One of our favourite releases of last year was the compilation released by Manic BB – an obscure label hailing from Glasgow, which also happens to be one of my favourite cities. Manic BB mostly exists on soundcloud, has an anti-commercial stance, and their hitrate on the mix series is astounding. Here’s an interview with Erin Hopes, who is the DJ and producer behind the label.
When and why did Manic BB begin?
It was about a year into my music journey and I was inspired by what some of my friends were doing with their collectives/labels. I felt I needed something behind me to solidify my legitimacy, which also acted as an outlet to expand my vision for underground music. The ethos started and remained to be all-encompassing, pushing boundaries whilst collaborating with unprecedented artists. The first releases consisted of BBPUTTIN, EMBALMER and Justine, which meant the music would already reach the other side of the globe.
Huffy Fibryyx kicked off the BB MIX series and this was really sweet for me, because she was one of the first artists that I had looked up to since before making music. I had been following her label, and she reached out to me to release Infinity Is Vast on Black Holes. So I’d say, if anything, I was largely inspired by her label – this sort of otherworldly effect.
Since before entering sound I’ve loved the use of soundcloud – I’d always be searching for tracks and I felt it was almost uncanny when the perfect song I needed to hear would show up on my feed, and this is something I took into consideration when starting Manic BB. This is why the tracks aren’t downloadable and why only select albums are on bandcamp – it wasn’t about getting the tracks the most listened to or played in clubs. I wanted to work with the algorithm, to suggest the tracks to the right audience. And if an individual really wants one of the tracks, they can ask for them, 9 times out of 10 I’ll send it (if I’ve seen the request).
It started off so small, mainly reaching out to artists who I had been in contact with and I’m grateful for them taking a risk and collaborating with me because really they got nothing from it essentially, but these steps were crucial in solidifying the image.
It would seem like there’s an excess of male club promoters in Scotland, within techno. How has this affected you and others who would potentially like to be a part of it?
I’m actually not sure what the case is because I’m really far removed from it. I think it’s correct that most of them are male but there’s actually a really grand queer community of DJs and promoters in Glasgow, which is something I’d like to be more involved in – in terms of actually playing at these events. I’ve only played in Glasgow/Scotland like 3 times and to be fair, two of those events were male promoters and the other one, Brutal Collective was run by females. I think it almost speaks for art as a whole, how historically, and even today it’s very male dominated. In terms of my journey, I didn’t really take into account that it might be harder for me because I had an element of delusion, and just a feeling that things would work out. On social media, I think I’m following more female producers and DJs than male so I guess it’s pretty inspiring that they’re bossing it.
For anyone trying to get into it, I’d just say be yourself and don’t put too much pressure on the end goal. I got into techno when I was around 17 and if I remember correctly, I was aware that it was largely male dominated but as times went on it’s pretty nice to see women artists working to make their dreams come true. I guess in an ideal world gender wouldn’t be a factor but again that speaks to a wider political and societal issue, not just in music.
You can tell that you follow many FLINTA producers on the compilation Mediative Absorption that you put out in 2024. Can you tell us about that one? Are there any plans for a second one?
I think the VA was my favourite thing about 2024. It was a particularly dark year for me since everything I had been avoiding about my life came to a boiling point. But I remember when Schlimme Musik sent me the masters: I was on my break at work and i burst out crying listening to them, because the project meant so much to me and it was such an honour to showcase the artists that I did. Felt so surreal.
So the term “mediative absorption” is actually used in buddhism, known as jhana, and it refers to deep and focused states of concentration which is achieved through meditation, so the VA was an ode to my own journey of meditation and how it induced healing in my life. We raised around £200 for the samaritans before I decided to stop donating due to my own experience with the helpline.
I’ve always faced suicidal tendencies and I think after 2022, I felt so hopeless in making an impact through art, but the VA was sort of a moment of appreciating the depths of the label and what it could achieve. It’s pretty inspiring having all those artists under the same release. I have no current plans of another VA but there will definitely be one. I’m just not sure when and I don’t know how I’m meant to top that one!
Is it intentional that you’ve kept Erin Hopes releases separate from Manic BB? I mean, your first record came out on Black Holes and then the two on Lost Domain. Would those even have come about if you’d not been asked?
I would say it’s pretty intentional, because Manic BB isn’t really about me, it’s more focused on the philosophy behind the music and putting a spotlight on other artists and building those relationships with them. Of course there’s a lot of “me” in the label since I’m behind it, and certainly the direction of it. But I just find it fun to be in connection with the artists and see how they can enhance the label or shape its trajectory, there’s very much an element of acceptance and flowing with the time. And by that say an artist doesn’t want to include something, I’ll never push to make the outcome suited to what I want.
I do have a couple of single releases on but I haven’t thought about doing anything bigger for it and say, if I was to release a vinyl or something it wouldn’t start with me. Infinity Is Vast and Ketnology I probably wouldn’t even have created, because they were specific to being asked to do something for those labels if you get me. Lucid Dreaming was a curation of my earlier self-releases. I think I just really enjoy sharing my own tracks to my soundcloud page but it’s always exciting when you’re asked to do it for a label.
You have another project called Assassin – how does that fit into the world of Erin Hopes and Manic BB?
I like to think of Assassin as its own entity – it’s a different existence I need to tap into, in order to create something by Assassin. The alias captures a moment in time for me when i was in “spiritual psychosis”, which came about in 2022 through stress and meditation, ironically. So maybe it does relate to Erin Hopes/Manic BB because that experience has deeply impacted me and it’s hard not to think about it daily. I wanted it to sound evil but the paradox is that the assassin is actually harmless (or is she??).
In the manic episode I had, I secretly adopted this persona that I would be an assassin for god. I would sign out all my writings on my laptop as “007” – it’s really comical looking back and I even started a manifesto for the new world. I guess when I was in this phase, I got a taste of what utopia would be like, even smelled it (pineapple and coconut). But I was also brought back to my truest essence, where for the first time ever I fell in love with my own self.
I guess the darker side of Assassin is when I had all of this freeing energy taken away from me, when I got locked up in hospital and the pain and grief that came with that. Maybe it’s actually more Erin Hopes-coded than I’ve even realised, because Assassin is hoping for a nicer world, even more so than what I am.
I kind of picture Assassin like Kanroji from Demon Slayer, whose special power is Love.
YES THAT’S EXACTLY THE VIBE.
Check out the latest release from the label, by Fukkfacee.
