HN vol.1 Interview: Manu Delago

The highly accomplished Grammy nominated Austrian composer, ensemble leader and musician, Manu Delago has established himself as an innovator throughout his impressive body of work across the last decade. Collaborating with Bjork, the Cinematic Orchestra, Anushka Shankar and Olafur Arnalds, releasing four genre pushing studio records on Tru Thoughts and One Little Indian, Manu has become known worldwide as a figurehead of the ‘handpan’. His own various manifestations have seen him perform prestigious events across the globe and extensively through the UK, including last year’s solo performance at the Royal Albert Hall, opening for Arnalds. Manu has appeared as a guest on BBC6 Music, Worldwide FM and recorded a live session at Maida Vale Studios for BBC Radio 2.

Following his stunning performance at the Good On Paper stage with his Handmade quartet at the Stroud Fringe in 2017 he finally returned to Stroud, this time debuting a brand new album and band - the Circadian Ensemble…

By Christopher Taylor
Hidden Notes vol.1
September 2019

Your latest album Circadian is out on the 13th Sept via One Little Indian Records, is there a theme running
through the album and has there been a progression since the 2018’s Parasol Peak?

Like Parasol Peak the album is fully acoustic but this time, not recorded under extreme circumstances on a mountain, but in a cosy studio with my nine-piece-ensemble. Most pieces are inspired by various nocturnal themes such as dreams, owls and sleep. To me, the album starts in the evening and gradually slows down until the alarm clock called Zeitgeber rings in the morning.

You have a new band for this album and tour - the Circadian Ensemble - can you tell us how you formed this group of musicians and what they now bring to your sound?

I’ve put together nine of my favourite musicians: three strings, three winds and three percussionists. It feels like a dream to have my own little orchestra. I love writing music for orchestra but usually there’s no time for developing the sound, properly rehearsing the music and going on tour. With the Circadian Ensemble we’ve made all these things happen and for me it’s the most exciting live project that I’ve ever put together.

Manu Delago Ensemble, Hidden Notes vol.1, September 2019 by James Styler

At the time of writing you are just about to embark on another tour with Bjork and you have also toured and worked with The Cinematic Orchestra and Ólafur Arnalds - do you find working with these artists gives you inspiration and ideas for your own compositions and work?

Yes, definitely. In general, I think all humans get affected by their immediate surroundings. If two people spend a lot of time together, they gradually become more similar to each other. I’m just trying to collect all those experiences and inspiration, but not draw too much from one direction. The artists that I work with are quite different and my own music is possibly somewhere in between, and hopefully unique.

For Parasol Peak you took the musicians on a mountaineering exhibition in the Alps to record some compositions in different locations and altitudes, are you planning anything equally as adventurous for the Circadian album?

Parasol Peak was a slightly insane project and I’m very glad everyone survived. The music then was specifically written to be performed and recorded at those extreme mountain locations. Now, Circadian is very much written to be performed on regular stages indoors, but with a large ensemble and lots of cool instruments that I collected on my travels around the world.

I know you have worked on soundtracks in the past, most notably on Robocop, are there any plans to work on future film soundtracks and what did you enjoy about the process of putting music to moving image?

I’m usually focusing on music for the sake of music, meaning that I write music for either performing it or recording it for my albums. Sometimes my recorded music gets used in films, dance performances or other art forms but it’s not really my priority to compose for other purposes. So currently I don’t have any plans, but if a very special opportunity comes my way, I’ve got open ears…

W: manudelago.com Label: indian.co.uk

Christopher Taylor is a creative producer in the advertising and marketing industry, also specialising in film and music presenting for TV and Radio. - weareaudiophiles.com