Despite operating in the notoriously difficult sphere of industrial music, Bruno De Angelis' Mana ERG project showed the potential for crafting songs fit for the mainstream, or as it sometimes referred to: "doing a Depeche Mode". None of the three songs on the 'Red Dust' EP could be called "pop"; each song hovers around the five-minute mark. Nevertheless there are definitely signs that De Angelis wants acceptance beyond the niche following normally associated with named influences like Clock DVA and Recoil. Lead track 'The Ditch' sensibly re-uses the vocal skills of Deborah Roberts to offset De Angelis' more clinical delivery whilst 'EA 1729' and 'Living Room' are backed up by some insidious synth melodies to balance the anxious lyrics ("Switch off those dazzling lights. My nerves are shattered"). There's still a question of whether this kind of music is marketable nowadays but with The Sneaker Pimps missing in action again, Mana ERG might receive the exposure De Angelis appears to crave.
Despite operating in the notoriously difficult sphere of industrial music, Bruno De Angelis' Mana ERG project showed the potential for crafting songs fit for the mainstream, or as it sometimes referred to: "doing a Depeche Mode". None of the three songs on the 'Red Dust' EP could be called "pop"; each song hovers around the five-minute mark. Nevertheless there are definitely signs that De Angelis wants acceptance beyond the niche following normally associated with named influences like Clock DVA and Recoil. Lead track 'The Ditch' sensibly re-uses the vocal skills of Deborah Roberts to offset De Angelis' more clinical delivery whilst 'EA 1729' and 'Living Room' are backed up by some insidious synth melodies to balance the anxious lyrics ("Switch off those dazzling lights. My nerves are shattered"). There's still a question of whether this kind of music is marketable nowadays but with The Sneaker Pimps missing in action again, Mana ERG might receive the exposure De Angelis appears to crave.
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