The Man Comes Around

That’s hot? Electro-meets-rock-meets-punk-meets-house, dummy. What’s not? Ice cream. But that’s another story. The sound of mid-2003/early 2004 (depending on how damn hip you thought you were) is now ubiquitous – from The Rapture’s indie disco staple ‘House Of The Jealous Lovers’ to WhoMadeWho’s barnstorming pop covers, to the DFA megabucks deal with EMI (£300k for our label and album? Yes please!).

But – there’s always a but – it’s been around for a bit longer than that really. Well, quite a bit longer if you include Talking Heads, Gang Of Four et al, but you know what we mean. And if history experts in the future ever get caught up in a row over what was the record that heralded the arrival of the new sound, Headman’s 2001 release It Rough will probably be in with more than a shout.
Headman, aka Manhead, aka Robi Insinna, released It Rough on the Gomma label to quiet acclaim. Looking back, Robi admits that it was “ahead of its time” and reckons people would “get it better” now. Its blend of edgy electro, lo-fi rock and retro hip hop elements sounds just as innovative in today’s climate as it did then.
In a way, Robi borrows – ideologically at least – from some of the elements of hip hop. His releases are accompanied by his simple, almost graffiti-inspired paintings of random faces. But we mustn’t get too caught up in idle theorising.
“I don’t over-intellectualise my work,” says the 32-year-old. “I want it to be accessible, even if it isn’t commercial. Painting is a visual explanation of my music – there’s a parallel, but I’m not going to make a tune, then do a painting to match it.”
Since that release, he’s been busy. Apart from his art, he’s found the time to release another Headman album, a cracking compilation of nouveau disco, Dance Moderne and a slew of remixes, most notably Franz Ferdinand, Annie, Radio 4 and Mylo. Which brings us nicely up to date – his new album, under his Manhead guise, is in your shops right now. A man of few words, Robi informs us that he’s been working on this LP “since I finished the last one”. Right. How do they differ?
“Manhead is more electronic/disco/Balerica while Headman is more band-like, with live bass and live-sounding drums. It’s like my imaginary band!”
The new album is indeed like a dancier version of his earlier work – you can hear Kraftwerk in the mix (“for sure they are an influence – but also Yello and Grauzone”) alongside the disco/punk/funk. Also included is last year’s mini-anthem, ‘Birth School Work Death’. If you haven’t been paying attention, buy this record to keep up, ok?
How does he feel about getting lumped in with the new‚ DFA-led scene?
“Well, you can’t stop hypes or trends really. I just hope it isn’t overkill. After a while people might get bored of it – certainly if it starts to become homogenic, the potential for it to get boring is quite big. I try constantly to evolve.”
How did the remix of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Matinee’ come about?
“They asked me before the ‘Take Me Out’ single was released and I really liked it! Franz Ferdinand is really important for today’s music. They show that good music can be successful and still have integrity. I hope that makes the major labels realise that people want to hear good music and not only crap fake manufactured pop.”

Manhead’s self-titled album is out now.