Meet Sean Manners

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Manners.

Hi Sean, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have loved music my whole life, but I guess it really all started when I was around 12 and started messing around in Garage Band, making beats and very basic “dubstep.” Once I got sorta good at that I pirated a copy of Logic Pro X and then upgraded to FL Studio around the end of High school. On top of this, I took drum lessons for a few years until my drum teacher passed away. I formed a few bands throughout middle school and high school, playing local shows in the small town I grew up in. One of my lifelong best friends who I formed a band with was into making music and DJing and had a fairly decent setup for live shows from his family’s Wedding DJ company, so I started getting into all of that. We would DJ weddings and he taught me the basics and also introduced me to Ableton Live and once I got better at it I just couldn’t put it down. Since we had all the equipment from weddings my friend and I started to put on shows in my hometown in Montana, getting local DJs to play. My other friend who lives in Boulder saw what I was doing and then showed me a small Ableton-certified school out of Denver called KMG and I decided to move to attend that with him and pursue my music further. I definitely have fallen in love with Denver and now I am living here, completely focused on making music and getting shows.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were definitely some struggles along the way, as I have had my own problems with mental health and addiction. I struggle with anxiety and depression and around the start of high school, I really started relying on drugs like opiates and xanax to get me through the days. I stopped caring so much about music, didn’t practice my drums or make beats as much and my relationships with my friends and family were on the rocks. I am happy to say now I am clean off of pills and have been putting all my energy and focus into music. If it weren’t for music I don’t know where I would be currently, or if I would even be alive.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a Producer and DJ who mainly makes Drum and Bass, halftime, and some Deep Dubstep, but I don’t really like limiting myself to one genre or style since I love pretty much all music. I love to DJ drum and bass the energy is unmatched, especially as a drummer myself. I am always trying to learn about new genres and recreating them in my own style, and taking what I learn to incorporate that into new music. Right now I have mainly been producing neuro Drum and bass and halftime. I am a huge fan of Wu Tang Clan and 90s rap in general so I try to incorporate that style into my music a lot of the time, making hip hop-styled beats using old samples. I love to DJ drum and bass the energy is unmatched, especially as a drummer myself.

I think my drumming and playing in bands sets me apart from some other DJs and producers, especially in how I approach writing a song.

How do you think about luck?
I would say luck has played a small part in what I have achieved so far. I think a philosopher once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Definitely have gotten lucky with my life and the opportunities I have access to and I am always grateful for that, but luck didn’t get me all the way to where I am today and I try not to rely on it. I am always working hard to learn more and push myself past my comfort zone.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smokeammusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smokeinthemornin
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/smokea_m
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/smokeam46
• Other: https://smokeam.bandcamp.com/ 

Image Credits
Daniel Johnson, Austin Garden, Eric Dunbar