No Mana
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No Mana | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jordan Orcaz |
| Origin | Southern California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels |
|
Jordan Orcaz,[1] known professionally as No Mana[1] is an electronic music producer and DJ based in Southern California.[2] Active under the No Mana alias since 2015, Orcaz has released music through deadmau5's mau5trap record label, issuing a succession of two-track EPs before his debut studio album Secret Level in 2020.[1] He subsequently signed to Monstercat, releasing his second studio album I Contain Flashing Images in 2024.[3] Known early in his career for an anonymous visual persona built around pixel art, Orcaz also produces his own cover artwork, music videos, and live audiovisual sets.[2][4]
Early life
Orcaz was raised in Mission Viejo, California, a city in Orange County. In an interview with Willy Joy Back-to-Back, he attributed his interest in music to his grandfather, who was a guitarist and singer who worked in vinyl mastering at Capitol Records and arranged his first piano lessons at around the age of six.[5]
In 2012, Orcaz began producing electronic music with a friend while in college pursuing computer science, but the partnership dissolved after a few months.[6] After getting a manager and income from producing music, he left his studies to pursue music full-time.[6]
Career
2015–2021: No Mana and mau5trap
In 2015, Orcaz signed with deadmau5's mau5trap label and released his debut EP 1UP, the first of 14 two-track EPs under the alias No Mana, followed by his first release Game Over EP in September 2016.[1] According to The Nocturnal Times, Game Over EP incorporated elements of progressive house, trance, bass music, and featured collaboration with Zashanell with guest vocals from Cafcat, Fader Lima, and Jessica Ess. No Mana was followed by appearances on deadmau5's Beats 1 radio programme and at festivals including Electric Daisy Carnival.[7] In April 2017, he performed a back-to-back set with BlackGummy for a mau5trap takeover of Mixmag's streamed concert series The Lab LA.[2]
No Mana released his debut studio album Secret Level in February 2020.[1] EDM journal Magnetic Magazine characterized No Mana as one of mau5trap's most prominent acts of recent years and described the record as "tracks that span from more downtempo, mellow melodic songs to big, heavy and gritty records".[8] Secret Level showcased Orcaz's progressive melodic style alongside 8-bit synthesiser textures and featured collaborations including the chiptune musician Chipzel on the title track and EDDIE on "Fragile Human"; Orcaz and EDDIE had previously worked together on "Untitled Forever" after meeting during EDDIE's trip to Southern California.[1][8] The album's release was accompanied by the "Secret Something Tour."[1] Orcaz has said that the momentum generated by Secret Level was curtailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
In 2021, No Mana curated Electromag, a 19-track compilation released on mau5trap that Magnetic Magazine described as an effort to capture the spirit of the late-2000s electro house era, which included contributions from artists including Wolfgang Gartner, James Egbert, and Tommy Trash alongside No Mana himself:Associated singles included "Can't Say No," a collaboration with Tommy Trash featuring Trash's own vocals, and "The Original," recorded with Wolfgang Gartner.[9][9][10][11] Orcaz's remix of "As the Rush Comes" track by the group Motorcycle received an official release on the Positiva label in December 2021 after the track became a regular fixture in his live sets.[4]
2022–present: Monstercat and I Contain Flashing Images
No Mana signed to Monstercat around September 2022 and debuted on the label with the single "Yesterday."[12][4] The following month he released a second Monstercat single, "Out of the Dark," a techno- and electro house-track that was later integrated into the video game Rocket League.[12] In 2022, No Mana completed a headlining tour of more than 20 dates titled "Loud Music. Flashing Images."[13]
On May 30, 2024, No Mana released his second studio album, I Contain Flashing Images, through Monstercat.[3][6] The 15-track album merged grungy techno with electro house and featured collaborations with SOFI and Feed Me.[3] Orcaz has said the album's title derived from a warning frame he had been required to attach to his video content, which he adopted as a permanent thematic component of his artistic identity.[3][6] The same year, Magnetic Magazine profiled the production of his Monstercat house track "City2City" as part of its "How It Was Made" series.[14]
Musical style and artistry
Orcaz has described his sound as rooted primarily in dance music from the period 2000–2010, with a particular affinity for trance and electro house from that era.[6] Mixmag characterised his music as harking back to early deadmau5, alternating between ethereal vocals and electro builds.[2] Writing for Magnetic Magazine in 2024, Will Vance praised an unusually cohesive union of sound, visual style, and aesthetic across his output and described his recent work as displaying a "swagger-filled maturity."[14] The Nocturnal Times described his sound as encompassing tech house, progressive, and classic trance,[10] while his later Monstercat releases incorporated grungy techno textures alongside those electro house foundations.[3] In discussing the electro house genre, Orcaz has articulated a goal of modernising rather than merely replicating the sound of a decade earlier, and of cultivating a networked community of producers working within that tradition.[4]
Early in his career, No Mana presented himself anonymously behind an 8-bit cartoon avatar rather than under his own identity.[2][7] Orcaz produces his own cover artwork, music videos, and live audiovisual sets using pixel art, working principally in the software Aseprite.[4] He has cited anime frame-blending animation techniques and the graphical styles of early Final Fantasy instalments as formative visual influences, and counts artists Kadabura and Paul Robertson among his contemporary inspirations; he has said his interest in pixel art dates to 2006.[4] In the studio, Orcaz has described working primarily within Ableton Live—including heavy use of its built-in sampler—with a production approach built around multi-layered kick drums and incremental sound design, and occasional use of Eurorack hardware modules.[15][6][14] For the I Contain Flashing Images sessions he has said he worked on ATC SCM25A studio monitors and Audeze LCD-X headphones.[6]
Personal life
Orcaz is based in Mission Viejo, California, having briefly relocated to Chula Vista, California in 2021 before returning.[5] In multiple interviews, he described himself as a "studio rat" who is most productive working from his own studio, and counts photography and video games among his hobbies; he has cited the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series and other Square Enix titles as influences on his visual work.[5][13][4]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Secret Level | 2020 | Mau5trap |
| I Contain Flashing Images | 2024 | Monstercat |
Compilation albums
- Electromag (2021), curated compilation[4]
Extended plays
- 1UP (2015, Mau5trap) — the first of fourteen two-track EPs released under the No Mana name[1]
- Game Over EP (2016, Mau5trap)[7]
Singles
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| "Lethargy" | 2016 | [7] |
| "Can't Say No" | 2021 | with Tommy Trash[10] |
| "The Original" | 2021 | with Wolfgang Gartner[11] |
| "Yesterday" | 2022 | Monstercat debut[4][12] |
| "Out of the Dark" | 2022 | [12] |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Sunkel, Cameron (February 15, 2020). "Mau5trap Artist No Mana Releases Debut Album, Secret Level". EDM. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lee, Valerie (April 26, 2017). "Mau5trap in The Lab LA with Feed Me and BlackGummy b2b No Mana". Mixmag. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Tryon, Oliver (May 29, 2024). "No Mana Delivers Grungy & Epic New Album 'I Contain Flashing Images'". CULTR. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 "Catching Up With Electro House Phenom No Mana | EDM Identity". September 5, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Willy Joy (host) (June 11, 2024). No Mana (Podcast). Back to Back. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Callwood, Brett (July 15, 2024). "Hit the Decks! It's Electro-house producer No Mana". Music Connection. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Anderson, Toni (September 11, 2016). "No Mana Releases 'Game Over EP' on mau5trap". The Nocturnal Times. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Middleton, Ryan (February 14, 2020). "The Director's Cut: No Mana – Secret Level". Magnetic Magazine. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Middleton, Ryan (October 1, 2021). "Liner Notes Track-By-Track Album Breakdown: No Mana Presents: Electromag [Mau5trap]". Magnetic Magazine. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 O'Keefe, Caroline (July 2, 2021). "No Mana & Tommy Trash "Can't Say No" to the Return of Electro House". The Nocturnal Times. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Marcano, Maria (August 3, 2021). "No Mana Recruits Wolfgang Gartner for Forthcoming Project with "The Original"". The Nocturnal Times. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Belbin, Carlie (October 6, 2022). "Techno and Electro House Intersect In No Mana's Stunning Single, "Out of the Dark"". EDM. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Brown, Christopher (January 12, 2023). ""A disgusting desire for more." In conversation with No Mana". C-Heads Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Vance, Will (June 6, 2024). "How It Was Made: No Mana – City2City (Monstercat)". Magnetic Magazine. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
- ↑ Orcaz, Jordan (February 13, 2020). "No Mana Leaks His Secrets To Cooking Up Explosive 128 BPM Weapons". DJ Times. Archived from the original on August 17, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
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