To Make Manifest

THE MUSIC AND THE MANTRA OF A MOVEMENT

"It is amazing how some music has a way of being timeless and impactful during different points in time, transcending the moment it was created and landing directly on the pulse of the current movement. ‘To Make Manifest’ is one of these songs, powerful in 2004 when it was released and now 16 years later it serves as a mantra for a nation in flux and in dire need of action. We spoke with Thavius on how his song has endured with relevance for so many years. What come from it was enlightenment on so many levels." - Jack M.

ALLIÉ: I was so excited when Jack introduced me to your music, specifically ‘To Make Manifest’. What inspired this?

THAVIUS: I mean, I guess it’s like a mantra… On the most basic level we create whatever reality we want. You think about things. It makes you start to act on certain things… Just on a basic ‘cause and efect’ level, your thoughts dictate your actions. Your actions dictate your reality. And you dictate all of that. So you are able to make manifest whatever you want. Going a bit beyond that, we’re creators ultimately. No matter what sort of religion you do or don’t believe in, we can make things out of nothing. You can make a song out of nothing. You can make a painting that didn’t exist and create a new visual thing that no one has seen before. In that sense, it’s the same kind of thing. We can dream these things, and make it real. We can make it tangible, but it’s all about putting actions behind your thoughts.

In the act of making and creating, you won’t be absorbing and consuming all the b.s. that might lead you down a path that’s not naturally yours.

JACK: A lot of people believe they are not racist. A lot of people believe racism doesn’t exist any more. What are your thoughts?

THAVIUS: That's the thing. You know, my true thoughts on all this go so far beyond this because ultimately the reason there's racism is because race exists. And race is made up. There’s no such thing as race, right, so all this division is based on something that’s been made up and that we've chosen to accept and just roll with and then deal with all the consequences of this made up concept. That's the root of the issue. We’re living in this made-up fantasy and we've all agreed to just go along with these arbitrary rules that don't mean anything. What is race? I'm not ‘black’. My skin's not black. I have black shirts and clothes over here. But I’ve taken on that label because why? Because someone put it on me. I never woke up and said, “Call me black.” But it's one of those things where if you say that in the wrong context to the wrong person at the wrong time it's like, “Oh you're not down with the cause.” Or you're not this and you're not that. I’ve experienced things on both sides, where it’s either you’re not black enough or you're whatever… It's a weird thing where I think the main issue is that there's just too much division and and there are too many eforts made to split and divide people along imaginary lines that don't really exist.

There's just too much division and and there are too many efforts made to split and divide people along imaginary lines that don't really exist.

Thavius Beck, an Ableton-certified trainer, electronic musician, producer and performer has worked with artists including Nine Inch Nails, Skylar Grey, Saul Williams, The Mars Volta and many more. He’s taught at Dubspot in NY and LA, and currently teaches at Electronic Music Collective and Noiselab. Follow Thavius on Instagram: @thaviusbeck