Manzuma: Biographical
Manzuma as something solid started way back before the whole world was paranoid. Those were the days of Seventh Heaven and only the second late-night re-run of Dawson's Creek; when The Smashing Pumpkins were still in the collective mind and Kid A lingered in the 3am's of adolescent boys; 2001. Manzuma came about from the ruins of two bands. Vanessa Cronin (Vocals & Percussion) and Tim Fairless (Guitars, Bass, Synthesizers, Etc) came together to get some things out of their heads.
Slow Snakes
Manzuma started writing their first album, Inside the Serpent Skin, way back in '01. When they started recording in '03 it took 2 years because, well, anything less would have made it seem like too easy an album. Countless studio hours in the backyard at Bardon, then downstairs in West End, and the front room in Toowong proved they were worth every minute. The 9 track, 60 minute Serpent received accolades from Scene Magazine and The Consensus:
Manzuma have the potential to be one of those rare acts who can be all things to all people without diluting their unique sound or compromising artistic integrity... an accomplished debut. --- Craig Wilson
Skyborn [from Inside the Serpent Skin] is a work of near pop perfection. With high emphasis on production and composition and a full spectrum of sound that tickles my eardrums to the point of euphoria. --- PFTW
Following the launch of Inside the Serpent Skin and some special performances of album excerpts Manzuma retreated to the studio for that difficult Album Number 2.
Inspired by Machines
Jump forward a few years and some things have changed. The new album, Hollows, exhales. Without wanting to make too many claims, it's a bit of an epic and reveals itself the longer you spend with it. Hollows is a darker offering than Inside the Serpent Skin; rougher around the edges and colder at its core. Recording Hollows was a much faster process than the debut. The collaboration was working well, had found its ways. It only took 6 months to engineer Hollows.
Post-recording, Vanessa and Tim embarked on a recruitment drive to flesh out the band's sound and make performance more convincing. When the revolving door of musicians and collaborators halted what remains is:
- • Vanessa Cronin: Voice & Percussion
- • Dale Watkinson: Guitars
- • Tim Fairless: Synthesizers, Bass & anything else
Keys, Air, Strings & Screens
Vanessa Cronin has been singing for as long as she can remember. Prior to Manzuma, she was a member of folk slash new-age band Pentacle, and had performed with prog-rockers Ionesco.
Welsh-born Dale Watkinson spent years producing drum n' bass and hip-hop in his native land and performing with an eclectic range of musicians in a diverse range of genres. He's been a guitarist and programmer for eons.
Tim Fairless has been a keyboard player for so long he can't remember and a bassist for more than a decade. Prior to Manzuma he's been a member of bands Pentacle & Ionesco. He currently produces artists other than Manzuma at Ugly World Studios.
Visually, Manzuma also works regularly with video artist Jime Lemoire who adds the visual element to performances. Jime's abstracted and layered motion picture work echoes the blurred lines in the music. Deon Roux from Village FX Studios has designed covers for Hollows and Manzuma's current promo EP, Darker Spaces. Deon's wholly-digital photo-realistic work compliments the space between the notes and the air between the words.
