Bleep

Crosstown Rebels welcomes German-based duo Manqo to the fold this November with a standout release: Breaking Hearts. On remix duty is one of South Africa’s most esteemed musical exponents, Black Coffee, who makes a welcome return to the label.

Manqo are the mysterious duo that should never have existed. The result of a chance encounter combined with a creative impulse. Or as the word literally translates, an ‘imperfection’. A mistake. Two acquaintances who quickly realised that the result of their varied musical tastes and styles was a blend of soulful atmospheres and beats completely beyond the realms of their own expectation.

The near eight-minute original begins life as a subtly-building number, with warm pads opening into beautiful vocal tones. There’s an underlying groove to the piece, signifying the hallmark sound of the pairing, whilst shimmering hats undulate throughout. Black Coffee’s remix comes next. Retaining the ethereal qualities of the original, it epitomises the emotive, club-ready style with which he has become best known.

Manqo are swiftly establishing their presence across the international circuit. Their first release, Won’t Change, was a collaboration with Keinemusik mainstay Rampa and it went on to accumulate over three-hundred-thousand streams on Spotify. They caught the attention of Crosstown Rebels head Damian Lazarus soon after, with Breaking Hearts acting as the first of two EPs to be released on the label in the near future.