MGUN

Usually working under the name MGUN, Manuel Gonzales was one of the most creative producers to emerge from Detroit's techno scene during the 2010s. Carrying on the eclectic, experimental spirit of Detroit artists like Drexciya and Theo Parrish, his tracks range from spaced-out techno to downtempo electro-funk to ambient, and his DJ sets are even harder to pigeonhole. The Motor City native records all of his music using analog equipment, sometimes including Casio keyboards he's owned since his childhood, preferring the limitations of hardware to the overwhelming array of options on a computer program. Most of his tracks are recorded in one take directly to cassette, giving them a gritty, lo-fi quality similar to recordings on outsider house labels like L.I.E.S. (Long Island Electrical Systems). Gonzales first released material as one half of NSNT PRJCT, his duo with Detroit techno wunderkind Kyle Hall. The 12" EP Laygo My Faygo appeared on Hall's Wild Oats label in late 2010. Then known as DJ Konspiracy, Gonzales began touring around the world with legendary Detroit collective Underground Resistance. In 2012, he first began releasing 12" EPs as MGUN, starting with Harmnear on Wild Oats and The Upstairs Apt. on U.K. label Don't Be Afraid. Late in the year, The Near Future appeared on The Trilogy Tapes, and the release earned widespread acclaim from the underground dance music press. The next two years saw further releases on labels like Berceuse Heroique, Third Ear Recordings, and Fit, and Gonzales continued DJ'ing across the globe. After taking 2015 off, he resumed his release schedule in 2016 with the debut MGUN full-length Gentium, on Don't Be Afraid. The album contained tracks recorded from 2007-2010 in addition to newer material. Axiom, Gonzales' second album of eclectic, abstract party music, followed in 2018. ~ Paul Simpson