For Manic Focus‘ third album, Cerebral Eclipse, the electro funk artist incorporated collaborations with artists and live instruments that made this particular album stand out from his previous works.

Cerebral Eclipse, set to release October 28 on the Liberated Music label, is a ten track record that has the familiar Manic Focus bass dance vibe, but uses samples of different genres to take listeners through a cosmic entrance of electronic funk.

The uptempo songs explore blues, Motown, jazz, hip-hop and rock while still keeping that signature funky flow that is Manic Focus.

“Bumpin’ in the Voodoo”, released October 7 as a single, has that sweet sax sound that can only be from Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic. With already over 42,000 plays on SoundCloud, the song provides an intro into this space adventure that is Cerebral Eclipse.

The kaleidoscope of infectious beats takes on a new meaning with “Life Goes On”, a collaboration with GRiZ that gives the feeling of walking on a downtown street on a sunny day.

Besides collaborating with Dominic, Manic Focus successfully samples Jimi Hendrix’s “I Don’t Live Today” in “Rooster”, keeping up with the exploration of genres through his sampling in this album. While sporadic and confusing at times, the samples mixed together in the tracks all carry the same aesthetic of the individual songs.

Though each song has a distinct groove and flavor, the songs tend to intertwine into one extended funk beat, fading in and out at times. Some songs stand out more than others, such as “Trail Blazin'”, which explores space through womps, soulful singing, and a drop at 1:54 that is by far the best on the album. 

Manic continues the soulful melodic texture of instrumental breakdowns in “Travelin’ On My Mind”, with scattered electronic vibes that somehow manage to flow together. 

“We Can Fly” concludes the album with a stellar landing from space; an almost feverish deep bass that brings the sound back down to Earth. 

The banjos, guitars, bass, and sax accents, combined with Manic Focus’ realms of producing samples, make for a finished product that should not disappoint Manic fans.