Electric wire brushes

Myele Manzanza holds down the drum seat for Electric Wire Hustle. His debut album is out Feb 17, here's a free taster...





Press blurb: "The musically prolific Myele Manzanza has not only held down the drums as part of Wellington’s Electric Wire Hustle for the past 4 years but has also drummed for Olmecha Supreme, Sheba Williams, The Recloose Live Band, The Jonathan Crayford Trio as well as for his father – Sam Manzanza’s Rhythm Africa Band & countless other musical projects.

Myele only started playing drum kit at age 14 but has been hand drumming traditional African rhythms with his father Sam Manzanza from a young age.

“Growing up music and rhythm was all around me and I understood it from a very early age. Through my father I learnt the language of the drum probably at the same time as I learnt to talk! My dad was one of the first Africans to perform traditional African & High Life music live in New Zealand & he has been a tremendous influence & inspiration on my career as a musician.” says Myele.

In 2010 Myele was the only New Zealander selected to participate in the Red Bull Music Academy in London. The rest of 2010 was spent living between Berlin & New York & touring with Electric Wire Hustle with laptop in hand. The fertile breeding ground of creativity of these cities provided the musical inspiration to put together his first album aptly titled One.

“This album was a challenge to myself to broaden my own musical identity as a musician.” he says.

The guest features on ‘One’ are a diverse bunch and include Myele’s own father, Congolese master percussionist and musician Sam Manzanza, NZ’s own Ladi 6, Bella Kalolo, Mara TK, Rachel Fraser & the unmistakable Mark de Clive Lowe on keys. International guests include Charlie K from Philadelphia Hip Hop group ‘Writtenhouse’,Canadian vocalist Amenta and James Wylie’s Boston based woodwind section.



See Myele Manzanza and the Estobahn Eclectic featuring Bella Kalolo, Rachel Fraser  -
10 February – San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington
23 February – Ponsonby Social Club, Auck­land