Tag: Monotonik

Aleksi Eeben – The White Box {mtk139}

Artist: Aleksi Eeben
Title: The White Box
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk139
Release Date: 2004/12/05

Finnish old-school Amiga demo scene legend Aleksi Eeben, aka Heatbeat, has never really let up on the composition, but has, rather wonderfully, regressed in his choice of hardware over time, from Amiga, through Commodore 64, to Vic-20, with sideways glances to the Game Boy. But it’s his C64 equivalent of ‘The White Album’, the appropriately named ‘The White Box’, which sums up some of his borderline deviant SID-chip excursions over the previous few years.

The actual ‘White Box’ artifact is a Commodore 64 disc image (try emulators like CCS64 or Vice), a 32- song compilation released at the Alternative Party in Helsinki in January 2004. It includes tracks released on Eeben’s previous Monotonik releases, as well as a host of new tracks. It also comes with ‘liner notes’ by Monotonik founder Simon Carless, in the form of a surreal scrolltext to accompany each separate song – thousands of words of semi-abstracted, happily burbling weirdness. You can also download all the .SID files, if you’d prefer to listen to all 32 tracks. But the 8-track MP3 mini-album that highlights the new compositions for ‘The White Box’, all made with Aleksi’s own John Player ‘tracker’ he coded for the C64, may be your place to start.

So, we commence with ‘Ground Expansion’, all pensive and synthesizedly brassy, before the insanely funky ‘Invitation’ cuts in, and we have some serious grooving to do. Over the next few tracks, we run the gamut from bright, breezy, and perky (‘Return To Forever’), through positively tribal (‘Mnambo’), all the way up to sardonic and abstracted (‘Landscape’). Eeben’s style often seems tremendously out there – clearly jazz-influenced, melodically abstract, but capable of wonderful twists and turns. It’s obviouslythis that attracted fellow CNCD member and friend Juha ‘Dizzy’ Kujanpaa, himself another Amiga scene legend, who created his own live, real-instrument take on Aleksi’s C64 track ‘Motivation’ for a fitting finale. Now we’re motivated, too, to drool.

Credits:
pic by White Box designer

Tracklist:
01 – The All Family Stomp [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
02 – Rock’n’Roll Butterfly [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
03 – Chill [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
04 – Good Citizen’s Tango [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
05 – Force Music [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
06 – Free Fall [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
07 – The Grand Rules Intro [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
08 – The Grand Rules Part 1 [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
09 – The Grand Rules Part 2 [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
10 – The Grand Rules Part 3 [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
11 – The Grand Rules Part 4 [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
12 – Shapers [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
13 – Invitation [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
14 – Flight of the Bumblebee [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
15 – Moontimer [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
16 – Landscape [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
17 – Motivation [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
18 – Mnambo [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
19 – Onward [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
20 – Pond [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
21 – One Channel Music [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
22 – The Radio Challenge [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
23 – Sadness [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
24 – Return to Forever [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
25 – Purity [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
26 – Round Blue Rath [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
27 – Water Music [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
28 – Randomizer [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
29 – Music for Computers [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
30 – Radiator [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
31 – Ground Expansion [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]
32 – 75% Sale Rea (Buy More Remix) [SID] [FLAC] [MP3]

MP3 Higlights:
01 – Ground Expansion
02 – Invitation
03 – Return to Forever
04 – Round Blue Rath
05 – The Radio Challenge
06 – Mnambo
07 – Landscape
08 – Motivation (Juha Kujanpaa Mix)

Artwork:
Front Cover

Additonal Files:
thewhitebox [D64]
Liner Notes [PDF]

Original
FLAC
MP3

*FLAC & MP3 zips also include the original versions.

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

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Sense – Further EP {mtk138}

Artist: Sense
Title: Further EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk138
Release Date: 2004/11/20

It’s been a while, but we’re delighted to welcome back Australia’s Sense, aka Adam Raisbeck, an artist on Monotonik since early 2000, and responsible for some of the label’s most beautiful, serene classic idm moments. Though Sense’s output has been borderline prodigous over the last couple of years, including releases on U-Cover, Neo-Ouija, and Merck, plus a tour with fellow mtk.artist Tim Koch and Ontayso, he’s still found time to dig around in some of his 2003-era material and present us with the ‘Further EP’, which goes, well, further.

So, from the starting-point of ‘Onel’, all deep, deep tones and straightahead depthcharge beats, we go through the surprisingly uptempo, groovy ‘Korma’ (previously released on Kahvi and on a Merck Records mix-tape), then the amazingly vibrant, textured deep ambience of ‘203p2’, the playfulness and clear tones of ‘Plink’, and finally, the almost Orb-like ‘Church Song’, building and rising and gliding inexorably out of the sea as the sun bakes, the waves lap, and great Cthulhu surveys his empire. And he is happy.

Credits:
cover photo by h0l

Tracklist:
01 – Onel
02 – Korma
03 – 203p2
04 – Plink
05 – Church Song

Artwork:
Front Cover

Additional Links:
[Bandcamp]

Download

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

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Bliss – Goodbye Brain, Hello Heart EP {mtk137}

Artist: Bliss
Title: Goodbye Brain, Hello Heart EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk137
Release Date: 2004/10/17

We’re absolutely delighted to put out a third release from Swedish electronic artist Bliss, aka Henrik Jose, over a year after his well-received ‘It’s Not The Sweetness…‘ EP. Since then, he’s collaborated with music video directors Pleix (Basement Jaxx, Plaid, Futureshock) on an experimental video, while continuing to work on new material, but shines out his late 2003 vintage in ‘Goodbye Brain, Hello Heart EP’, a shimmering block of entirely instrumental sound produced in his Lund studio with a glorious melange of live instruments and synthesizers.

Thus, eschewing the vocals that sometimes characterize the Bliss-ful sound, ‘You Have Something In Your Scowl’ shows a more contemplative side, almost supernaturally languid in its sound submerging, before we slide into ‘Things Will Eventually Make Sense’ and the beautiful drums mix into the complex melodies, as things start to crystallize. And, indeed, they’re fully crystallized by ‘Time Time Time’, the final track, which builds up an almost robotic Spiritualized, only with the Church Of Robot Wisdom substituted for gospel influences, and Chapterhouse switched in for long-dead bluesmen.And we greet the heart, and the brain recedes, and the curtain falls. Amen.

Credits:
cover by Bliss

Tracklist:
01 – You Have Something In Your Scowl
02 – Things Will Eventually Make Sense
03 – Time Time Time

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

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Beak – Amoral Mayor Earwig EP {mtk136}

Artist: Beak
Title: Amoral Mayor Earwig EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk136
Release Date: 2004/09/26

We first hooked up with shadowy U.S. artist Beak earlier in 2003, when he made an ‘absolutely checken’ appearance, providing us with a few choice tracks featuring his unconventional but beautiful twinning of multi-tracked acoustic guitars and harder electronics. But it’s taken us until now to choose the absolutely perfect combination of sweet and savory songs from his extensive, largely publically unreleased output for the enchanting randomly titled ‘Amoral Mayor Earwig EP’.

So, where did we end up? Well, with the loping ‘How A Hot Air Balloon Works’, we have silent impulse into sonic heaven, all surprisingly summery, before new track ‘I Saw Two Of Me’ goes a whole lot more complex, really twisting the guitars and the jittery kitten-y drums together. Meanwhile, the title track simply multitracks weird spokenword interludes and beautifully played acoustic melodies with the pitter patter of drums, and our still-beating heart. Then, a brief interlude for the powerful phasing of ‘Yellow Hat’, before everything falls to piece with ‘Candrea444’, an out of time, out of space, in place rendering of a much more intensely acoustic, hardly normal daddy.

And what did we learn? That it takes time to get things right, that time is on our side, and that when phrased just right, the call of the string can sound like the call of the wild. Many thanks to Beak for teaching us.

Credits:
cover by Beak

Tracklist:
01 – How A Hot Air Balloon Works
02 – I Saw Two Of Me
03 – Amoral Mayor Earwig
04 – Yellow Hat
05 – Candrea444

Artwork:
Front Cover

Additional Links:
[Bandcamp]

Download

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

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Izmar – Stuff EP {mtk135}

Artist: Izmar
Title: Stuff EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk135
Release Date: 2004/09/03

Although sometimes overlooked, due to their release on Monotonik’s lesser-known sublabel Mono211, the two albums we’ve put out so far by Dutch ex-techno producer Izmar are, everyone seems to agree, pretty damn special, twinning Fila Brazillia style grooves with gorgeous melodies. So, when we got a whole extra CD of material from him (to be dealt with soon!), plus a follow-up of this lovely four-track EP, we grinned happily and got on with the harrowing job of actually releasing it, starting with the last first.

Thus, we get the initial beauty of ‘I Just Wanted You’, all intro wistfulness, before ‘Ohmygod’ cranks up the atmosphere and the beautiful keyboard playing into an amazing, perfectly blended whole. Next up, ‘One Eight’ is all loping strides and cymbal crashes, sounding natural and strident and right, before ‘Piano5’ ends things off with a more insistent groove based around repeated chords and a metallic sheen. And if you overlooked Izmar before, then really, there’s no excuse now, is there?

Credits:
cover by Vimster

Tracklist:
01 – I Just Wanted You
02 – Ohmygod
03 – One Eight
04 – Piano5

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

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Gschmidt – Time Tolled EP {mtk134}

Artist: Gschmidt
Title: Time Tolled EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk134
Release Date: 2004/08/09

Some of the releasers on Monotonik are more mysterious than others. But we quite enjoy it when the more shadowy ones turn up, slip us a gorgeous piece of music, and then slink away into the ether again. All we know about Gschmidt is that he might be named after a mathematic process, his previous ‘Nibiru Coming’ release precis-ed rogue planet paranoia excellently, and this new ‘Time Tolled EP’ is a wonderful journey through some kind of wilfully odd, strangely beautiful soundscape. But if we get the musical goods, then zero disclosure is good by us.

Thus, this time, ‘Rise’ blossoms beautifully into a languid, almost indescribable melange of live and synthesized instruments, before ‘Shine’ bridges the gap into the alien vocals and Teutonic authority of ‘Holiday’. From there on out, the title track is an informed drift through the further reaches of the space time continuum, before ‘Remember December’ rises into almost transcendent Mercury Rev territory, vocals and brass and crazily beautiful codas in full effect.

Credits:
cover by Vimster

Tracklist:
01 – Rise
02 – Shine
03 – Holiday
04 – Time Tolled
05 – Remember December

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

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Ilkae – Stained Glass Confetti EP {mtk133}

Artist: Ilkae
Title: Stained Glass Confetti EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk133
Release Date: 2004/07/16

Having released an EP back in 2002 from the sometime duo, nowadays largely uno Ilkae, aka Canada’s Aaron Munson, we were delighted when we heard Ilkae had a new 777-copy limited edition CDR out, called ‘Stained Glass Pinata’. What’s more, he wanted to mix up a couple of the tracks from it with some more exclusive songs for a Monotonik release as the cunningly named ‘Stained Glass Confetti EP’. In fact, we were so delighted that we let him do it. So he did. So we released it. And this is it.

So, if you’ve heard Ilkae’s previous ‘Pistachio Island’ CD on Merck Records, you’ll know the basic modus operandi – rather gorgeously scattershot electronica with both chiptune and idm influences. From the get-go with ‘The Lockpick Almanac’, we can dig the lush sounds and ever-so-slightly abstracted melodies, and ‘Outfoxing A Unicorn’ spaces things out further with a marvellously weird jig of a track, before ‘Tin Crow’ brings things home with obtuse atom-spherics and weightlifter class complexity.

To sum up – if you like the companion piece enough, consider wandering over to Ilkae’s site (http://www.ilkae.com/) and picking up the entire ‘Stained Glass Pinata’ experience. If not, then you can just thank Ilkae for bustin’ open the pinata, and letting you pick up some of the goodies from within. Mm, sweet edible melodies.

Credits:
cover by Ilkae+friends

Tracklist:
01 – The Lockpick Almanac
02 – Pigtail
03 – Ampersand
04 – Cinq Grimaces (Pour Sortir)
05 – Outfoxing A Unicorn
06 – Konkon
07 – Tin Crow
08 – What It Sounded Like From Here

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

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Vim! – A Random Collection Of Consonants {mtk132}

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]

Download

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

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Braces Tower – Pasteism EP {mtk131}

Artist: Braces Tower
Title: Pasteism EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk131
Release Date: 2004/06/03

It’s good to come back to what you know, and we felt like UK artist Braces Tower, previously member of the Wiija-signed, Radiohead-supporting, Peel Session-ing Loveblobs way back in the mists of time, was due another release on Monotonik with his delightful blend of sass, electronics, and intelligent sampledelica, since his first ‘Pshhh EP’ was so well received by all a year or two back. So we asked him nicely, and the round-up compilation ‘Pasteism’ is the unholy result.

So there’s a great deal of diversity across the 8 tracks of ‘Pasteism’, from the opening, wonderfully languid meanderings of ‘Action Jackson’, seguing straight into the frantic skank of ‘El Fuego’ – and the hits just keep on coming from there. Some of the other highlights? Let’s try the sophisticated jazz of ‘Spelling Bee’, the funky Sesame-ish groove of ‘Eleven Twelve’, and the ending, tremendously blissed out nu chill of ‘Nameless’. We’re not nameless, but we are speechless.

[Thanks to Eduardo Sousa for the great cover-pic.]

Credits:
cover by Eduardo Sousa

Tracklist:
01 – Action Jackson
02 – El Fuego
03 – Beatitude
04 – Spelling Bee
05 – Improbable
06 – The General Synopsis
07 – Eleven Twelve
08 – Nameless

Artwork:
Front Cover

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

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Unit21 & Sleepy Town Manufacture – Lain: We Care EP {mtk130}

Artist: Unit21 & Sleepy Town Manufacture
Title: Lain: We Care EP
Label: Monotonik
Catalog #: mtk130
Release Date: 2004/05/14

Sliding lithely out of Russia, we’re delighted to present a split EP by Stanislav “Slam” Vdovin and Eugene Martynov, also known as Unit21, with whom we’ve been talking to for some time after we met them through their friends, multiple Monotonik-releasers Sleepy Town Manufacture. Unit21’s blend of beautifully understated, melody rich electronics is something to behold indeed, and we ended up settling on this small, but perfectly formed 2-track EP.

So, basically, we have ‘Lain: I Care’ by Unit21, leading off with a gorgeous ambient track, all floating and pirouetting and flexing its radiance at us, and STM bringing up the rear with ‘Lain: Say You Care’, a spattering, beat-flecked reply, again, marvellously melodic. This is the kind of EP we wish could go on for ever, but we’ll settle for the infinite loop option – it actually makes sense, in a supportive, ‘there for you’ type way, we promise.

Credits:
cover by Svetlana Stulova aka Lain

Tracklist:
01 – Unit21 – Lain: I Care
02 – Sleepy Town Manufacture – Lain: Say You Care

Artwork:
Front Cover

Download

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

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