MANDRÉ
Genres: Funk, RnB • United States

Real Name: Michael Andre Lewis (M. André) Mandré was the alter ego of Andre Lewis.  When Maxayn disbanded, Lewis signed a contract with Motown Records and developed the persona of Mandré. While Maxayn had been playing gospel and soul, Mandré was Andre's project to add electronic elements and also shift the sound toward more spacey funk and disco.  In both his albums and live performances, Mandré was represented as the "mystery man from outer space". His face was always hidden behind a futuristic mask, which made him look like a robot.  Precursor of Daft Punk, Mandré was promoted by Motown as being "funkier than Parliament". However, after 3 albums which went largely unnoticed, Lewis ended his relationship with the label to pursue independent production. He retained the rights and title to the Mandré name and released a final album ("Mandré 4") by himself in 1980. from discogs