MANIK Names His Six Most Influential Classic Jams

Electronic dance music wunderkind MANIK (AKA Chris Manik) takes music very seriously. For one thing, he's a prolific producer with over a dozen records released on top labels like Ovum, Poker Flat, Hot Creations, and Culprit in just a few years.

But Manik is also a scholar of music. Literally. The music department of his alma mater, the State University of New York at Oneonta, even named him as a 2012-2013 Hall Of Fame inductee.

And MANIK's special area of musical study is the melting pot of diverse sounds he soaked up as a kid in his native New York City.

His 2011 long-player Armies of the Night on Ovum was a tribute to '70s cult classic film The Warriors, as well as an homage to the eclectic music styles that inform his own funked-out electronic fusion -- a blend of disco, house, electro and hip-hop influences.

So when Crossfade asked Manik to name the classic jams that most influenced him, it's no surprise he came back to us with a list including hip-hop legends like J Dilla and Notorious B.I.G., along with dance and electronica pioneers like Larry Levan and Tangerine Dream.



1. Gwen Guthrie's "Seventh Heaven" (Larry Levan 12-Inch Mix)
Hands-down my favorite disco track ever. Period. No excuses. Play like a champion. This has such an amazing Paradise Garage vibe to it -- I feel like I am actually there in 1983, with a room full of "members" in downtown Manhattan, while Larry is doing his thing.



2. Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy"
I know Biggie originally didn't even want to rhyme over this beat, but it became, in my opinion, the greatest hip-hop track of all time. The lyrics for sure inspired me to want to make it. And growing up in Queens, NYC, I was able to relate more than most people.



3. Tangerine Dream's "Love On A Real Train"
Amazing piece of art from these legends. That ARP, which I think is a Mono/Poly, is so filled with movement and emotion at the same time -- it fit the scene of this fantastic '80s flick perfectly on the dot.