Something Wicked This Way Comes
A fresh breeze is flowing over Brisbane. It has all the subtleties of a zephyr, the determination and strength of a gale and the concentration of a tempest. Refreshing us with pentatonic harmonies, abstract understated melodies, hypnotic beats and gleaming musicality, electronica trio, My Ninja Lover are here to rejuvenate Brisbane’s live music scene.

Staking out the situation
Uniting the luminous talents of delightful songbird Manta (derived from Samantha) Ray, Chris Buckridge on bass and Porl DeVille on anything that looks vaguely string oriented (being guitars and keys), My Ninja Lover was launched on Australia Day of this year. With all the impetus of a whirlwind, this new and innovative trio are certainly creating waves. Taking out the prize for Nokia’s Terminal 9 Connecting Beats competition which culminated in a trip to London, the chance for a fully mastered EP, and gigs for Terminal 9, My Ninja Lover can say they haven’t even reached their first birthday yet. With connections to such high profile acts like Jamiroquai, Ben Harper, Hybrid, Moby and so many more, this electronica trio are quickly establishing a reputable name for themselves and Brisbane.

But this is not necessarily a result of providence or chance. The members of My Ninja Lover draw upon their collected willpower and past musical experiences to lay solid foundations for something they believe they have been working towards all their musical lives.

The Ninjas
To witness their show is to perceive the stuff of legends. Manta Ray as frontline singer, of course garners the majority of attention, her Mediterranean womanly beauty a refreshing change to the inveterate and monotonous girly images effecting our television screens; her sublime voice a seductive siren call to those prone to vulnerability. Truly, to watch her sing is to lay your heart before the Gods. Her vocals, from high pitched wails to satiated low notes, cover the musical spectrum with apparent ease. As an observer, you will understand the flair she exudes as she braces her entire body for seemingly impossible notes.
Porl has been learning violin and piano since the tender age of six. His musical roots lie in the Classical arena, but at the age of 17, he entered a phase of rebellion. Much of it may have to do with his decision to move to Mackay to attend the Mackay Conservatorium, but Porly articulates that “I did more partying than studying”. “Of course,” I reply, as if he is mad. “That’s the life of a student! Party and Pass!” “Sure,” he replies, “but I really wanted to explore other avenues to my musicality.  I thought if I got away from Brisbane, perhaps headed to somewhere else..” “Like Mackay?” I interrupt, skeptical.  ”Yeh, I thought Mackay would be great for me to grow as a musician… but that was not the place for me. Id already spent enough of my life adhering to the Classical traditions” Porl shrugs. “I wanted to follow my own path. I returned to Brisbane in ‘92. And somewhere along the way, I moved in with Chris. We performed together in an act called Trace Elements” “We knew each other from school” Chris says. Chris is a very unassuming fellow. He sits back, allowing us bossy boots to say what we have to say. To me, he appears a Renaissance Man – serene in nature, but I suspect a go-getter when on his own; the quintessential quiet achiever. He cites his influences as early 90s acts like Primus. “The early 90s contemporary stuff .. you know.. jazz/alternative/rock” he states. “I met Porl when I was doing retail in the City,” Manta smiles. “I don’t really know how we all got together.. it was just luck I guess.”

“We’re Family”
We have only just sat down. I object because I find myself facing all three of them as I sit alone on my side of the booth. Chris promptly slides around and joins me. Flanked by the encouraging presence of Chris, Manta and Porly, you can not help but be welcomed into their world and share in the close knit unit they are.

“We’re family” Porly affirms. It’s only midday, but I’ve started everyone on a round of alcoholic beverages at The Pavillion in West End, though Porly may well be feeling congenial because he has just won a couple of games of pool. Both Chris and Manta concur emphatically. “It IS like a family,” Manta nods. “Very” I hear in the background from Chris. “It’s all about communication” Porly interjects. “Yes, we have healthy discussions,” Manta replies. “Very,” I hear again in the background from Chris.

“We have to have that communication in order to respond to each other on stage,” Manta outlines. “When you’re on stage with these guys, and there’s a peak; say, a huge response from an audience to a song… and you’re looking to these guys – Are you feeling it? I’m feeling it! Aargh! Like that! Because its just SO fucking cool to be there!” Manta dissolves into laughter as Paul adds “Yeh. It’s just awesome”. “I like looking at it from different perspectives. When I’m on the stage, I could be looking over to Chris; looking out at the audience and seeing them react to Sam – its like being in an orchestra. It’s really important to be aware.” Chris manages a word in: “Looking at the audience  ... that’s where you get most of your energy from. People are firing it back at you”. I have to be especially attentive to Chris, because his gentle and tranquil nature is easily overwhelmed by our garrulous personalities. Manta interposes that “One of Ninja Lover’s first gigs had no crowds. We were playing with this amazing band from Perth and no one was in the audience. We still did alright” “Paid practice” I laugh. Chris manages a few words in: “With three people, we still manage to circulate the energy – we turn a bit towards each other and feed off each other.”

“Who Doesn’t Love a Ninja?”
Lady Lex: Why the name My Ninja Lover?
Porl: Why not?
Lady Lex: Well.. sure why not, but where has it come from? Because to me, a ninja is a rather stealthy violent character … with an appeal to a wide demographic sure, but a particular one all the same.
Manta: Who doesn’t love a Ninja?
Chris: It’s an angry thing.
Porl: The reason I say, why not, is that it’s very difficult to pinpoint what we vibed off that day. It’s something Sam started singing – we were just in a jam session and she started singing this freeform stuff – and the words that came out…. We were looking through the stuff Id written and the words My Ninja Lover were there. We just pointed at it and said – That’s it!
Lady Lex: That’s a very David Bowie technique.
Porl: Well there you go.
Manta: We love David Bowie.
Porl: I love David Bowie.
Manta: Yes he does.
Porl: It’s a bit kinky really (referring back to Ninjas).
Lady Lex: Everyone loves a Ninja. ITM loves a Ninja. It’s a very cool name.

“It’s Collaborative”
Lady Lex: You mentioned that you write the stuff from your jam sessions down?
Porl: Yes. I write down everything. I have pages and pages of stuff. We have a big jam session, play on keyboards and record everything that we can. We compress it and get all the golden moments out of it. It’s not just Chris writing something and us writing stuff over the top. We’re all bringing stuff to the bowl and then putting it on the table. It’s like a gambling game.
Manta: It does come from the personality that’s within the song. In many ways, that’s how I write. If the piece of music is already there, then there’s already a personality or a mood within the piece.”
Pause.
Manta: Or I write it then it gets to a point where it s actually a tangible piece of music. Then I start to think about vocal tones and message, theme, song…
Chris: There are songs where they are outlined with definite ideas. Every song has its own story as to how it came about.
Porl: Whatever works
Manta: It’s collaborative.
Chris: It comes down to that sense of family.
Lady Lex: You guys must really trust each other. That must help on stage.
Porl: Safety in numbers.
Manta: We love what we do. We’re proud of the music we create. And out of that confidence comes the ability to be able to share it with other people. You take a risk – they either love it or they hate it. But that’s cool. We love it first. We’re not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. That’s cool.
Chris: We don’t intentionally target certain people.
Porl: We’re putting it out there. This is the closes thing musically that I’ve always wanted to put out; especially our upcoming EP. It’s what I’ve been personally building up to. I’m really proud of it. We’ve got it – and it sounds fantastic!
Chris: mmm. With every single tune on it – there are no regrets.
Manta: To move into something that’s close to the style that we want to be involved in and performing is what this band is. We’re actually feeling even more confident, more comfortable in ourselves, more at home and really enjoying the energy this band has. It’s really exciting to think the evolution of our musical selves comes this far – and it’s exactly where we want to be.
Chris: The roots run deep.
Porl: With Zephyr Timbre (Porl and Manta’s last collaboration), things accelerated very quickly. But not as quickly as My Ninja Lover. That’s been really full on. We’ve had a lot of luck –
Lady Lex (interrupts): – You make your own luck –
Porl: – but your experience and your credibility comes before you. You’ve established your path before you actually travel it.
Lady Lex: Was the way paved for you guys?
Chris: Possibly. At the end of the day, people don’t often get chances and we’ve managed to come out on top. You work as hard as you can. Lots of bands out there work hard, but you do what you do, and maybe, luck will find its way to you. We’d love to tour again. Getting the music out there – getting to that level
Manta: We’ve got a great live show – our strongest seat. I would hope we would be successful. Going out there and playing is gonna be the tell all..
Lady Lex: Whats more important – Quality Music or being well known?
Porl: We can have both! Quality music and being confident with your music is what’s really important. If you really are with the song, the music you play, its gonna show up in the playing

Silk and Daggers
Lady Lex: Chris, did you mention something about an EP?
Chris: Yeh – Our new EP will be ready for release very soon: Silk and Daggers. It’s the most satisfying piece of work I’ve worked on.
Porl: We’ve worked on. Our music is Korg/Triton based. The colours are amazing.
Lady Lex: Yes I had already figured you for as a ‘colours man’. Its quite prominent in your music.
Manta: There are so many tunes on there that just work out so well. Wait until you hear it!

And thus as a consequence, after a mission to Chris’ abode (and a quick snoop through their studio), I find in my hot little hands a newly burnt copy of the EP Silk and Daggers, due for release through Creative Vibes and including remixes by Qubism and Bumperscuffs. It is certainly one amazing example of quality music. My first thoughts when I heard the EP was that it was a perfect rendition of Ghost in the Machine. But as you delve deeper into the shadows that flank My Ninja Lover, it remains incredibly unique. Manta’s voice is penetrating and sublime, alternating between a voice that one may associate with an impressionably young Asian girl, and the knowing and shrewd acuteness of a strong woman. The Triton and Korg keys offset by well integrated guitar chords prove a delight in shade and shadow and Chris’ production techniques are superlative, as are his determined and indomitable bass lines. Whilst the harmonies and chord structures are at times pentatonic based (those ‘chinese sounding’ notes!), and therefore may elude to Japanese anime, the rock based, classical and jazz treated sounds are sure to grip you by the heartstrings. There is no comparison however (as Manta points out) to their live show. Whilst the EP is excellent in portraying the incredible talents of this trio, the EP is merely a two dimensional idea of My Ninja Lover. The live energy is that missing third dimension from the EP. You will be enthralled. You will be spellbound. You will be captured.

My Ninja Lover will be performing at The Press Club, Brisbane, Sunday November 27 from 9pm. Traverse to their site at http://www.myninjalover.com for a sneak peak of their EP.