"I am Carl Kavorkian: rapper/vocalist/producer and (currently, the sole) member of MANIKINETER. I'm originally from West Chester, Pennsylvania and have been involved with music since seventh grade. I started writing raps because I thought I could do it better than MC Hammer; I started producing because I needed original stuff to rap on; I started screaming because it was fun as f**k. The idea of taking a canvas of complete silence and painting it with sound into whatever you want it to be or whatever it evolves into, is a liberating feeling. Here are three albums that had an impact on my production."

- Carl Kavorkian (MANIKINETER)


I. Redman - Dare Iz a Darkside (1994)

"If you close your eyes and listen to this, it really is like a journey through a f***ed up world. Even with the humor sprinkled throughout, it's a very moody album from front to finish. The skits tying the different stops together, the brooding, Funky basslines throughout, and the gritty Funk samples all come together as one and made listening to this album, an actual "experience." This tape stayed in the tape deck and brings back a ton of smoked-out memories."


II. Techno Animal - The Brotherhood of The Bomb (2001)

"This album was... loud. Like, you couldn't listen to it at your normal Rocking out volume, LOUD. You had to turn it down at least two notches, so you could still be aware there was a world around you. It was great! Songs stacked with a barrage of sounds I had never heard before, back when it came out. When I heard the first single, "We Can Rebuild You," it was one of those "yo, WTF is this?!?!" moments. The unabashed abrasiveness of the entire album stood out to me in a time when Hip-Hop was aggressive, but was still dialed back just a bit, sonically."


III. PsyOpus - Ideas of Reference (2004)

"Plain and simple, this album permanently skewed my whole outlook on music. Especially, Metal. After hearing it, I no longer could settle for average, safe, cookie-cutter music. I remember searching out a lot of Avant Garde and Math/Technical Metal for years. If I could nod my head steadily throughout, then, I wanted to hear it. Meshuggah suddenly made sense, after dismissing it on the first listen a year or two previously. The fact numerous people could sync up and play the strangest of time signatures amazed me (and still does.) This opened the door to seeking out music that challenges the listener. It also reinforced the just-go-ahead-and-do-it attitude, when second guessing where I really wanted to go with my music. Especially, towards screaming over Hip-Hop beats, which I had been toying with around 2002-03. I felt as though I could now fly my freak flag proudly. I credit hearing "Death, I" as a pivotal changing point in my attitude toward a lot of things in life and to not be ashamed of what I create. PS: I want to do a track with [guitarist] Chris Arp one day."

Fresh off a raucous Thursday night show at Everybody Hits Philadelphia with "FREAKED OUT AMERICAN LOSER" Juiceboxxx and Snake Boy Gang, Carl Kavorkian decided to sporadically unleash his second MANIKINETER EP, Missing, just hours before its scheduled Friday, November 17th release. As you may or may not know, MANIKINETER is the latest Experimental Noise-Rap/Punk side-project for Kavorkian. MANIKINETER is one of the most genuine, enjoyable "Rap-Rock"-minded projects in years and quite honestly, what Carl's making is light-years away from your typical Limp Bizkit and Lil' Wayne Rebirth types. It's something more along the lines of Kanye's Aggro-Rap magnum opus Yeezus with an added dash of Death Grips and Ministry. For his live MANIKINETER show, Carl Kavorkian generally rocks a leather execution's mask and sweat-drenched tank top and creates the frantic musical accompaniment live on his beat machine. Missing EP quickly enters the territory you would expect MANIKINETER's Mannequin Eater follow-up to veer into: slightly more beefed up beats, clean up production work, relevant lyrical content—Missing was created during the 2016 Presidential Election—multi-layered soundscapes, and just a more crisp sound, overall. You can tell that Carl Kavorkian is really coming into his own with MANIKINETER and while I still regularly bump his Mannequin Eater EP, this just seems like a more fully-realized version of what his vision was always meant to be! MANIKINETER's Missing EP is now available to stream or download on Bandcamp with additional multi-media packages including a cassette tape pre-order and one-of-a-kind 20x10" Missing Acrylic Painting rendered by Carl Kavorkian himself.