The Colorado connection

Manic Focus finds a second home of sorts in the Centennial State

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Chicago-based electro-soul producer Manic Focus is no stranger to the Colorado music scene. The man behind the moniker, John “JmaC” McCarten, has performed up and down the Front Range for years, headlining many of his own shows and collaborating with some of Colorado’s electro maestros such as GRiZ, SunSquabi and Late Night Radio. On Friday, April 14, Manic Focus will bring his own brand of glitched-out funky soul to Boulder Theater for the second leg of his Minds Rising album release tour.

It’s been two years since All Good Records (then Liberated Music) released Manic Focus’ last album, Cerebral Eclipse, which features big-name Colorado producers like Michael Menert (known for his work with Pretty Lights) and Dominic Lalli (saxophonist for Big Gigantic). Cerebral Eclipse won the hearts of soulful funk lovers and groovy electronic music heads from Manhattan to Los Angeles, and it has helped McCarten gather more than 71,000 monthly listeners on Spotify so far.

McCarten has fine-tuned his sound while becoming an expert at performing in front of large crowds such as those he encountered at Summer Camp Music Festival in Illinois and Shambhala Music Festival in British Columbia this past summer. During the last 24 months, he has been hard at work perfecting the soul-igniting tunes on his upcoming album Minds Rising, set to drop on April 21.

With the Boulder Theater performance acting as one of two official album release shows, fans can expect to hear a solid set of new cuts, as well as crowd favorites from the first LP.

But Minds Rising represents an evolution for McCarten as a 100-percent sample-free body of work.

“Everything was created and recorded specifically for these songs. For a lot of the material, I actually went into a studio in Chicago to record my friends, directing them to help shape the parts,” he says. “I feel like this naturally lead to a new approach when writing and finalizing the songs, with a good balance of both the electronic and organic sides of my music.”

While the album will no doubt find its way into heavy rotation among loyal Manic Focus fans, there’s no question that its blend of hip hop, funk and electronic soul will entice new listeners as well.

“The electro-soul movement is this unique realm in music today that really embraces the merging of old and new sounds,” McCarten says. “I feel like artists in the scene explore a wide spectrum of electronic possibilities without losing appreciation for the roots of music. To me, it’s both an evolution and a celebration of soulful and funky music of the past.”

And while McCarten’s music provides a head-bobbing soundtrack for any party or windows-down summer drive, he doesn’t lose sight of the power of music to speak to larger issues.

“Given everything going on in our country and in our world, music of today should be the positive force of change that the world needs,” he says. “Everyone making music is going to interpret that in a different way, but the creation overall is essential. Music and all other arts are tools of expression that the powers at large haven’t been able to take away. When used the right way, these tools can unite people and initiate real change.”

McCarten says collaborating with GriZ, Dominic Lalli and Michael Menert on his first album was “awesome and surreal,” as these are some of the artists that influenced him as he was dipping his toe in the water of the electro scene. Minds Rising gave McCarten the chance to work with yet another a clutch leaders in the new funk and hip hop movements: New Orleans four-piece Russ Liquid; rapper and fellow Chicagoan ProbCause; one-man glitch-hop hero Cory Wythe, aka Marvel Years; underground hip hop artist Psalm One; and Carlile, to name a few.

“Each one brought their own vibe and sound to the tracks, and as a producer, I fed off of that to round out the album,” McCarten says. “Also, it’s always an honor to make and perform music with the homies in Break Science. Borahm [Lee] and Adam [Deitch] have been in the game forever and are both big inspirations.”

Like many other touring artists looking to build their name and fan base, McCarten has made Colorado a regular stop on his tours. And it’s one he’s looking forward to as he prepares to release Minds Rising.

“Colorado has such a love for live music, in particular live electronic music,” he explains. “Everytime I come to play in the state, I’m overwhelmed by the energy and appreciation of the fans. They truly make me feel welcome just being myself on stage, which makes for some great shows all around.”

On the Bill: Manic Focus. 8 p.m. Friday, April 14, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. Boulder, 303-786-7030.