Mellow-D (Jaakko Manninen)

Finnish tracker who co-founded the five-musicians with necros in March 1995 — the "virtual band" was his idea — and who tracks entirely by ear. He has no interview of his own in the traxweekly archive; the sources are the FM group interview and the mentions in other people's interviews (sources: s-tw003-interview-five-musicians, s-tw013-interview-big-jim and the others listed below).

Facts#

• Jaakko Manninen, 18 in March 1995, a net admin in Finland; in KFMF (kosmic), S!P, HDC and a band; left KFMF for lack of time when FM formed (source: s-tw003-interview-five-musicians).
• FM's origin: he and Necros wanted "a new music group with just a few people in it (to control everything easier)" and asked big-jim and basehead; in Big Jim's account he met Mellow-D on IRC and weeks later Mellow-D "had this new idea for a 'virtual band'" and asked him in; a co-op started by Mellow-D was in progress in June 1995 (sources: s-tw003-interview-five-musicians, s-tw013-interview-big-jim).
• Speciality "the non-theory side" — everything by ear, no training; the group's favourites of his songs are Fast Charger 2, Essence, Dawn of the Child, Ruskeaa and Algebra; his advice: "Don't take the scene too serious. Nothing you do in it will harm you in real life." (source: s-tw003-interview-five-musicians). With maelcum he is one of the early TraxWeekly voices for whom theory is optional (source: s-tw014-interview-pinion; see tracking-workflow).
• Admired by Chuck Biscuits for composition and riffs (source: s-tw003-interview-chuck-biscuits); a favourite of Big Jim (source: s-tw013-interview-big-jim); in balrog's PC dream team (source: s-tw042-interview-balrog); thanked by quantam-porcupine (source: s-tw054-interview-quantam-porcupine); mrdata's listener's guide (March 1996) recommends "stuff by Leviathan, Heatbeat, or Mellow-D for best results" (source: s-tw051-how-to-listen-to-tracked-music); khyron (1997): "a sound all to his own.. no one else tracks just like him" (source: s-tw111-interview-khyron).
• Overrated to vegas (June 1996) and "VASTLY underrated" to ryan-sprott a month later — "bashing basehead and mellow-d has become what bashing pm and skaven was... people are just jealous" (sources: s-tw062-interview-vegas, s-tw063-interview-ryan-sprott).
• At The Party 5 (December 1995) with Necros, where liam-the-lemming met them (source: s-tw066-interview-liam-the-lemming).

Related#

five-musicians · necros · basehead · big-jim · kosmic · tracking-workflow

Sources#

s-tw003-interview-five-musicians · s-tw003-interview-chuck-biscuits · s-tw013-interview-big-jim · s-tw014-interview-pinion · s-tw042-interview-balrog · s-tw051-how-to-listen-to-tracked-music · s-tw054-interview-quantam-porcupine · s-tw062-interview-vegas · s-tw063-interview-ryan-sprott · s-tw066-interview-liam-the-lemming · s-tw111-interview-khyron