Manel De Aguas contributes to our Top 5 series by selecting songs that discuss technology as a vital element of the artist’s existence and abilities, embodying one interpretation of a cyborg. He also chooses tracks that convey a non-human perspective (even if created by humans), rendering them distinctly posthuman or transspecies.
Manel De Aguas, born in 1996 in Barcelona, first gained attention in 2020 after creating a unique cybernetic sensory organ called Weather Fins. These implants, placed on each side of his head, allow him to sense changes in the atmosphere through sound. His project is part of the avant-garde Barcelona art movement known as ‘Cyborg Art.’ He began this journey in 2017 with the support of the Cyborg Foundation, established by artists Neil Harbisson and Moon Ribas to promote cyborg rights and the artistic movement. Since then, Manel has been adding new cybernetic parts to his body to enhance his perception of reality and better connect with nature. He currently has cybernetic fins that create a soundscape in his mind, matching the changing weather conditions around him.
Alongside his technological exploration, Manel has ventured into music and performance to share his cyborg experience. Some of his projects include Cyborg Music I: Winter 2020, an ambient piece that translates the weather in Barcelona during winter 2020 into sound, and Diving In The Club, a club anthem reflecting his experiences in nightclubs with his cybernetic enhancements. Now, Manel has released his first album, Transcending Species, featuring 11 self-produced tracks. It tells the story of his cyborg journey through hyperpop and trance sounds generated by his Weather Fins. Written and recorded between 2020 and 2023, the album involved collaboration with sound engineer Leonard de Leonard for mixing and mastering.
1. Wanna Be A Software’ by Grimes
“I love how directly Grimes expresses her desire to transcend into something entirely digital in this track. While this wouldn’t be my personal approach to transcending through technology, I’ve always admired Grimes’ ethereal pop style, and I love that she’s been exploring cyborg themes in her latest music.”
2. ‘Electroworld’ by Perfume
“It’s hard not to mention these J-Pop icons. Perfume’s songs and aesthetics are deeply infused with futurist references, and their sound has had a major influence on my own. In this particular track, they tell the story of transcending into a digital world where anything is possible.”
3. ‘Humansongs’ by VOCALOID6 Po-uta (Porter Robinson)
“Porter Robinson’s musical journey is rich with themes of humanized machines and virtual selfhood – his side project is even called Virtual Self. After years of using the iconic VOCALOID voice bank to produce songs, he’s become a VOCALOID voice himself, and in this song, he gives voice to an AI that kind of wishes to be human.”
4. ‘Galore’ by Oklou
“To me, Oklou’s sound feels like classical and electronic music dancing a ballad together. In Galore, she beautifully captures how our society is already showing signs of a cyborg state: seeing our phones and the internet as extensions of our human abilities.”
5. ‘Harvest Heartbreak’ by horsegiirL
“What can I say? This is just awesome. HorsegiirL is an artist who fully embraces her identity as a horse – a horse with human-like behaviours but who speaks from a horse’s perspective. It’s undeniably transspecies, posthuman and slay.”
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Manel De Aguas – Transcending Species is out now
