Tag: Monotonik

Aleksi Eeben – Music Box {mtk078}

Artist: Aleksi Eeben
Title: Music Box
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk078
Release Date: 2002/05/05

After releasing a pseudonymous EP from Finland’s Aleksi Eeben a few months ago, we kept an eye on his work further, only to discover the _amazing_ Commodore 64 work he’s been doing with his self-coded John Player, which brings a ‘tracker’-style interface to bear on the C64. And if you’re wondering who this Aleksi fellow is and where he came from – well, as Heatbeat of the infamous CNCD, he was regularly voted one of the best ever Amiga .MOD composers back in the early ’90s.

So, given a few years, and a platform move _backwards_ this time round, heh, Aleksi’s work just keeps getting better. This collection of .SIDs, 18 in all, plus a ‘best-of’ selection of 7 .MP3 conversions, were specially ripped for Monotonik from the Commodore 64 “Music Box” music-disc series which have been released over the past 3 or 4 months, and which would otherwise be far too obscure for anyone’s good.

In any case, grab the .SIDs for the full picture, but if you want to delve into the .MP3s as a start point, try the insane catchiness of “75% Sale”, the messed-up c64 d+b of “Flight Of The Bumblebee”, or the superclever- ness of “The All-Family Stomp”. But, believe us, it’s all good.

Credits:
cover by h0l!

Tracklist:
01 – 75% Sale Rea (Buy More Remix) [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
02 – Ambient Music [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
03 – Arabia [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
04 – Fire Fighter [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
05 – Flight Of The Bumblebee [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
06 – Force Music [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
07 – Free Fall [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
08 – Friendly Robots [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
09 – Good Citizen’s Tango [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
10 – Ground Expansion [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
11 – Kopa Korv [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
12 – Moontimer [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
13 – Music For Computers [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
14 – One Channel Music [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
15 – Return To Forever [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
16 – Rock’n’Roll Butterfly [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
17 – Sadness [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
18 – The All Family Stomp [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]

MP3 Higlights:
01 – 75% Sale Rea (Buy More Remix)
02 – Good Citizen’s Tango
03 – Flight Of The Bumblebee
04 – The All Family Stomp
05 – Rock’n’Roll Butterfly
06 – Free Fall
07 – Sadness

Artwork:
Front Cover

Original
FLAC
MP3

*FLAC & MP3 zips also include the original versions.

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

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Vim! – _ EP {mtk077}

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

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

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Machine Drum – Floss {mtk076}

Artist: Machine Drum
Title: Floss
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk076
Release Date: 2002/04/04

We’re very pleased to present this exclusive track from US-based artist Machine Drum, whose “Now You Know” album on Miami’s Merck Records has been causing big waves (online plaudits, a vinyl repressing) with its neat blend of shredded hiphop rhymes and idm slickness.

So, “Floss” is a fascinating tangent from the style Machine Drum is best known for, precisely because it takes the driving, cut-up style associated with him, and applies it to another source, an altogether more loon(e)y proposition.

It’s all about the tight, tight loops and the drifting, almost BoC- esque synth evocation percolating over the top. It’s sharp, uptempo (a refreshing change from the ambience of many a Monotonik release), and most of all, it’s original. One of these Drums is not like the others? Too right.

Credits:
cover by pliant

Tracklist:
01 – Floss

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

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Sleepy Town Manufacture – Miss EP {mtk075}

Artist: Sleepy Town Manufacture
Title: Miss EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk075
Release Date: 2002/03/17

It seems like there’s plenty of great electronic music coming out of Russia recently, with critical acclaim for artists such as EU and Novel23. So we’re pleased to put out this EP from Russian duo Sleepy Town Manufacture, fresh from a compilation appearance on Russian label Cheburec Records, and looking to be new millenial messiahs for idm east of Berlin and west of Tokyo.

So, “Miss EP” shines up a real treat, with opener “Don’t You Miss Me?” hitting up wonderfully pure tones and ice-encrusted production, all classy, all the way. Then there’s shifting of gears through “Ena”, with slide-style percussives and angelic sines, and the rhythm-heavy “Nuut”, almost click-house bipbop action. And it all ends up with the seruphimally orchestral “Ostavshis”. Just so you know – the steppes of change start right here, right now.

Credits:
cover by stm peeps

Tracklist:
01 – Don’t You Miss Me?
02 – Ena
03 – Nuut
04 – Ostavshis

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

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Subi – Tryptuaars {mrv008}

Artist: Subi
Title: Tryptuaars
Label: monoRAVEik
Catalog #: mrv008
Release Date: 2002/03/14

…bloody hell, what were we drinking last night? Agh. Er. Anyway. It was Subi’s birthday yesterday, he is now 365 days from Last Day, and we had a bit of bash over here in monoRAVEik city. Such a bacchanalian assemblage of best bitter and sexual deviancy has not been seen since the days of George IV. And in honour of this august occasion, and because we’re all to drunk to track, we’re finally releasing the tune Subi did at the Ars Electronica Electrolobby in 2000 (see here for more info). Only two years late. 😉

“Tryptuaars” is a magpie-induced D&B monster which Subi wrote over the week in Austria inbetween being interviewed by Kim Danders, the host of Electrolobby and very nice man who unwittingly supplied the vocals for this track (taken from the first interview). The “no” was originally supposed to have been a composite of all the people on #tpolm sampling themselves saying it and emailing it to Subi, but he forgot to ask them in time. The rest of the samples are culled from various free sample sites, and a few of Subi’s previous tracks. All this was to prove how the concept of open-source music (the point of Subi and Distance’s presence at Electrolobby) worked. In the interests of open-source music, we are also making the tune available in its original .XM format.

The title is not an excruciating pun on “A Trip to Mars”, but a reference to the Crystal-Silents-Anarchy party held in Aars about ten years ago, as the demoscene was also on display as an example of proto net-culture. “A Trip to Aars” was the subtitle of the post-party demo from Melon Dezign, so it’s their excruciating pun.

The cover shows one of the few bad points about Electrolobby, the chairs. Yep, you were actually supposed to sit for eight hours a day on a wheeled Spacehopper. According to h0l they were still being used in 2001 when he went. Backache all round. Mind you, they made good footballs.

Credits:
cover by subi

Tracklist:
01 – Tryptuaars [XM] [MP3]

Artwork:
Front Cover

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Phasmid – The Sun Pictures {mtk074}

Artist: Phasmid
Title: The Sun Pictures
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk074
Release Date: 2002/03/06

The second Monotonik release from the dreamily different Phasmid, straight outta Birmingham, Alabama, travelling circuitously via Analog-town and Kraftwerk-ville, straight into our ever eager ears.

Phasmid should be congratulated on both the birth of his third kid (yay!) and his two forthcoming releases on the Skylaboperations label, which include remixes by Bochum Welt and the similarly saintly Isan.

More analytically, “The Sun Pictures” was a particular fave of the Monotonik crew from the moment we heard it. From the starting cicada chirps to the truly serene lead line, it hooks you in to the sunny day mood, and won’t let you go til you’re enthused with burble energy. Fly high into your sky with your hifi, sunny picturesque style?

Credits:
cover by pliant

Tracklist:
01 – The Sun Pictures

Artwork:
Front Cover

Download

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

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Pliant – Maruera Gum LP {mtk073}

Artist: Pliant
Title: Maruera Gum LP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk073
Release Date: 2002/02/25

When we were approached by US idm-er Pliant, who you may know as the label-boss of the superb videogame.elektronik.otaku peeps, Systorm Technologies, and the mastermind behind the experimental idm-ish video label, Frogbomb, and he said he had an entire album available for release on Monotonik.. well, needless to say, we jumped at the chance.

And actually, we’re still jumping now. “Maruera Gum” takes the acclaimed “Zelda’s Windmill” from the Pliant/Bokatsu “1UP” 7-inch as a starting point, and cuts up 11 tracks of pure, rhythmic, video-gameinspired electronics. If you want a good starting point, then try the acoustic guitar + quiet storm percussion of the first track, “Rye Toast”, the ‘piercing clear melodies’ of the afore-mentioned “Zelda’s Windmill”, and the spot-on tribal steel drum harpsichord breaks of “Forest Cake”.

And with many of the tracks mixing into each other, you’ll want to grab the whole caboodle just to check out the hidden majesty of spook blink luck “Toothpowder” or the plain dysfunctional “Latch Esis”. You’ll find that, the more you listen to this album, the more its intricacies draw you in and swirl you around the sketched-up pliability that is Pliant’s (s)nes.hop world.

Credits:
cover by pliant

Tracklist:
01 – Rye Toast
02 – Zelda’s Windmill
03 – Atro Pose
04 – Snarkpit
05 – Yard Mouse
06 – Toothpowder
07 – Forest Cake
08 – Kloe Thoe
09 – Cyclonic Upright
10 – Pig With Caution
11 – Latch Esis

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

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DJ Ninjamachine – Relentlessly Upfull {mrv007}

Artist: DJ Ninjamachine
Title: Relentlessly Upfull
Label: monoRAVEik
Catalog #: mrv007
Release Date: 2002/02/14

And this is where Monotonik and monoRAVEik really part company. Cosmopolitan he may be, but we just can’t see h0l seeing this one as the right style for the IDM-ness that our beloved parent specialises in these days. Ladies and gentlemen, leave your brain at the door and grab a bottle of water. It’s raving time!

“Relentlessly Upfull” is just that. One hundred percent happy happy happy. Piano-riffs and synth-stabs ago-go with a few helium vocals and a diva (Penny Ford in this case) belting out the meaningless powerballad speak in the background. Ninj is a man living on an almost permanent endorphin high.

This is the type of music you don’t need drugs for. In fact, if you find yourself taking drugs to enjoy music, may we suggest you at least consider the possibility of trying another type of music? 😉

Credits:
cover by subi

Tracklist:
01 – Relentlessly Upfull

Artwork:
Front Cover

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Idmonster – Low Flying Planes {mtk072}

Artist: Idmonster
Title: Low Flying Planes
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk072
Release Date: 2002/02/13

We’re delighted to present another release from the divine UK-er and ex-Butterfly Child dream-pop-ster, Pendle, in his cheeky Idmonster alias. With recent Idmonster material on real-world compilations from Neo-Ouija and Notype, people seem to really dig his smooth, truly serene style, which he puts to good use composing soundtracks for a diverse range of TV documentaries in the UK. And we treasure the ‘Monster too 🙂

His latest track, “Low Flying Planes”, is magisterially ethereal. It starts with what sounds like alien birdsong and percussive rain falling on distant worlds, and ends with faint, pure tones percolating through the mist and into our consciousness. Which is currently going ‘bip’, if you get our drift. And even if not, we’re sure you’ll appreciate Idmonster’s drift – this is almost reminiscent in tone of early pioneers like Talk Talk, but with a style all its own.

Credits:
cover by pliant

Tracklist:
01 – Low Flying Planes (Knitted Cat Mix)

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

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Luminfire – Bananadittydub {mtk071}

Artist: Luminfire
Title: Bananadittydub
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk071
Release Date: 2002/02/04

Having previously churned up our oldskool .MOD treats into a swirly mix for us with his ‘Mono BPM’ set, and also ‘possibly’ behind some naughty bootleg Monotonik compilations floating around file-sharing servers worldwide, US-based Luminfire sent us this languidly individualistic original composition. It made us go ‘oo’. So we released it. Neat.

But more with the specifics, guv’nor? Well, “Bananadittydub” is a vibraphone-encrusted gem of a track which strangely recalls DJ Shadow in its deftly lyrical approach to sound layering. From the neato pitchbending plus echo of the intro, right through the piano lead cutting through the almost ethnic percussion and heavenly chords, it’s uncharacterisable in only the best way.

Credits:
cover by luminfire

Tracklist:
01 – Bananadittydub

Artwork:
Front Cover

Download

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

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