Manu Delago is an internationally renowned player of the handpan, a percussion instrument developed in the 21st century, working with iconic artists and ensembles such as Björk, Ólafur Arnalds, the Cinematic Orchestra or Anoushka Shankar.
Manu Delago has just returned from touring around the world as drummer and Hang player of the Icelandic singer Björk. The “masterful and sensitive musician“ (The Telegraph) has also performed and recorded as soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra and collaborated with various artists such as Anoushka Shankar, Shpongle, Bugge Wesseltoft or The Cinematic Orchestra.
His solo career began in 2007 when he uploaded a video onto Youtube in which he plays the Hang, a UFO-like hand-played sound sculpture. Now that video is the most popular Hang video in the internet and has been viewed more than 4 million times. Soon after, the “virtuoso on the Hang“ (The Times) formed his own band which has since played concerts
on fve continents.
For the new album the band 'Manu Delago Handmade' has teamed up with producer Mat Robertson (Björk, The Prodigy). The new material explores a vast array of sounds, rangin from sweet and delicate vocal lines with colourful Hang accompaniment, all the way through to chunky, electronic beats. The sound of the band is mature and well balanced, they have a real understanding of orchestration, moulding and continually changing the
texture to create a different sound world with each piece.
The live show of Manu Delago Handmade is a defnite must-see. The performance delicate and sophisticated, moving with ease between heavily rhythmic and free-fowing spherical sections. Each of the four performers takes on several instruments, displaying the great musical diversity of every member of the ensemble.
”amazing percussionist and Hang player” - Björk
“There was party time: drummer Manu Delago's orgiastic blast of percussion” - David Fricke, Rolling Stone
“What a non-stop affair of creativity, surprise, beauty, harmony, wit, art, invention, energy, entertainment” – Amanda Yensa Manor, Author & Journalist
Line up:
Isa Kurz – vocals, piano & violin
Philipp Moll – bass, synth & vocals
Chris Norz – drums, FX & light
Manu Delago – hang & drums
