Category: Vim!

Artist: Vim!
Title: Perpetual Autumn EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk142
Release Date: 2005/02/05

We’ve been releasing maze-like, beautifully complex music from quiet, enigmatic UK idm artist Vim! since 1996 – thus, we’re heading towards his 10-year anniversary on Monotonik, insanely enough. With that in mind, it’s only natural that there might be some maturation of style, coming, as it does, after his real-life album and remix releases on Surgery, Merck, Carpark, and others – the hazy, redolent chiptune sinewave sounds of ‘Perpetual Autumn EP’ show how we all grow up and chill out somehow, someway, somewhen.

Therefore, it’s all ‘Chimier’ to start with, ever-obtuse, just not melodically logical, but a wonderfully sideways glance at the chip-idm fringes. Next, ‘C0 pt 2’ is a diode waltz, plain and simple, and an extremely charming interlude, before ‘Wall Of Squares’, with the squares presumably being of the wave variety, blasts into relaxation, eschewing frantic beats for hazy days, before ‘Welcome Afternoon Nap’ takes things down a notch again, delightfully, and ‘Goodbye Payphones’ takes an ambient look at a ‘Rings Around The World’ point of view, sliding off into the sound of somebody trying to reach somebody else, but trying in vain.

Credits:
pic by Vim!

Tracklist:
01 – Chimier
02 – C0 Pt. 2
03 – Wall Of Squares (aka Chip62)
04 – Welcome Afternoon Nap
05 – Goodbye, Payphones

Artwork:
Front Cover

License:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Artist: Vim!
Title: A Random Collection Of Consonants
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk132
Release Date: 2004/06/27

We’ve now been releasing tracks from UK electronic wunderkid Vim! for, well, seven and a half years, on both .MOD and this ‘new-fangled’ .MP3. That’s quite a long time, certainly by netlabel standards. And since we started up, he’s released albums on Surgery Records, remixes on Merck and Carpark, and a host of EPs on Monotonik. So, we’re now delighted to be able to present an MP3 version of his recent, _extremely_ smart, _extremely_ limited edition CDR, ‘A Random Collection Of Consonants’, on Monotonik.

So, those who have the original, CD-quality, uhh, CD, count yourselves lucky (there still may be a few copies left at http://www.vimster.demon.co.uk/cdr/ if you want the physical artifact itself), but otherwise, cruise with us through 16 tracks of gorgeously skewed beats, continually unexpected melodies, and a wonderfully obtuse take on life.

Therefore, whether it’s the title track blasting out wonky scattershot percussion, ‘Merton Court Mash- Up’ cunningly folding jungle and yummy arpegiation, ‘A Tune Of Sorts’ absolutely jammin’ the chiptune vs breaks angle, and the crazy mush of ‘Signing On Makes My Fortnight’ turning up the bleep bass to the full. If Vim! is insistent on remaining an obscure genius, perhaps you guys could at least spread the word a little? Wethangyou.

Credits:
cover by vim!

Tracklist:
01 – Random Collection Of Consonants
02 – Clockworko
03 – Merton Court Mashup
04 – Quality Coats
05 – Surprisingly Up-Beat About It
06 – Ricky Babes On The Town
07 – Could Cut Keys
08 – Proxetine
09 – Audio
10 – A Tune Of Sorts
11 – abyers73
12 – 1994 Gold
13 – Trivial Machine
14 – Signing On Makes My Fortnight
15 – Ickmansworth
16 – Just To Be Serious For A Moment

Artwork:
Full Art

Additional Links:
[Bandcamp]

License:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Artist: Vim!
Title: Remixconsonantthing EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk120
Release Date: 2003/10/25

It’s been a while since semi-reclusive, wholly-gifted English electronica wonk Vim! has graced us with his presence. In his absence from Monotonik, he’s remixed Machine Drum for a Merck release, had that track released on vinyl and on a Japanese mix-CD from Joseph Nothing’s label, and, we hear, eaten a lot of baked beans and sausages. So, to help celebrate the launch of his brand-new CDR, ‘A Random Collection Of Consonants’, we’re proud to release this EP, with two tracks from the CDR, and two bonus exclusive remixes of his earlier work – hence the title.

Startin off on the good foot, ‘Trivial Machine’ uses Vim’s trademark, obtuse sinewave melodies along with weird counting-down effects, pixelated explosions, and general madness. On the other hand, ‘Exists In Bad Sectors (FuzzDrop)’ is a beguiling loopy piece of ambient style, whereas ‘Could Cut Keys’, the second piece from the CDR, has washes of static, beautifully strident dischord in the leads, and a sound which still sounds like absolutely nobody else. For a coda, we get ‘1994 Gold (via Ratners)’ ordered up, all mordant and precise and hollow and just right.

So, in summary: listen to Vim!’s EP, go and buy his CDR in scrambling, insane delight (http://www.vimster.demon.co.uk/cdr/), and thank us later. And believe us rightly, you will thank us.

Credits:
cover by vim!

Tracklist:
01 – Trivial Machine
02 – Exists In Bad Sectors (FuzzDrop)
03 – Could Cut Keys
04 – 1994 Gold Via Ratners

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

Artist: Vim!
Title: Time For The Squares
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk085
Release Date: 2002/08/24

Whilst our long-time companion Vim! is preparing for his second album on Surgery, upcoming material on Civik, and his appearance on the Machine Drum remix LP on Merck, he’s been doing some sabbatical work on the VERY cool Nintendo Gameboy music creation software package, ‘Little Sound DJ’.

So, exclusively for the benefit of Monotonik types, we have this megamix-styled Vim! jam, “Time For The Squares”, all created just using an old-style black+white Nintendo Gameboy and LSDJ! Spanning over 11 minutes, it starts with some serious bassline + drum-roll callisthenics, before transitioning into arpegiating goodness and off-beat, pure, sinewave-y melodies, and finishing off, supremely, with a cover version of Leftfield’s “Phat Planet”, complete with robotvoicesampled bliss.

We think the particularly neat thing about this megamix is that it sounds pretty different from the majority of lo-fi, retro stuff out there – there’s no overdone chords, there’s no excessive saccharin. What there is is surprisingly complex beats and a harder, cleaner aesthetic that, ultimately, pays off bigtime. We claim.

Credits:
cover+photo by h0l

Tracklist:
01 – Time For The Squares

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

Artist: Vim!
Title: _ EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk077
Release Date: 2002/04/14

This 3-track miniaturised release from the genius of Vim! has been floating around for a few months now, along with a mass of other material he’s accumulated since the release of his “Linden: Home Of The Hits” album for Surgery Records.

In some ways, this is closer to the couple of tunes Keith has released as Vom, with perfectly ambient sketches and much influence from artists such as Windy and Carl. But where “00” lays on the Harold Budd-esque carefully placed mess of keys in truly beautiful fashion, “01” has the mellowest interference you’ve ever heard, and “02”, the most verbose of the lot, finishes things off neatly by laying on a gently cranking undersea musicbox view of life.

All this bodes well for the upcoming set of Vim! pieces waiting to be discovered, from a mooted upcoming Surgery follow-up, through his Marumari remix on Carpark Records, all the way to pseudonymous ventures into Stereolab-ish groove and 8-bit rap cut-ups. Believe us, we’ll keep you posted.

Credits:
cover by pliant

Tracklist:
01 – 00
02 – 01
03 – 02

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

Artist: Vim!
Title: 8-Bitten, Break Smitten
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk054
Release Date: 2001/05/28

The return of the spaced cowboy comes in the form of this newly minted Vim! track, with the UK artist fresh from his new Surgery album, “Linden – The Home Of The Hits”. And actually, this great track isn’t on that CD, since it’s a special, exclusive tribute to all those classic old .MOD instruments and instrumentals everyone used to adore, with a newskool spin on it – hence the name of the track.

So, if you’re digging the whole dumb drumbreak breaking things up a bit, plus the funked-up piano and bass weirdness making it all into a sorta neo-Squarepusher goes 1989 Soundtracker evolution, you’ll probably dig this track. Put it this way, nobody else is making music like this – they wouldn’t dare.

[Oh, for tracks which are on Vim!’s Surgery CD, try the excellent and earlier ‘Timecrunch EP’, and for tracklisting and future CD distribution info, try our artist news page..]

Credits:
cover by rents

Tracklist:
01 – 8-Bitten, Break Smitten

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

Artist: Vim!
Title: Timecrunch EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk029
Release Date: 2000/07/12

Monotonik is delighted to welcome the return of the plastic inevitable, hewn from solid nostalgia, Vim! 🙂 As always, beavering away with his very own carefully skewed musical style, he serves up these 3 vignettes as the “Timecrunch EP”.

The lead-off track, “Thin Strips Of You”, hovers majestically in 3d.space before skittering around a retrig.forest, whereas “Jackie Batey” plays off the evocative arpegiating of classic Vim! with some subtle melodies – all too short, mind. Finally, “Angel Delight Saved Me” is a jaunty little trot through the vagaries of where milk-based desserts will take you in life.

He may have an upcoming Surgery compilation appearance but someone give this man a proper record deal, and quick 🙂 You can only say ‘undiscovered gem’ so many times, you know? 🙂

Credits:
cover by vim!

Tracklist:
01 – Thin Strips Of You
02 – Jackie Batey
03 – Angel Delight Saved Me

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

Artist: Vim!
Title: Chip Van Winkle – Best Of Vim! Chiptunes 1992-2000
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtkchip1
Release Date: 2000/05/23

What’s with the title? Well, it’s ‘Chip Van Winkle’ in the sense that Vim!’s output is still roundly slept on. When, oh when, is someone going to sign him up for his major record label debut, Esther?

In the meantime, we don’t have any funny-looking vegetables for you, but we do have this compilation of the Vim! .MOD ‘chiptune’ (that’s .MODs using very small instrument samples, fact fans!) output from the past few years. Highlights include any number of messed-up ‘Ghost And Goblins’-influenced drill+bass weirdness and strange-ass arpeggiating wonderfulness stylings, and, yes, the “That’s Life” theme too..

Credits:
cover by rents

Tracklist:
01 – 52 Quid [XM] [FLAC] [MP3]
02 – Air0Twist [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
03 – Aufwl [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
04 – Brancaster Packet [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
05 – Catering-Sized [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
06 – Cyril! [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
07 – Fu’Led [XM] [FLAC] [MP3]
08 – Give Me An Om [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
09 – Left Bland [XM] [FLAC] [MP3]
10 – Not A Lovebite, Alas [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
11 – I Was Mario’s Tash [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
12 – No Bottle [XM] [FLAC] [MP3]
13 – No Stomach [XM] [FLAC] [MP3]
14 – Outanaff Heading [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
15 – Post-Caring [XM] [FLAC] [MP3]
16 – Planet Samey Multik [XM] [FLAC] [MP3]
17 – Rockwell [XM] [FLAC] [MP3]
18 – Scrounger Ninum [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
19 – Tilverton RFC [MOD] [FLAC] [MP3]
20 – Winsum Losum [XM] [FLAC] [MP3]

Artwork:
Front Cover

Additional Files:
Chiptunes (All Of) [ZIP]

_{*FLAC & MP3 zips also include the original versions.}