Mantronix

Mantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop and electro funk music group from. New York City The band was founded by DJ Kurtis Mantronik (Kurtis el Khaleel) and rapper MC Tee (Touré Embden). They underwent several genre and line-up changes during its seven year existence between 1984–91. From old school hip hop and electro-funk to house music, but the group is primarily remembered for its original, heavily synthesized blend of old school hip-hop and electro funk.

History

Early years: 1984–1988

Kurtis Mantronik (Kurtis el Khaleel), a Jamaican-Canadian émigré, began experimenting with electro music in the early 1980s, inspired by early electro tracks like "Riot in Lagos" (1980) by Yellow Magic Orchestra's Ryuichi Sakamoto. In 1984, while working as the in-store DJ for Downtown Records in Manhattan, Kurtis Mantronik met MC Tee, a Haitian-born, Flatbush, Brooklyn-based rapper (and regular record store customer). The duo soon made a demo, "Fresh Is The Word," and eventually signed with William Socolov's Sleeping Bag Records.

Mantronix (video game)

Mantronix is an isometric 3D arcade adventure game released by Probe in 1986 for the Sinclair Spectrum.

Plot

The year is 2001 A.D. and four planetary criminals are hiding from the law on the planet Zybor. The bounty hunter robot "Mantronix" has been sent to find and eliminate them.

Gameplay

The player controls the Mantronix in its hunt for the four fugitives on the planet Zybor. The Mantronix must also find eight power cubes, necessary to drive the conveyor belts on the planetary surface, and also as fuel for the homeward flight. "Pulsators" - the life source of the fugitives - must also be destroyed.

The criminals are protected by robots which are programmed to attack the Mantronix. The Mantronix is armed with a laser to defend itself and carry out its mission.

Reviews

"MANTRONIX puts less emphasis on problem-solving than the Ultimate games, but it is a good tricky shoot 'em up, with a large playing area that should keep your trigger finger flexing for a long time."