Album Review: MangaBey - Metropolitan EP

Now that summer is officially here, it’s time for some good house/UK Garage to dance on, all night long. MangaBey, a French beatmaker, designed catchy and danceable tracks purposely.

With all the rooftops booming in every cities, Metropolitan is the right soundtrack to blast off those urban speakers. I can easily picture myself getting pumped on the Nüba rooftop at 6p.m. while listening to "Sun Bath". Press the play button: the setting sun is chillingly skimming your skin while you’re looking at the Seine. It’s the perfect time for an after-work around some tropical cocktails.

Have you ever wondered what would a cocktail between Daft Punk and Disclosure sounds like ? Well, I bet it’s pretty close to "Sun Bath". "Candy Rock", on the other hand, seems to be inspired by Todd Terje's groovy vibes. The heady vocals and the cocktails will urge you to the dance-floor.

By the time "Metropolitan" drops, night has fallen. It’s time to showcase the nightlife your dance skills. This track is clearly a song for any fancy socialite. It could easily be used on some Fashion Week catwalk. "The Edge" is slightly darker. It begins slowly but then goes crescendo and turns out to be really catchy. It’s a song suitable for Paris Social Club where hipsters meet electronic-music lovers. "Between the Stems" initiates the end of the night and indicates us that it is time to head back home.

Fun fact: this particular song brings back memories of Toulouse to a friend of mine. Toulouse is actually MangaBey’s hometown. Somehow "Between the Stems" is a hold to the familiar, hence the childish voices and piano notes - MangaBey started to learn the piano at first. In the mean time, the song grows up along with the voices that are becoming more mature. That reflects MangaBey's endeavor to share his artistic sensibility with us.