Man Bartlett (b.1981, Philadelphia, PA) is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in New York City. His diverse practice includes drawing, sound, collage, video, performance, and digital projects.
I sat down with Man to discuss their early musical experiences, how they started creating music and their latest recording “No Pressure But The Absence Of Air” which you can get here.
CMM – What was the first music that really made an impact on you growing up and what artist and bands did you enjoy the most?
Man – One of my earliest memories is hearing the last chord of Day in the Life on my family’s record player, but the record was skipping so it kept repeating just the first part of the chord. I thought that it was intentional and loved it! Little did I know the intentional locked groove was just a few moments later! I also remember hearing a lot of Joan Armatrading’s self-titled album, which I still love. In my dad’s art studio there was lots of Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, and The Smiths. Lastly, in college I lived with the drummer from Apollo Sunshine, a Boston rock/psych band that put on ridiculously fun shows, and they introduced me to tons of amazing indie rock.
CMM – When did you first start playing instruments and writing songs?
Man – I had never considered myself a musician, but in 2012 I started becoming deeply interested in sound art and classical Indian music, and especially Pran Nath. His music inspired me to start making my own drones, with anything I could get my hands on. Mostly software at the time. I released my first album in 2016. And slowly over the years I’ve acquired various synths, drone machines, and effects pedals.
CMM – Your new track you recorded as FOGBANK titled ” No Pressure But The Absence Of Air” is a really beautiful piece of music. What was your process and approach to making the recording? Any particular gear you used that really stood out throughout the session?
Man – Thank you so much! The process started in August 2022, with a poem that I’d written that was intended to be spoken by AI. I wasn’t initially sure what I was making, but the concepts grew and evolved, and various pieces were recorded specifically for the work, or were taken from other sessions recorded during that time. There was a big burst in November 2022, when most of the tracks were laid down . Then a couple months were spent mixing, mastering, as well as writing and editing the accompanying essay. As far as the gear, I think the Chase Bliss Habit definitely looms large (super long reverse delays, yes please!), and I really enjoyed making an AI version of my voice. That was a surreal experience. And lastly the monochord towards the very end of the album is memorable just because it’s such an antiquated sound compared to all the synths.
CMM – If you could compose a score for any film director who would it be and what would the film be about?
Man – Great question! I can’t think of a particular living filmmaker I’d like to work with, but I could definitely see myself scoring an existential Scandinavian slow film about time and consciousness. Like, where nothing happens but you can’t look away.
CMM – What do you have coming up next? Writing or recording anything new?
Man – I’m releasing the next edition of my SPACE ON EARTH series (volume VI) as myself, on May 5. Look for it on Bandcamp and everywhere else (except Spotify). No set plans for what’s next for FOGBANK, but I’m in the early stages with a few ideas.
