Mano Le Tough | New Record And A Glimpse of Normalcy

Credit: Kostas Maros

Irish producer and DJ Mano Le Tough premiered his first full-length record titled At The Moment with new label Pampa Records on August 20. Releasing his first single “No Road Without A Turn” after being on the road for a decade, Mano spent his 14 months of pandemic life at home with his family in Zurich. Inspired while facing the world of uncertainty, the DJ was given a break from the fast life and gifted time with his kids in the studio.

With his music emulating the evolving sounds of the past year and a half, At The Moment channels summery pop and disco melodies in all 12 tracks. Mano acknowledges the positives and negatives of life, transforming the two into sci-fi soundtrack pads and retro-futurism.

Flaunt asked the DJ about the return of nightlife, inspiration during the pandemic, and his creative process.

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With the pandemic going on for the past year and a half, what was it like seeing the nightlife die?

I don't really think it died… it just went into hibernation. You can see with the parties that have started back up that people need nightlife in their lives—the release, the sense of being together, the music, the basic social aspect of being close to other people. It's been a huge stress test for the community, but it will be back and stronger than before, in my opinion.

What did your quarantine look like? What did you do? How did you occupy yourself?

Well, I live in Switzerland, and if there's one place to spend an international mega crisis (see WWII), it's Switzerland. The lockdowns were not severe here compared to the rest of Europe, and I think the country got off relatively lightly so far. The worst part was not being able to travel and see my family in Ireland. I worked on my new album and spent time with my young children after ten years of heavy touring. In a way, it was good to step off the carousel for a bit and decompress my brain. Despite all of the obvious stress of the pandemic there was a lot of joy with the kids and in the studio.

So I heard you consider DJing an art form. Can you expand on that?

Well, I think DJing has something that makes it so attractive for the DJ and the audience, and that is the discovery of music. It's perhaps less an art form in itself than channeling an art form in a very direct and physical way. I see the composing and writing part as the real central art in the process and the DJing as communicating that art to the audience.

How did you find inspiration during this time?

Honestly it was super inspiring. Channeling the existential threat of the pandemic but also the joy of family life. The extremes were in such sharp relief to each other. I think that really inspired the album.

So let's talk about At The Moment -your upcoming album. How does this album differ from your past work?

I think it's deeper, on both a musical as well as spiritual and artistic level. I trusted myself and my creativity more. It felt like a musical rebirth for me in a way.

What’s the creative process for your songs like? How do you get in the zone?

My process is quite mercurial in that I don't have a formula, it's always different. It can start with a vocal idea, a title, something I wrote on the piano or guitar or experimenting with my synths. I think the main thing is I just need to do it a lot. I need to be making music nearly every day and for extended periods—you can't choose when the muse comes to visit, you just have to be there and be ready.

What’s your favorite song off the album? Why?

It's hard to choose as I love them all for different reasons. It might be one of the deeper cuts like "Snow On Bamboo" which I recorded in pretty much one take when it was snowing heavily outside. I enjoyed the process of making that one a lot. It could also be "Aye Aye Mi Mi '' which seems to have taken on a life of its own in the clubs. It's always really satisfying to hear of other DJs playing my tunes.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not making music?

Spending time with my kids obviously but also playing golf!

Credit: Kostas Maros

What do you enjoy most about performing?

I like the feeling of sharing an experience with the dancers and discovering new music together. On the best nights, it's like magic—the feeling of flow, the communication with the audience, the feeling of channeling something bigger, a whole culture and history. It is so immediate and transient, a rare experience in modern life that is best experienced in the moment.

How do you come up with the title of each song?

Some titles are just there from the start, especially if they are vocal tracks - for example "aye aye mi mi" could not have been called anything else. Some others are more metaphorical, like "no road without a turn" and "newscyles." They tend to name themselves later in the process. They generally all have meaning even if it's sometimes unclear to me right away.

How do you feel about At The Moment being the first full-length for Pampa Records?

It's really exciting. It has been great to work with DJ Koze and Patric the label manager. It's a label I always loved so it's a dream come true in a way.

I heard you like vegetables. What’s your favorite one?

Hmmm, very tough question! It'd probably have to be the humble potato as I'm Irish (I know they are originally from South America), and we love the spuds. Potatoes are so versatile, I would highly recommend them to anyone who hasn't yet tried or fried them.

What are you looking forward to in the future?

Well, I'm really looking forward to people hearing my new album but I'm also looking forward to the same things as always—DJing, making music, being with my family, getting better at playing golf. I'm definitely not looking forward to climate change though.