Exclusive Interview with Textbook Maneuver

Textbook Maneuver is the solo project of Michael Keane, blending classical piano training with electronic music. Born and raised in the Bronx, now based out of New Jersey, the project was formed in 2024, the main focus on Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) as well as compositions for film and video games. Textbook Maneuver creates music that takes listeners on an atmospheric journey. His compositions are born from improvisational sessions, where melodic themes evolve alongside harmonic and rhythmic progressions. Each track, supported by narrative-driven song titles and artwork, tells a story. Drawing from acts like mid-period Genesis (Duke era), The Postal Service, Phantogram, Gary Numan, Rush, Tears for Fears, Elbow, U.N.K.L.E., and Puscifer, the project merges spacey, ambient textures with upbeat electronic rhythms. The result is a unique fusion of nostalgic prog and contemporary electronica, offering an immersive listening experience. Current success includes 4 released tracks, signed to Life Science Records. Textbook Maneuver is also looking to grow into soundtrack and video game musical projects. A full album is in the works for a 2025 release. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music? 

Textbook Maneuver: Friends of ours owned a carpet business in New York City and one of their suppliers would offer a piano as a gift for doing business. These friend were so generous that they gave one of the pianos to my parents. I started tinkering on it right away and it just sounded and felt so awesome. That led to my desire to want to learn an instrument and play music. In addition to the piano being int he house, records were always on rotation at my house growing up. The newer generation may no realize, but back in the day, all we had was vinyl so the needle dropped and you listened to an entire album side, flipped it and listened to side two. There was no such things as hitting shuffle or random. That definitely left a strong impression on how I still listen to , and now want to create music. My parents vinyl collection was pretty awesome with the Beatles, Beach Boys, Neil Diamond, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac. In the car, the radio was always on.  My older brother and I shared a room and he also had a great collection, the Who, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, etc. I think all that exposure had an impact on my love for music as a collector and listener but then also led me to want to compose as well. All the songs on this album are new but I was digging through my old piano books and I have found all my original compositions I started decades ago, those will be dusted off and part of future works.

2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?

Textbook Maneuver: I first started just tinkering on the keys, my parents got me a book as well, I remember it had a paper cut out with the names of the keys you could lay across the keyboard and follow along reading the notes on the sheet music. I preferred to just do my own thing. It was not too long after having the piano that signed me up for lessons, I had some phenomenal teachers. Once I got older, early teenager years, I gravitated to much heavier music and my parents bought me bass guitar and I took lessons on that for a couple of years.

3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, what’s the story behind choosing the name ‘Textbook Maneuver’?

Textbook Maneuver: For this particular project, as I started to create the songs for this album, I was definitely thinking about all the 70s prog music my brother and his friends would play, especially the more trippy stuff. And later 70s era Genesis, the Duke album was really influential along with Signals by Rush. My songs are certainly different from those albums as I have no vocals and it is all electronic. Lately, I have been listening to a ton of Phantogram, U.N.K.L.E. the Postal Service and also many compilations of early synthesizer music. So I guess if you stick all of that into a musical blender, it is pretty much what I was (figuratively) drinking while working on this album. As far as the name, I got my degree in Chemistry and then a Masters in Library & Information Science so I spent much of my academic life reading textbooks and scientific articles. I got serious about composing and recording music much later in life and started taking electronic music classes at the local community college. I ended up buying a bunch of books on the subject of composing and synthesizers, etc so it has been a new “textbook maneuver” to learn how to improve my craft.

4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners? 

Textbook Maneuver: I think since my songs all started from improvisation, the flow of the each song may not be predictable upon first listen. I feel there is a cohesive flow to each track but this was all built from a motif, chord progression, rhythm, or melody that started from an improvised session. I would describe it as chill, cerebral synth-based music but with emotional themes and progressive elements. I am hoping the music serves as a way to take a break from a busy or stressful moment, really make room and time to sit and listen. I designed the sound for being really enjoyable via headphones or while driving in a car. I spent a lot of time on the mixing and mastering, lots of iterations so I would also say this is music that will reveal new things the more you listen to each song.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as EDM? 

Textbook Maneuver: Well the first form of music I was trained on was classical and solely on the piano. I did pretty good with that, never became a master at it but did learn the discipline of scales, arpeggios, practice, practice and more practice. I was then into classic rock, followed metal, then punk, then alternative. Once I was older, I really started to get into jazz as well. Electronic music was something I started to listen to after all of that, probably more so in the last few years than earlier in life. So I have a very eclectic taste in music and for me, it is the artists that sit in those boundaries between genres or those who blend genres that are the ones I am trying to emulate. I am also staying disciplined and focussed on key signatures, tones, and rhythm as I create each song. I have started to study songs I like, figure out their chord progressions, what time signatures they use, what is the structure of each song. No doubt, the analysis has led to inspiring or giving me creative ideas. Learning how to do this via synthesizers, in a DAW, on a laptop is really interesting though many of the themes started on the piano, some on the bass.

6. Music often transcends entertainment. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment? 

Textbook Maneuver: I am creating music and visuals to go along with each track, for artistic expression, trying to bring joy via music. The creative process has a positive mental benefit for me. I have really come to enjoy creating new things and then sharing it out. Since I was very young, I get really happy when I hear a song that touches me and I very much enjoy sharing songs that I love with others that I know. So, at this point I am creating music for my own pleasure, focusing on honing my craft, learning how the music industry works, and getting to meet other artists. And along the same lines, if my own song touches me in a way that strikes a strong emotion, I want to share it, hence putting together the record label and releasing it.

7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment you’re still seeking?

Textbook Maneuver: I have started this later in life, many years after having established myself as a scientist. So at this point I am not putting out the music for financial reward. If I break even, I will be happy. The industry has become so frictionless, it is really incredible to think you compose song, take your time to make it sound as well as you want to, share it through various platforms and then people from all over the world can be listening to it, giving you feedback etc. When I created the label, Life Science Records, I really spent time on thinking about what the goal of the label will be. I came up with “to bring enjoyable music to the masses” so that is the goal, it was not “get rich and famous.” On a practical level, it does take time and effort and putting out music is not

free, but if you learn how it works and do it for the reasons you decided to, you will feel rewarded. You may even see some money come back in, but right now it is not my main job, I am lucky that I have a full time job, so the music is, right now, being done for creative reasons. As I get better and more established, I will move into soundtrack and video game music, and the goal there is for it to become another stage of my career.

8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, what’s the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?

Textbook Maneuver: Every song has started with improvisation and experimentation, learning a new skill or technique. I will sit at the piano and practice, doing scales, learning a composition or a chord progression I hear in another artist’s song that allows me to expand my skills. During these times I often begin to noodle around and improvise. I’ll do the same thing on a synthesizer I am learning and these two activities eventually lead to a run or motif that strikes me emotionally. I then begin to construct themes and sections around that original section. Song titles come into my mind, many times those titles change or they become a phrase that strikes an idea and then I mold the structure, tones, etc around that new idea. So it is a process, usually takes several days or weeks to complete one song idea. If I get stuck, I write out the main themes, go back to the piano and grow the new ideas based off of theory and how they sound acoustically. I save versions along the way, bounce close to final versions to mp3s, spend a few days listening in different settings, on different speakers and then go back and tweak untilI I feel the song is fully formed and sounds good to me.

9. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

Textbook Maneuver: Since it is instrumental music, I am hoping the music lands emotionally. I am also planning on creating a visual piece of work for each song. I have two completed so far but there is one planned for each song. In addition, four of the songs are tied together unofficially as “Space Trip” and were inspired by the NASA astronauts who had to stay in space longer than planned. So after all of the videos are completed, I may go back and create a full length animation for the whole album. When I write the songs, as I am working on them, visuals and titles come to mind. Strong emotions come up as well. So sorry for the long answer, but I want people to feel emotions when they listen. Therefore, I wanted to record the music have it out there and established before I complete the animation. Once the visual with a story line is created, then the listener will have themes forced on them. So I am working in reverse, in a way: putting out a soundtrack before the film comes out. If I do not get to the animation, then the music stands on its own and it is up to the listener to choose the meaning or visual that comes to mind.

10. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

Textbook Maneuver: Right now this is a studio project. It would be amazing if I could put together a group of musicians and perform this live. A really crazy stretch idea would be to get some of these songs played with acoustic instruments intertwined with synths. That would blow my mind but I am totally open to any type of collaboration. At this point, I could not do this live in front of an audience on my own, and right now I am a solo artist but who knows what the future will bring. What I know for sure, is that this is only the beginning. Your questions have been very thought-provoking and I really appreciate being able to discuss my ideas and process with you.