The insectoid wonders of Mantis Oh aka Cari Lekebusch

(Please pardon me that the following excludes a lot of interdependent connections for the sake of readability: I hope to follow up on some unsaid tangents in the future.)

Second Life has had its ample share of musicians carrying varying fame-auras, with the “big names” tending to arrive for a show or two, then disappearing. They don’t actually live in this world; a guest appearance was all. And it’s disappointing too, when we realize there’s a growing wealth of talented live musicians who are dedicated to inworld communities on an ongoing basis. These Residents don’t just do one-off concerts; they’ve commitment which spans months, or even years. I prefer that sort of participation. (Yet, I still dream Wu-Tang Clan will make their SL debut.)

The crossroads of this observation is why I’m sharing: there’s a fantastic location called Hybrid Productions which stocks incredibly well-done sci-fi paraphernalia including, as my wife will gladly model, a mask resembling a cybernetic mantis.

It’s not just a store: it’s an experience. Special care has been paid to environmental audio (robotic voices, tonal drones) on a level that makes the unnecessary silence of some other storefronts feel negligent. And the place looked even more beautiful after I applied some custom environment settings.

It makes much sense, then, that the proprietor of this domain is Mantis Oh. His first-life identity is Cari Lekebusch, a dance music DJ I knew about before Second Life. He certainly isn’t a fly-by-nighter, and has put forth impressive effort in creating a unique inworld identity to accompany his music. Not just forgettable “branded goodies”, but content which rivals the best of what’s out there, which he made himself. I need to drive that point home, because creative control is key to a focused artistic vision. Way back, I heard of Cari being mentioned alongside Adam Beyer, another Swedish producer, and Beyer’s tracks had been on a Jeff Mills mix, which I’d jumped aboard in my course of studying 2nd-wave Detroit Techno. (Ah, those connections.)

Someone previously unacquainted might sensibly believe that Mantis/Cari is a visual artist first and foremost due to the cohesive texture themes, tasteful use of glow, angular architecture, and other cues which draw heady reminiscence to Blade Runner, Anarchy Online, and other cyberpunk sources, yet maintain a style all their own. The packaging is superb, and the products are quality. You can’t miss Mantis’ unique logos, either.

Even more impressive: Mantis has been making music videos and album artwork using Second Life. He also maintains a YouTube presence. This may not the first instance of such commitment by an artist who initially achieved prominence in the physical world, but it’s certainly promising.

For fresh inspiration and rewarding purchases, you can only go right here.

Special thanx to Hern Worsley and Morgan Kincess for the fun music player (with loops by Mantis) and additional info, respectively.

Tagged as: General, Inworld Exploring