by Andy Shih

Since he bought his first Mac more than a decade ago, Kurtis Mantronik has owned virtually every kind of Mac. He’s also discovered that the Macintosh has become a critical tool in overall creative process.

As a devotee of the virtual studio movement for the past five years, Kurtis has systematically reconfigured and downsized his studio so that other than a keyboard controller, he now produces with nothing but a top-of-the-line PowerBook. “It frees me from the studio,” he explains. “I no longer need to worry about outboard gear and patchbays, and since I take it everywhere I go, I can now create music whether I’m hanging out at home or touring in Europe.”

"The Powerbook frees me from the studio. I can now create music whether I'm hanging out at home or touring in Europe."

My Own One Man Band.“I always wanted to be in a band but couldn’t find any members so I decided to go out and get some electronic equipment …”

Creative renaissance After leaving Capitol Records in the early ‘90s, Kurtis retired from music for several years. By late 1996, however, Kurtis re-emerged and began to produce and record in earnest. Subsequent releases, such as “Burn the Elastic” EP (Sm:)e) and “Music for the Dusted” EP (Oxygen Music Works), re-established his relevance in a rapidly growing electronic dance music scene and introduced him to a new generation of groove lovers.

But it wasn’t until the 1998 album “I Sing the Body Electro” (Oxygen Music Works) — a coy play on the title of a Walt Whitman poem and a groundbreaking Weather Report album from the ‘70s — that Kurtis’ attempt at bridging the beat culture of the ‘80s with that of the ‘90s finally paid off. Reflecting the stylistic diversity of contemporary dance music, “I Sing the Body Electro” touched on everything from hip-hop to drum and bass. Yet sonically and thematically, it remains cohesive, united by the Mantronik sound — a sound that is precise, complex, and above all, funky.

Re-m-m-m-mixxx me Offers to remix other people’s music for the dance market soon followed, This included Future Sounds of London’s “We Have Explosives” (Virgin/Astralwerks), BT’s “Love, Peace and Grease” (Warner/Kinetic), Steve Reich’s “Drumming” (Nonesuch), Korn’s “Falling Away From Me” (Sony), and most recently, Shirley Bassey’s James Bond soundtrack classic “Diamonds Are Forever” (MCA). In addition, as befitting a self-described “technology freak,” Kurtis has since his reemergence ventured into producing and composing for media other than sound recording. Last year, for example, he produced and remixed the music from Acclaim Entertainment’s Sega Dreamcast title “Trickstyle.”

A geek with a good sense of rhythm

Kurtis is very vocal about his love for technology and considers his success partly due to staying “one step ahead of others in (music) production technology.” He has modestly described himself as “a geek with a good sense of rhythm,” and is able to chat with equal ease about the latest network technology or hip hop joint. He attributes his passion for music technology to a strong independent streak and the ability to control and manipulate every aspect of his work. “Since I can’t really play (an instrument),” he explains, “I play my gear like instruments.”

This natural affinity for technology has been repeatedly reinforced by professional experiences. For his first public performance at New York City’s Roxy nightclub in ’85, as one of the first if not the first producer ever to use a Roland 808 drum machine, he opened his set with a hit from the machine’s famous subsonic kick drum. “The crowd was silent for what seemed like a long time,” he recalls, “and you can see them wondering what the hell did they just hear. And all of a sudden, there was a roar of approval and I had them eating out of my hand from then on.”

"I love the Mac because it's intuitive and powerful. With my Powerbook, i can express myself anyway i want."

Always Mac

That and subsequent successes with cutting-edge music technology both in and out of the studio elevated Kurtis’ devotion to technology to that of an all-consuming passion. Instead of fellow music industry types, he often hangs out with coders and hardware junkies, discussing the latest programs and sound cards with the same fervor others reserve for sports or politics. Although he swears by his Mac and Logic Audio, his main arsenal of production firepower, Kurtis also maintains special synergistic relationships with many techie friends.

He frequently beta tests new peripherals and software and offers valuable feedback to developers in exchange for the opportunity to use these new technologies as “secret weapons” for staying ahead of the curve. “I love using cool new plug-ins or programs that no one has in my productions and watch people scratch their heads and wonder how I got that sound or programmed those beats,” he explains. “It’s basically like a DJ playing test pressings or rare records for that edge or one-upmanship.”

“I love the Mac because it’s intuitive and powerful,” he adds. “With my PowerBook, I can express myself anyway I want.” Indeed, when it comes to making music, the man is one with his machine.