Populous

Populous is the nom de musique of Lecce, Italy's Andrea Mangia, a multi-instrumentalist/programmer whose work ranges from cerebral pieces to shoegaze-tinged pop. His 2002 debut, Quipo, introduced his meticulous approach to layering sounds and his fondness for vintage electronics and pioneering electronic music figures such as Raymond Scott, elements that he embellished with soul and jazz influences on 2005's Queue for Love. The following year, Mangia played guitar on Pillow's Flowing Seasons album. Released in 2007, A Number of Small Things reflected Mangia's growing pop sensibilities; that year, one of his Queue for Love songs was used in a JC Penney commercial. His most accessible work yet, 2008's dream pop-influenced Drawn in Basic featured the vocals of New York-based MC Short Stories.