Manabu Yamaguchi (山口 学, Yamaguchi Manabu; born August 29, 1984), better known by his alias Mabanua (stylized in lowercase; Japanese pronunciation: mabaꜜnɯa), is a Japanese music producer, drummer, and singer. He released his first album Done Already in November 2008 and has participated in production for artists including Kenshi Yonezu, Gen Hoshino, Imase, and Official Hige Dandism. He is also member of the three-person band Ovall.
Early life and career
Manabu Yamaguchi was born in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, on August 29, 1984. His alias, Mabanua, is an anagram of his real name. Yamaguchi described both of his parents as music fans, which resulted in the first CD he bought being "Totsuzen" by Field of View, since his father was a fan of composer Tetsurō Oda who had written it. Yamaguchi began listening to the rock bands Mr. Children and the Beatles, who he grew particularly fond of. A Sigma by Martin acoustic guitar from his grandfather was Yamaguchi's first instrument, though he had become interested in drums after watching live recordings of the Beatles' Ringo Starr. His first band experience was with friends in middle school, who together frequently played covers of Oasis. In his second year of high school, Yamaguchi transferred to NHK Gakuen—a distance education school operated by the public broadcaster NHK—after hearing of its music club.
