Author: netlabelarchive

Aleksi Eeben – The Grand Rules {mtk090}

Artist: Aleksi Eeben
Title: The Grand Rules
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk090
Release Date: 2002/09/30

Fresh from pretty much cleaning up in the oldskool competitions at the Assembly ’02 demo-party in Helsinki, Finland, in July (well, 3rd in oldskool music, 3rd in oldskool demo, 2nd in oldskool graphics utilising classic machines like the Commodore 64, Vic20, and Gameboy, you get the idea..), the prodigously talented Aleksi ‘Heatbeat’ Eeben, formerly an Amiga demo-scene legend as part of CNCD, has used his own JohnPlayer ‘tracker’ for C64 to produce this new opus, over eleven minutes of, well.. would it be wrong to call it a heavy metal-orientated bleep symphony?

That’s certainly somewhere around where “The Grand Rules” is orientated, and it’s pretty amazing to consider that the entire piece was composed on a 20-year old home computer with 64k of memory and just five and a quarter inch discs (if you’re lucky!) to keep you company. So, from the first delicate introduction, through the gut-wrenching bass and drum solos, through the almost pizzicato middle section, right up to the triumphant density of the final coda, it’s not only the musicality, but the breadth of sound that astounds.

Sure, it may not be to everyone’s tastes, but a “Good Vibrations” for the C64 in terms of unheard sounds and clarity of vision? Put it this way, Aleksi can come and play in our sandbox any time he wants, with or without the fireman’s hat.

Credits:
cover by aleksi eeben

Tracklist:
01 – The Grand Rules

Artwork:
Front Cover

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License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial 1.0 Generic (CC BY-ND-NC 1.0)

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Makunouchi Bento – Children of moog [vacuum mix] {od051}

Artist: Makunouchi Bento
Title: Children of moog [vacuum mix]
Label: Ogredung
Catalog #: od051
Release Date: 2002/09/25

Intelligent electro-doses are set free from this vacuum mix: dry and well balanced, and tough, minimal and deep, alienating, flowing and digging sounds. Electronic bounces and cyber melodies composed with hip-hop, reversed and retrigged rhythmics, but very still at the same time. Values of deepness and composure are emerging, values of research and push towards something not clear and defined yet, but keeping that a-normal silhouette typical of the romanian duo.

Tracklist:
01 – Children of moog [vacuum mix]

Artwork:
Front Cover

Download

License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial 1.0 Generic (CC BY-ND-NC 1.0)

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Sense – Ruminous (Ambient Mix) {mtk089}

Artist: Sense
Title: Ruminous (Ambient Mix)
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk089
Release Date: 2002/09/22

We’re proud to present the first Monotonik release from Australian artist Sense for almost 2 years (where does time go?), and since his last release with us, his Neo-Ouija album, “A View From A Vulnerable Place”, has come out to not insignificant acclaim. Add to that a split 12″ with Xhale on Civik, a couple of very neat EPs on Aural Industries, and forthcoming material on Enough Records and Merck, and we can see he’s pleasantly indisposed in terms of releasing material.

Fortunately, he managed to find time in his busy schedule to sneak us “Ruminous (Ambient Mix)”, and it’s a doozy of a hyper-melodic drift through the kind of arpegiating idm landscapes that Sense is truly best at creating. From the initial understated start, right through the build to the conglomerated whole, it’s clear that this is a superclassy proto-ambient act. And, quite frankly, long may Sense prevail over craziness and keep creating such gorgeously chilled masterpieces.

Credits:
cover+photo by h0l

Tracklist:
01 – Ruminous (Ambient Mix)

Artwork:
Front Cover

Download

License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial 1.0 Generic (CC BY-ND-NC 1.0)

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Sabi – Four Thousand Years EP {mtk088}

Artist: Sabi
Title: Four Thousand Years EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk088
Release Date: 2002/09/14

With summer slowly sliding into autumn, we figured a little contemplative ambience was in order, and Japanese artist Sabi, who released on Mono a _long_ time back with .MODs under the name of Taro, and has since done excellent work for net.labels like Inpuj.

On this EP, beautiful, puretoned sinewaves mix with sampled ambience from real-life, as “Yello Sand Back” gives us the subtlest drifts of sound ever, “Johdo” iterates in the smallest of ethereal beats, and “Uki 3 2” has what sounds like Japanese street scenes twinned with gorgeous limbo-floating wonder.

A prime candidate for Winamp perma-repeat and curiously womb-like, we suggest you make a Freudian statement to be reckoned with, and download four thousand years of eternity, yours for the toying with, courtesy Sabi.

Credits:
photo by h0l

Tracklist:
01 – Yello Sand Back
02 – Johdo
03 – Uki 3 2

Artwork:
Front Cover

Download

License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial 1.0 Generic (CC BY-ND-NC 1.0)

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Toby1 – European EP {mtk091}

Artist: Toby1
Title: European EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk091
Release Date: 2002/10/09

The ever-fertile Australian electronic scene has spawned another gem, this time the offspring of an earlier Monotonik releaser, in the duo Toby1, comprising Ruth Wilson (vocals/instruments) and Duann Scott (composer/producer/instruments). Duann put out an earlier Monotonik release under his real name, and also released a warmly-received album on Surgery as part of Modula, and Ruth was formerly with cult Aussie band Masongreystrange.

Anyhow, the duo have been getting significant buzz down under, with an acclaimed live session for the Triple-J radio show, and we eagerly await their forthcoming debut on Surgery Records. But in the meantime, they’ve been kind enough to donate us a couple of stunning tracks to whet your appetite.

“European” is a gorgeously sustained lullaby of whispered thoughts, evoking perhaps Lamb, but with so much of a crunchier, chiseled edge, with the wistful vocals intoning “Let’s go for a drive.. let’s be European”. And “Homely” twins mellow but stuttering drums with leaping synths and vocals so intertwined that there’s literally a sea of sound to float in. “This feels like bliss”, indeed..

Credits:
photo by h0l

Tracklist:
01 – European
02 – Homely

Artwork:
Front Cover

Download

License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial 1.0 Generic (CC BY-ND-NC 1.0)

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