Scribble Hearts

Song off "The Drive Home" Album by Manuvers & Yarlen feat. Induce.

Goodbye Reprise (Feat. Induce)

Trying Out

Track off of "The Drive Home" album feat. Jay Jo Hero on vocals (Ketchy Shuby)

Breaking Night (Feat. Jay Jo Hero)

Uptempo party music has its time and place—especially in a nightlife-centric city like Miami. But what about the trip back home at dawn, after the clubs let out? That’s the moment that MIA-based duo Manuvers & Yarlen have crafted a soundtrack for, with the evocatively-titled The Drive Home.

Blending influences from the ethereal electronica of Boards of Canada to the dreamy tropical soul of Sade and the leftfield bounce of J Dilla into one moody stew, Manuvers & Yarlen have crafted a release perfectly tailored for the moments when night turns to morning.

“A lot of the music is what I imagine you would listen to at night while driving from from the club around 3 or 4 and the highway is empty, and you’re just really focused,” Manuvers says. “It’s mood music more than anything.”

The beatmakers have known each other for years through the Miami music scene, but only recently began working together creatively. A native of Chile who came to live in Florida as a kid in the late ‘80s, Manuvers is well known in Miami, and increasingly the world, for DJ sets blending hip-hop with a deep soul and jazz influence. Formerly the head of indie rap label Counterflow Recordings, he has released a solo LP called Afluenza, an LP in Japan with his group Antennae (with vocalist Induce and rapper Stres), and produced tracks for legendary hip-hop/spoken word pioneers the Last Poets, as well as indie MCs like Dave Ghetto.

Yarlen, a daughter of Cuban parents, grew up listening to the homegrown Miami Bass music and Latin freestyle of her native city. A makeup artist by day, her musical background is primarily on the electronic side of things, having worked with electro provocateur Otto Von Schirach and Miami Bass legend Scratch D of Dynamix II, as well as rappers M. Sayyid of Antipop Consortium and Ras Kass.

“I'm an Aquarius, and us Aquarians love science and technology, so I think that’s why being able to make music on my computer feels natural to me,” Yarlen says. Speaking on his impulses as a beatmaker, Manuvers explains:  “I’m very nocturnal so a lot of my music reflects that. I’ll go bike riding at 2 or 3 in the morning, just cruising around.”

The first track the pair made together was a one-off called “Hit Her With the One Two.” When Manuvers was approached by Chilean Internet label Discos Pegaos about releasing music, he tapped Yarlen to collaborate on more tunes, eventually leading to a seven-song, download-only EP in Chile, also called The Drive Home, in 2012.

“Pancho is a little older than I am and has always been one of my favorite DJs in Miami, so I've always looked up to him when it comes to music,” Yarlen says, of coming together creatively with her long-time friend. “Getting the opportunity to work with him is amazing for me, I learn from him and admire his taste and creativity.”

After receiving positive feedback from The Drive Home EP, Manuvers and Yarlen decided to add two more songs and release it as a proper full-length in the States, through Manuvers’ boutique Piugilista Trading label. The LP version of The Drive Home boasts a mixture of instrumentals and vocal tracks featuring familiar Miami names such as Induce, J Nics and Jay Jo Hero of the band Ketchy Shuby (who contributes vocals to two tracks, including well-received lead single “Scribble Hearts”).

“Manuvers and I both have really different styles and sounds, so I'm really happy with what we created,” Yarlen says of The Drive Home. “I can't think of anyone doing anything similar in Miami.”

Next, the duo plan to develop a live show for the project, and take it on the road. And a second LP is likely not far behind. 

A void in the soundscape of Miami and beyond has officially been filled. The drive home now has its soundtrack.


Manuvers & Yarlen

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