Mandrake Project was a band officially formed in 2002 and based in Pittsburgh, PA. (Not to be confused with another UK-based band of the same name) They are known for creating predominately instrumental music that defies solid genre categorization. The tag "cinematic" stemmed from listeners' and critics' references to how the music fits to visual stimuli and thematic imagery from films. The band has also been referred to as crossover progressive, ambient, jam-band and even jazz-rock. Mandrake Project's eclectic music is accented by its shared membership with groups like The Polyphonic Spree, The Twilight Singers, New Invisible Joy and The Afghan Whigs.