BIOGRAPHY
Rhythm resides deep in the spirit for drummer and composer Myele Manzanza. It is the universal pulse that governs movement, an intuitive connection between body and sound that produces his genre-spanning, infectiously vibrant music.
“I was raised around rhythm and always understood it as a physical relationship,” Manzanza says. “It moves you – in every way.” Growing up in New Zealand and taking inspiration from his Congolese master percussionist father, Manzanza has carved out a distinct path through hip-hop, house, electronics and improvisation – unifying each style with his deeply-felt, embodied approach.
He first came to prominence as a founding member of future soul group Electric Wire Hustle, channelling the sensuous swing of D’Angelo, J Dilla and the Soulquarians in their 2009 debut, self-titled album. He was also selected as a participant in the 2010 Red Bull Music Academy, & Detroit house producers Recloose and Theo Parrish soon tapped him to tour in their live groups, allowing Manzanza to further explore the connections between jazz swing, dance music and the rhythms of the African diaspora. “Theo was a teacher, allowing me to translate electronic drum beats onto the kit and getting closer to a sense of my own sound,” he says.
That chameleonic capability of switching styles, while keeping his own sense of solid groove, has since made Manzanza a sought-after collaborator, working with everyone from producers Mark de Clive-Lowe and Amp Fiddler to composer Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Jordan Rakei, pianist Ashley Henry, saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings and producer Hudson Mohawke. “I trust the music and get out of my own way to let it speak for itself,” he says of his collaborative process. “You can’t get too much into the head, otherwise you lose the spirit of the song – the thing that roots the music in us as humans.”
Since relocating to London in 2019, Manzanza has been delving deeper into that grounded spirit of his music, establishing his solo career as one of the capital’s most remarkable bandleaders and producers. “It has been a continual process of honing in deeper and deeper on my sound ever since my debut album One in 2012,” he explains. “That record came from a beatmaker mentality and the follow-up OnePointOne in 2016 was about translating it into the live space. It was then on 2019’s A Love Requited that I began a personal exploration into finding my voice as a composer.” Now, the pinnacle of this journeying process and eclectic taste comes in his ambitious five-part album series Crisis & Opportunity.
Volume One (London) was released in 2021, heralding a career-defining flow of creativity that was spurred on by the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic. Featuring some of the capital’s finest talent, including Ashley Henry, Benjamin Muralt, James Copus and George Crowley, the album’s deep-swinging tracks enshrine the diverse spirit of London’s diaspora-influenced music. Later that year, Volume Two (Peaks) took on a more frenetic pace, highlighting the UK’s burgeoning community of New Zealand expat musicians, including Ashton Sellars, Aron Ottignon and Matt Dal Din.
“As I gain more experience, I'm getting closer to my truth with each album and becoming more comfortable in my own skin,” Manzanza says. “I'm a diverse musician and the Crisis & Opportunity series is me focusing my curiosities on each record.”
As such, 2022’s Volume Three (Unfold), takes Manzanza full-circle, back to his beat-making days as he explores the world of electronic production in conversation with the warmth of acoustic instrumentation. It is Manzanza at his most self-assured and rhythmically-moving, co-produced with Lewis Moody & featuring guests including vocalists China Moses, Wallace and Rachel Fraser, singer/guitarist Rosie Frayter-Taylor and neo-soul pioneer Omar. The year also saw Manzanza awarded as the New Zealand Jazz Artist of the Year 2022.
Manzanza is just getting started when it comes to the discovery of his ineffable, wide-ranging sound, with plans for future volumes traversing everything from modern jazz trio compositions to sweeping, orchestral arrangements, as well as continuing to host a long-standing residency at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s. Following in the genre-breaking, regenerative tradition of greats such as Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis and multi-hyphenate drummer Karriem Riggins, Manzanza is a driving force in modern improvised music, no matter its guise.
“I’m always finding new ways to express myself,” he says. “It’s all about moving forward, in my own groove.” We are lucky to keep listening and be moved by the sound.