What if music could allow us to rewrite the future?
Mandoki Soulmates puts this question at the heart of their latest acclaimed album, “A Memory Of Our Future,” which has attracted worldwide attention as a musical masterpiece, in Europe, particularly in the USA and UK. Fans and music press alike have hailed the album for carrying the flag for the future of Prog Rock through its timeless and socio-politically relevant musical messages conveyed in a super high-end audiophile format, in what band leader Leslie Mandoki calls, with a sly smile, “a revenge of the analog.”
After this summer’s simultaneous release of the new album and packed-house European concert successes with the full line-up of this “band of bandleaders” playing the album live, “A Memory Of Our Future, is receiving accolades for the compositional maturity of its songs, the virtuosity of the performances from Europe’s favorite supergroup of jazz-and prog-rock legends, as well as for the audiophile analog production with a deeply American feel, generating great enthusiasm from Stateside listeners.
After the successful launch of the album, Leslie Mandoki and his Soulmates have followed up with a burst of creative output, first with the movingly heartfelt video for the single “The Wanderer,” and now with the emotional, elegiac, “I Am Because You Are”.
The subject of the new video, “I Am Because You Are” is perhaps Mandoki‘s most personal song yet—a melodic meditation on aging and changing over the years. In the video, love, loss, and struggle are contrasted with the perseverance to stay by each other’s side and the intertwined existence as a developing entity. The video’s swirling dreamscapes of flashbacks and flashforwards combine to show the complexity of radical intensive love of life and to ask us to think about how we have become who we now consider ourselves to be — separately and together down the line through sunny and dark days.
“My life’s journey is a series of decisions, developments, and learning processes, and ‘I Am Because You Are‘ is a chronicle of one aspect—deep and meaningful encounters and crossroads with all that goes with them. Along the way I have founded a family—being a father is the most magnificent role of my life and my greatest responsibility, the most beautiful commitment.
I have always tried to give my children deep roots and strong wings so that when the time comes, they can realize themselves and live their own dreams. When they look back on their own lives, as I’ve done in ‘I Am Because You Are,’ my fondest hope is that they’ll feel, as I do, that despite the vagaries of life, it’s been worth it.”
Musically, “I Am Because You Are,” tells its story of self-reflection in singer-songwriter mode—something of a stylistic departure for the Soulmates, who are usually found more in the prog and jazz-rock world. Mandoki explains, “Such a personal, contemplative, and open-ended song like “I Am Because You Are” calls for more of a troubadour or wandering minstrel character—it’s a story told by a man of my time and my experience, and as the verses and choruses delve further into the pathos of reality because this is my utopia for realists, the production also blossoms into almost a sing-along, chorale style, bringing the listener into the story even more intimately. And as a band, it felt natural and gave us a chance to show our musical range in new ways, which is something we’re always looking for.”
Ultimately, Mandoki reflects, “This, and all my songs, are grounded in my autobiographical reflection, in which a panorama of life, music, and art has emerged from a tiny glimmer of hope—still to this day—all with the help of friends, family, colleagues and of course my Soulmates.”
On November 29, a strictly limited deluxe X-mas edition of the album “A Memory Of Our Future” was released worldwide on White X-mas Vinyl for the highest sound quality. Produced completely in the analog domain, audiophiles have lauded the production quality of “A Memory Of Our Future” , and coming shortly, the album will also be available on ¼” studio master tape for the ultimate analog audiophile experience.
This will be followed with the release of a full concert video experience, captured live during the summer tour with 16 cameras and high-end audio, the post-production for which was just wrapped up by Leslie Mandoki.
For bandleader Leslie Mandoki, this album is not just a collection of songs, but a musical manifesto for today’s world. “Every song has a special genesis,” he says, “because it’s not we composers and lyricists who write the songs, it’s life!” Some songs on “A Memory Of Our Future” clearly have autobiographical echoes.
Through the end of 2024 and in the first months of 2025, Mandoki Soulmates will be releasing more videos for songs from their current album, “A Memory Of Our Future.” Regular postings on the band’s YouTube channel during the fall/holiday season will include videos for new singles as well as new concert videos.
“A Memory Of Our Future” is characterized not only by its music but also by its profound philosophical and socio-political poetry. The album is a beacon of quality and artistic integrity that touches people worldwide. Fans and music critics praise the band’s commitment to exploring new avenues of expression while maintaining musical sophistication and richness of thought.
Leslie Mandoki states, “The wonderful thing about A Memory Of Our Future and this way of making music is that we can overcome the melancholy of current trying times together. Music also opens our eyes to the future and encourages positive thinking and optimism. That gives us strength and drives us forward, even in this challenging time of great divides we have to build the bridges and hold the torch in the dark.”
Thus, even after more than three decades, the Soulmates never tire of raising their voices: Says Mandoki, “We must not retreat, we must not bury our heads in the sand, otherwise we are heading for a future of dystopias. We need more courage to leave our comfort zones and stand up for what we believe is right and rebel against what we know is wrong—to fight against division, fake news, hatred, and hate speech and to stand up for truthfulness, intergenerational justice, and humanity!”
