Mass Manipulation

Mass Manipulation is the debut studio album by Canadian electronic music producer Rezz. It was released on August 4, 2017, through Canadian record label Mau5trap. The album was released with four singles, a music video, and a world tour and gathered generally positive reviews. The album peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart on release. In 2018, Mass Manipulation won Electronic Album of the Year at the Juno Awards.

Mass Manipulation
Studio album by
Rezz
ReleasedAugust 4, 2017
Recorded2016–2017
GenreElectronic
Length27:38
LabelMau5trap
ProducerIsabelle Rezazadeh
Rezz chronology
Mass Manipulation
(2017)		 Certain Kind of Magic
(2018)
Singles from Mass Manipulation
  1. "Relax"
    Released: July 7, 2017
  2. "Diluted Brains"
    Released: July 14, 2017
  3. "Premonition"
    Released: July 21, 2017
  4. "Drugs!"
    Released: July 28, 2017

The album plays off of the idea of how heavily people consume through the media, curating how people think and dictating how people are supposed to live and behave. Its style has been described by online critics as inspired by science fiction and as the album's genre as 'industrial bass', 'dark house', and 'alien bass'. To promote the release of the album four singles were each released a week apart and an eponymous comic book was published a month after the release of the album.

Background and release

Rezz said that the inspiration for the album was "the current state of society and how easily some can be manipulated". When asked about her influences, she stated:

"We consume heavily through the media, which, in turn, tries to curate our thoughts and dictate how we as humans are supposed to live and behave. This album plays off this idea and invites people to become hypnotized, allowing their brains to be manipulated by my music in the hope they might see things through a new perspective (perhaps an outer world viewpoint). One where everyone is free from the unrealistic expectations planet earth has drawn for them. A world of acceptance and hypnosis."

— Rezz talking about the influences on her production of the album[1]

To promote Mass Manipulation, the album's four singles were released on the Friday of each week preceding its release.[2] Its lead single, "Relax", was released on July 7, 2017,[3] "Diluted Brains" on July 14,[4] "Premonition" on July 21,[5] and "Drugs!" on July 28.[6] On August 4, 2017, the album was released exclusively as a digital download on international digital stores through Mau5trap.[7]

After the album's official release, Rezz began her Mass Manipulation World Tour on September 2, 2017.[8] The tour began in The United States before heading into Asia, heading back into The United States before heading to Europe on November 22, with the tour concluding in Australia on January 4, 2018. It received support from various artists including BlackGummy, Bleep Bloop, Crywolf, Drezo, Dr. Fresch, Electric Mantis, Eprom, Haywyre, K?d, Mad Zach, No Mana, The M Machine, and Zeke Beats.[1][9]

To further promote the album's release, music videos for the first and third singles, "Relax" and "Premonition", were released on July 7 and 21, respectively, through Rezz's YouTube channel.[10][11] In September 2017, Rezz unveiled a 60-page comic book with the same name as the album and illustrated by Luis Colindres, who had previously animated the music video for "Premonition" and who had previously designed cover art for Rezz. The comic book follows Rezz as she arrives on Earth from Neptune, hypnotizing the people of Earth with her music.[11][5]

Critical reception

Mass Manipulation was well received by most critics. Writing for Billboard, Bryan Dellosa described the album as a sickly sci-fi journey and as an aural exploration, writing that there is "an ever-present sense of something sinister, like some monster lurking just on the periphery of your vision."[13] Reid Golden of Noiseporn wrote that Rezz had procured a sound that hadn't been exercised by anyone else, calling Rezz's signature song structure genius and saying that "there's a reason it worked so well for her."[12] EDM Identity's Tim Goth noted that although many of the tracks sounded similar and none of the tracks stood out, he felt that the album flowed together well and was easy to listen to repeatedly.[14] Writing for We Rave You, Andy Hackbarth praised the album, calling it a "pure masterpiece" and writing that the album exemplifies her "techno and bass blends that few artists can match."[15] Nest HQ's Molly Hankins noted that the album had an overall feeling of "something ominous lurking around every corner", writing that the album had revealed the "full capacity and scope" of Rezz's style.[16] Will McCarthy of Dancing Astronaut wrote that the album had put forth her "innate, authentic sound with greater strength and clarity than ever before in her career."[17]

Billboard placed the song "Drugs!" as the 38th best Dance/Electronic Songs of 2017.[18] Dancing Astronaut listed Rezz's Mass Manipulation Tour as one of the top five electronic music tours of 2017.[19] On February 7, 2018, The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for its 46th annual edition of the Juno Awards, among which it, was announced that Mass Manipulation was nominated for "Electronic Album of the Year".[20] On March 25, it was announced that Rezz had beat out Blue Hawaii, CRi, Dabin and Kid Koala to win the award.[21]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Relax"3:34
2."Diluted Brains"4:07
3."Premonition" (with knodis)4:34
4."Drugs!" (with 13)3:17
5."Livid"3:12
6."Green Gusher"2:57
7."Synesthesia"3:09
8."Ascension" (with Kotek)3:28
Total length:27:38

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[22] 16
US Top Heatseekers (Billboard)[22] 14
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[22] 30

Awards
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2018 Juno Awards Electronic Album of the Year Won [23]

Release history
CountryDateFormatLabel Ref.
Worldwide August 4, 2017 (2017-08-04)Digital downloadMau5trap [24]
October 7, 2017 (2017-10-07)Vinyl [25]
December 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)CD
gollark: Apparently the retinas also do edge detection stuff onboard.
gollark: And if you're running away from problems very fast, special ethical relativity.
gollark: For example, accurately handling your moral obligation to yourself (over short distances) requires quantum ethics.
gollark: It's obviously not a *complete* ethical system.
gollark: The inverse square law for moral obligation, obviously?

References
  1. "REZZ announces Mass Manipulation world tour". AXS. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  2. Iadarola, Alexander (July 5, 2017). "The Canadian producer's long-awaited record comes out August 4 on deadmau5's label". Thump (Vice). Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  3. Hankins, Moll (July 7, 2017). "Rezz Shares The First Track "Relax" Off Her Forthcoming Debut Album 'Mass Manipulation' - NEST HQ". Nest HQ. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  4. Meadow, Matthew (July 13, 2017). "PREMIERE: The 2nd Single From REZZ's Debut Album Is Finally Out". Your EDM. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  5. Bein, Kat (September 27, 2017). "REZZ Unveils 60-Page 'Mass Manipulation' Comic Book & Hypnotizing Animated Video For 'Premonition'". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  6. Harcourt, Ryan (July 28, 2017). "Rezz x 13 - DRUGS! - EDMTunes". EDMTunes. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  7. Babaoglu, Jim (August 4, 2017). "An In-Depth Break Down Of Rezz's 'Mass Manipulation'". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  8. Jacobs, Stevo (July 11, 2017). "REZZ Announces Mass Manipulation World Tour Dates and Locations". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  9. Bein, Kat (July 7, 2017). "REZZ Hypnotizes on 'Relax,' Announces Star-Studded Mass Manipulation Tour With The M Machine, Crywolf, No Mana, and More". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  10. Jow, Sydney Megan (July 7, 2017). "Video Premiere: Rezz's haunting debut album single 'Relax'". Mixmag. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  11. Powell, Karlie (September 27, 2017). "Rezz Shows Us What Neptune Is Like In Psychedelic Music Video". Your EDM. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  12. Golden, Reid (August 7, 2017). "REZZ Releases Unholy Beast of a Debut Album, 'Mass Manipulation'". Noiseporn. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  13. Bein, Kat (August 4, 2017). "REZZ' 'Mass Manipulation' Is a Sinister World of Sci-Fi Sounds: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  14. Goth, Tim (August 13, 2017). "Album Review || REZZ - Mass Manipulation". EDM Identity. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  15. "deadmau5's protégé REZZ drops epic debut album "Mass Manipulation" [Full Review]". We Rave You. August 5, 2017. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  16. Hankins, Molly (August 4, 2017). "REZZ's Fantastically Spooky Debut Album 'Mass Manipulation' Is Out Now - NEST HQ". Nest HQ. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  17. McCarthy, Will (August 4, 2017). "REZZ flouts convention and asserts her musical dominance in 'Mass Manipulation' [Interview + Album Review] - Dancing Astronaut". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  18. "Billboard's 50 Best Dance/Electronic Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 15, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  19. "Dancing Astronaut celebrates the top five tours of 2017". Dancing Astronaut. December 27, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  20. Fleisher, Grace (February 7, 2018). "Here are the dance nominations for the 2018 JUNO Awards". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  21. Yau, Jeffrey (March 26, 2018). "REZZ Just Won A Huge Award for Best Electronic Album of 2017". Your EDM. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  22. "Rezz - Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  23. McIntyre, Hugh (March 26, 2018). "Shawn Mendes And Gord Downie Top The 2018 Juno Award Winners List". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  24. Stevo, Jacobs (July 3, 2017). "REZZ Announces Her Debut Album 'Mass Manipulation'". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  25. Meadow, Matthew (October 6, 2017). "Cop Rezz's Debut Album on Super Limited Edition Vinyl or CD (Almost Sold Out)". Your EDM. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
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