Los Angeles artist James Mantis has combined his love of basketball with songs that draw inspiration from far and wide to find a unique way to describe his sound. James Mantis' music is a nice blend of indie and alt-rock with experimental elements that resemble artists like Jean Dawson and Junior Varsity. Mantis is direct and his sound packs a punch that will make you want to mosh pit all night long. The influence of artists like Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Toro y Moi, who James highlights as some of his favorites, is clear in the ambitious soundscapes and emotionally unguarded lyrics. “When I get in the studio, we instantly go to work,” James tells us. “My producer Christian Lum is a big part of helping me shape our sound. I’m definitely influenced by a bunch of different styles and like to mix a lot of crazy synths over hip-hop drums. I just do what naturally comes that day, whether I’m feeling sad, happy or tired and see what the result is.” User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.