Man Power Makes Music And Plays It Too!

Creatively speaking, pinning down Geoff Kirkwood is a challenge. While best known as the man behind \\\'intergalactic house’ (Resident Advisor, 2018) alias Man Power, Kirkwood is as comfortable writing and presenting experimental symphonies, ambient hauntology and Audio Visual orchestral performances as Bed Wetter or delivering raucous kinetic Techno as MPX. For everything in between, he is Man Power.

The Man Power project initially emerged as an anonymous 2014 project via a succession of dark, chugging remixes, culminating with a debut EP on Correspondant. Conclusions were drawn, expectations set, and boundaries imposed. Never one to colour between the lines, though, Kirkwood has gone on to show the complete picture of his sonic and thematic breadth via output for the likes of DFA, SKINT, Hivern Discs and his lauded Me Me Me imprint. Although unburdened by the need to bow to genre conventions, there’s still a common emotional core through Kirkwood’s creations that, paired with a penchant for the cinematic and absurdist, makes him stand out from other eclectically inclined peers.

A contrarian nature also bleeds through Geoff’s approach to the music industry. His label Me Me Me has regularly shed its skin in terms of outlook, artists and methods, with only the steadfast goal of supporting his friends remaining intact. A subscription-based VALUE ‘label’ began in 2020 to circumvent the usual means of reaching audiences and avoid the growth demanded by the mechanics of the music ‘machine’, too. His latest ruse is to reverse the grubby trends of club-night promotion, with his Us & Them parties binning advance tickets, supporting regional talents, booking like-minded souls regardless of profile, and ditching branding obsessions all in favour of more equitable behaviour.