MANIK is an American artist famed for his tracks on labels such as Ovum, Hot Creations, Anjunadeep and Culprit.

His next release is out now on Steve Bug’s label Sublease, and with it being a gritty acid house release we asked MANIK to share his top tips on getting the perfect acid sound for a trippy house track?

MANIK: 1. So I’m going to start us off being extra nerdy, and really dive into the technicality and mixing end of it. Always make sure your kick and bass are mono and side chain off each other. Think of it as sort of the roots of the tree, and everything else you add spatially and sonically will be the branches around it. Percussion or any extra synths you’ll add using stereo and using the pans or keeping them centre – whatever you want- but kick and bass should be sitting in the middle for dance tracks. If you want to make more experimental music and your goal is to be Burial or Moby then put a kick in an avant-garde place.

2. As far as creativity flow goes, I always keep listening to different tracks. Whether it’s older classic stuff, or the new stuff, whatever gets your juices going is a great advantage. I find myself opening old records from eras that I really enjoy to DJ, and just try and listen to what they did. Learn from the best.

3. There is no one answer to when a track is done. So, when you start doubting yourself because you are unable to finish tracks or questioning “is this good enough”, understand it is a very grey area and it is not black or white. In other words, you are your own gatekeeper so if you think it’s ready then go for it, if not, that is ok. Spend more time on it or get an extra pair of ears to help you decide. Don’t compare yourself to anybody else’s way of finishing tracks or how long it takes them to finish tracks. It is very amorphous and case by case.

Currently, I am using the SP 16 sampler drum machine from Pioneer and Dave Smith and absolutely loving the workflow.

You can pick of a copy of MANIK’s new release on Sublease from HERE