manami’s silky black hair. She’s telling us all about her start in DJing. “DJing came into my life at uni,” she remembers. “I kind of knew what it was before because there was this one friend who would always DJ at house parties when we were like 17, 18. As soon as I got to uni I immediately joined the DJ society.” This society allowed her to gain her first few experiences behind the turntables but it was a heavily male-dominated environment. “I was the only female that was going. I remember it being a very intimidating space. Eight or nine lads were always watching over me, telling me how to do it in a very mansplain-y way.”
Bristol is on the more progressive side compared to other cities, but there’s still a long way to go
Fortunately, this barrier to DJing that many women face has gotten smaller since Manami first got behind the decks, and she has been putting in the work to make the scene more inclusive. Working with female-led label and collective Saffron Records, Manami has taught a radio course aimed at women and those from marginalised genders, aiming to make Bristol’s music scene much more inclusive. “I’ve done two terms of teaching with them,” she says. “I’ve come out of them having eight sets of new mates and have seen them all integrate themselves in the Bristol scene as a result of the course,” she continues, “If you look at line-ups like five years ago it was all-male, but things are definitely changing. Bristol is on the more progressive side compared to other cities, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Although Manami has found her gender has forced her to work hard to find her way into the industry, she has also been lucky to forge bonds with people that have offered her incredible support. “They’ve been amazing. They’re the nicest people in the scene”, she says, talking about her relatively new relationship with Bicep. “I’ve played with them once before in Brixton and then stepped in at the last minute for a show in Edinburgh, but these were the first dates properly touring.” After submitting a mix for the duo’s Feel My Bicep series, the Belfast boys realised Manami’s talent, sparking a new working relationship. It’s always good to have friends in high places.
As well as DJing, Manami also has a foot in the world of production and has been featured on compilations from Alfresco Disco and Futureboogie. Her earlier tracks have a distinct disco feel, partly down to her classical music training, leading her to focus on harmony and structure rules. “It was hard at first as I felt a bit boxed in by it because it’s made up of specific rules. I guess thinking about the more generative side, and the more experimental side of dance music made it quite hard to merge the two things together. But knowing about arrangements, writing drops and writing in key has been really helpful.”
Her next EP is scheduled for release in May, after being pushed back due to vinyl production nightmares post-Covid. Now with a pressing plant locked down, we can expect to hear new Manami very soon, in a limited run of hand-stamped white label records and on the accompanying digital release. “It’s kind of 90s ambient techno and trance inspired,” she says. “I’ve also been in the studio over the past few months, sharing with Felix Dickinson and Dread MC. It’s been really productive. I’m forming my next EP, which is going to be harder and weirder, hopefully.”
Born in Tokyo and moving to the UK as a baby, Manami grew up in a predominantly white community. Looking different from the other young people meant that she often suppressed her heritage as a kid. However, as she has grown up, it has become a part of her identity that she wants to fully embrace. “My parents encourage me to embrace my Japanese heritage more. I clocked onto that in the later years of school and in going into uni. That’s when I started to embrace it,” she says. “I’ve been getting to know more Japanese artists and connecting with them, hearing their stories and understanding the music scene over there. They have a different climate, and the dancefloor vibe is different. It’s a very cerebral experience,” she explains.
Manami’s time left in our wonderful city is limited. She’s on the brink of a move to London. Having spent the last seven years in Bristol, it’s a city that she cares for dearly, but in life, change is the only constant something we should all embrace. “A lot of my best friends from uni are living there, and I fancied a bit of a switch-up.” Bristol has helped shape Manami as a person, producer, and DJ. There will be a lot of sadness when she does move on, but she has promised she will be back regularly to play for us. “I will miss the tight-knit community spirit, and that you can go to events and bump into all of your mates. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Love Inn for a roast and ended up staying the whole night because the whole crew was there.”
We are trying to ramp them up, not necessarily the size but the quality
Manami may be moving to London to be closer to friends, but she is also leaving many behind. One such friend is Anil, who she runs Better Days parties with. The parties have featured the likes of Darwin, Sassy J and most recently, Call Super. “We are trying to ramp them up, not necessarily the size but the quality, too – not that the quality has not been high for the previous ones. We saved up money from our previous shows to get Call Super in a small intimate room.” There are also events planned for the summer, and if Call Super is anything to go by, expect these to be amazing.
Manami’s latest release Lizard Den is out now available on streaming platforms.
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