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Manatee Commune: A Solo Violist Hears Symphonies In Wires

Manatee Commune.
Courtesy of the artist
Manatee Commune.

A man stands in a small room, his whole body moving to the electronic beat he's creating. It's a typical room with a bookshelf, a lamp and dark curtains on the walls. But after a few minutes, something unexpected happens — the walls are lifted away to reveal a breathtaking view from the top of a cliff.

The man responsible for that sound is Grant Eadie, also known as the electronic artist Manatee Commune. And that video was his submission to NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest, which was held back in January. He didn't win the final prize, but Eadie was included among 10 of our favorite entries.

At the audio link, Eadie tells NPR's Rachel Martin about filming his contest entry against the grandeur of nature, choosing the viola over the violin growing up, and the common threads between electronic and classical music: "I feel like I could play with a symphony if I really wanted to," he says.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.