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Back To Back with Willy Joy

No Mana

·1 hr 4 min·5 clips
No Mana spent months designing his own pixel art visuals for a tour that features barnyard animals at his first show.
Willy Joy hosts No Mana on Back To Back to discuss his new album 'I Contain Flashing Images' and the visual-heavy tour supporting it. No Mana reveals he spent March to May working 35-40 hour weeks on the audio-visual set. He talks about growing up in Mission Viejo, California, and his early music influences, including piano lessons and viola in orchestra. His grandfather worked in vinyl mastering at Capitol Records, which No Mana connects to his current mixing/mastering work. No Mana explains he keeps the No Mana project sonically consistent while using aliases like ISCA for other genres like bass music and trap. He started ghost-producing in 2014-2015 before focusing on his own music. The conversation covers his creative philosophy, including a discussion with IO about how 'nothing matters and everything matters at the same time.' No Mana describes his first show in September 2015: a family-friendly festival with Deadmau5 and barnyard animals, which was nerve-wracking but amazing. He reflects on the evolution of his production techniques, including upgrading to ATC SCM25A monitors for more surgical mixing. No Mana also talks about the challenges of touring, maintaining a routine, and avoiding burnout by exploring hobbies like pixel art and game development. He mentions current trends in dance music, such as genre blending exemplified by Sub Focus and John Summit. The episode concludes with No Mana promoting his album, merch, and tour dates.

As heard by us

A focused, candid look at the album, visuals, and platform work behind No Manor's hands-on creative world.

No Manor's conversation with Willie Joy works best as a close look at the labor around a new album. I Contain Flashing Images sits inside a wider creative system: pixel art, live visuals, a website, merchandise, and a tour shaped by months of preparation.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want the album, pixel art, and platform headaches behind No Manor's self-made world?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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