Not too long ago, the members of Monster Loop recall a time back when we were young dj punks that finding good electronic music created in America was… how should one put it? a challenge. In fact, this member recalls playing a 9-hour dj set in northern California that featured only ONE track produced by an American artist. Nine hours! What was going on then?
Taste in music is, of course, relative. We recall carting around album bins filled with vinyl produced in Germany, produced in Belgium, in France, in the UK, hell, even Romania (and one helluva track it was – Robitiko Rejekto!)… and so forth and so on…and nary an American artist in the cue. Well, there was the acid house section in case the evening got weird (dj rule 1 – be prepared for strange, strange will happen). That section was loaded with some great American artists such as Phuture (DJ Pierre – creator of “Acid Traxx”). But even DJ Pierre was, purportedly, more awed by the UK techno scene, allegedly stating that it was there that he, for the first time, felt truly appreciated.
Several explanations for this phenomenon have been offered. Some claim that, just at the time electronic music was starting to take off in the U.S., the Seattle rock scene kicked in (yes, Nirvana, et. al.), effectively crushing the growth of techno in America at that time. Similarly, some say – and we tend to agree – that Americans are a tad too wedded to the concept of music as guitar, unable to move past the idea that music does not necessarily have to be created by an ensemble of guitarists and a drummer wearing faded tshirts and weathered jeans, gesticulating wildly behind a gyrating singer yelling about his/her particular neurosis. Geez, try therapy kid, it’s worth it. Perhaps this is overly critical – something we’re wary of doing, but it seems to us that this concept has become antiquated.
But times do change – ultimately the western world begrudgingly accepted the fact that the earth revolved around the sun rather than the other way around, and ultimately Americans began to accept that electronic music was a vehicle that allowed them to hear five trillion more variations of sound than under other, more traditional, vehicles of sound (and let’s face it, that’s all an instrument is). And now we can proudly state that electronic music is alive and kicking in America. And, on that note, we offer for your enjoyment the following tracks, all made in the USA. Okay, so we included one of our own. We didn’t want to miss out on this one. Incidentally, the tracks are made by, in order, Burro Music (Texas), Aligning Minds (Maryland), Gregor (Illinois), Monster Loop (Georgia), C’Mongrooves (Florida), and Suremy (California).
In response to some requests, we’ve added another tune widget focusing on great underground electronic dance music from around the globe.
Artist / Country / Track
- Koxbox / Spain / The Last Day
- Hujaboy / Israel / The Acid Revival
- Psextreme / Serbia / No Limits
- Boa Group / Israel / Frozen Dream
- Headroom / South Africa / Will Never End
- Inna / Romania / Hot
- Concept / France / Concept vs. Earworm
- Mental Abstraction / France / vs. Spacebar the Vise
He has been called “the mad genius” due to the extraordinarily diverse, innovative tracks he has produced since 1985. The Guardian Newspaper called him “the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music.” He has been an inspiration to both members of Monster Loop. In honor of him, we’ve selected a few tracks by some contemporary artists which we think evidence the enduring influence of Richard James, aka Aphex Twin.
Artist / Country / Track
- Musical Craft / France / Tum Tum Tu Tu Ta
- Ocoeur / France / Trip hop in the night
- Kay / Hungary / inka
- Jam’s / France / Sentiments eparpilles
- Maelstrom / England / Music Technology
- Monster Loop / USA / Jacked
Recently we came upon an ambitious website that attempted to list every subcategory of electronic music. The site listed well over 200 subcategories, at which point our eyes became tired so we decided to record music instead. We’re not sure which of the 200+ categories we’d place the following tracks; we just like to hear them played at clubs. We hope you enjoy them as well. Warning: don’t let the beginning of certain of these songs lull you into a false sense of passivity! Oh, and put on some headphones will you?! Wait until you get to Aum Project – momma mia!!
- Booka Shade (Germany) - City Tales
- EricM (South Africa) – Addicted 2 Music
- Corselectro (France) – A Corsica
- Aum Project (Spain) – On Time vs. Digital Tribe
- Juce (Portugal)- Converge (by Mozam – Juce Remix)
- Havana Acid Club (Norway) – BOXID 128
- Celestina Robot (Puerto Rico) - Breakish
At this writing, over 450,000 artists/musicians have registered with Reverbnation, a cutting-edge music streaming website based in the United States, and are eligible to be ranked within the artist’s respective musical category, of which there are 18. Currently, 23,904 artists have registered with Reverbnation under the broad category “Electronica” (there is no sub-category for “ambient,” “acid house” “trance,” or “progressive house,” for example) and are therefore eligible to be ranked in the Electronica category.
Reverbnation calculates and updates its rankings using an objective and democratic rating system which, each day, generates a “band equity” score (the higher the better). Band equity is awarded based on several factors, including the number of times an artist’s page is visited, the number of times the artist’s music is streamed, and the number of individuals who click to become a fan of the respective artist. Currently, Paul van Dyk from Berlin is #1, while the artist “DJ C@iDa*” has the dubious distinction of being ranked #23,904, or last. Perhaps his name plays a role; we wish him well.
Within their respective category, musicians generally strive to reach the Global Top 100, if for no other reason than the promotional opportunities the ranking creates. Reaching the Global Top 100 in any category is no easy feat: an electronica artist ranked 100 on Reverbnation’s global charts, for example, would rank in the top 99.6 percentile of global artists registered at Reverbnation – no small feat given the number of outstanding acts currently producing electronic music throughout the world that have already registered.
The country with the most representatives within Reverb’s Electronica Global Top 100 is the US, with 41. This number is somewhat skewed by the fact that Reverbnation is based in the US. American artists are, therefore, more likely to register. Besides the US, other countries strongly represented in the Global Top 100 include the UK (14), Germany (6), Australia (5), Brazil (3), France (3), Israel (3), Netherlands (3), Portugal (3), Turkey (3), and Canada (2). In all, these countries represent 86 of the top 100 slots. Other countries represented at this time are Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Ecuador, Finland, Greece, Japan, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The cities most represented—each with 7 artists in the Global Top 100—are New York City and London. Other strongly represented cities include San Francisco (4) and Chicago, Los Angeles, Istanbul, Lisbon, Montreal, Melbourne, Romford, and Sao Paula, which each have 2 artists in the Global Top 100.
Some very skilled artists who fall under the broad category electronica but that have not registered and therefore are ineligible to be ranked include Aphex Twin, Oliver Lieb (i.e., LSG), Autechre, Plastique de Reve, and Rob Acid – just to name a few. There are, however, numerous well-known artists who have registered with Reverbnation but who find themselves in line behind many lesser known artists in the rankings under Reverbnation’s democratic ranking process. Examples include The Orb (ranked #44); DJ Spooky (#177); Juno Reactor (#340); Massive Attack (#598); Boards of Canada (#704); Armin van Buuren (#722); Lady Gaga (#728); and DJ Tiesto (#822). This is less surprising once one begins to listen to the incredible wealth of talent represented in the rankings.
To view and hear these and other talented artists, visit the “Rankings” tab on this website.
26
Oct
Due to an outpouring of global interest and feedback – we heard today from people representing over 10 countries and four continents – we’re posting more recommended tracks from around the world.
Artist / Location / Track
1. EricM / Sandton, South Africa / 2 Much
2. Squid Lid / Toronto, Ontario, Canada / Catarak Fungicides
3. Claeysen / Paris, France / Kiss Me, I’m Bored
4. Caibel / North Carolina, USA / Trippin’ Dirty
5. Carl Jurgens / Oslo, Norway / Game Over
1. Maelstrom – England
2. Burro Music – US (Texas)
3. Booka Shade – Germany
4. Psycholoic – France
5. Jairus Miller – US (Maine)
In the English Channel off the French coast of Normandy lies a chain of islands known simply as the Channel Islands. Not officially a part of the United Kingdom, the lightly populated island chain is, instead, a Norman remnant and British dependency. One of the eight inhabited islands is Jersey, home to Sasha Le Monnier, a talented dj and electronic music producer and the subject of this review.
Like many artists under the broad umbrella “electronica,” Sasha was initially drawn to the scene by the explosive Acid House movement, circa 1989-1990, which began in Chicago and spread throughout the globe. And, like many successful electronica artists, Sasha honed her electronic production skills through years working as a dj, beginning in the late 1990’s. Soon, her hard work began to pay off and, by word of mouth, her impressive dj sets began landing her numerous gigs throughout the U.S and Europe. Magazine and television interviews soon followed. This reviewer had an opportunity to read a pdf version of one such review. The trouble was, the interview was in a northern European language I was unable to decipher or translate. Apologies.
2005 was a watershed year for Sasha. It was in that year that she became involved with internet radio, holding monthly residencies on stations such a Scratch-N-Spin, DI.FM, and Danceradio.gr, putting her in touch with many of the world’s top djs and further polishing her sound. That same year, she entered the production side of electronic music, joining long time friends Stevie Fitz and James Leaman to form “C.O.U. Muzik.” Though formed relatively recently, C.O.U. Muzik already has over 25 releases on various labels, including Nightshade Music, Bellarine Recordings, Pangea U.K., and Source of Gravity. Sasha is now the manager of Source Of Gravity, which has put out many impressive tracks including Jarius Miller’s “Altiplano” – an extraordinarily original and brilliant track. Recently, Sasha returned to a local Jersey club, Pure Nightclub, where she had begun back in 1997, keeping her in touch with the rhythm of the Islands and the emerging sounds throughout Europe and the U.S.
Sasha’s music is sometimes described as “Deep House,” “Tech House,” or “Progressive House,” but labels cannot justly describe her body of work. Listening to over 20 of her/C.O.U. Muzik’s tracks in two sittings, the following stream of consciousness descriptions came to mind: intelligent and hypnotic grooves with interesting, subtle shifts; minimalist, efficient and introspective rhythms that crisply build; suspenseful tracks that are relaxing yet powerful.
One trademark of Sasha’s work is the manner in which she builds tracks. Many are constructed in such a way that they build to a boil so gradually one hardly notices the temperature increasing until it is too late. ”Jacco@work – Hashcake” is a masterpiece of hypnotic build-to-a-boil danceability. C.O.U. Muzik’s “Third Watch” has incredible synchronization throughout. C.O.U. Muzik’s “Girl Cooperate” builds from a minimalist to a complex and intricately layered track. “Infrasonic Feat Hannah” has incredible grooves. “Maxi Valvona – Force Major” is hypnotic and is reminiscent of John Digweed and another Sasha – DJ Sasha aka Alexander Paul Coe, the famous Welsh DJ and record producer.
Monster Loop highly recommends Sasha Le Monnier, C.O.U. Muzik, and Source of Gravity Digital records, and we toast the Channel Islands!
17
Oct
Kirdec, aka “C-drik,” aka “Cdrk” (born Cedrik Fermont) is an academically trained musician, dj, singer, composer and drummer. He is a former student of electro-acoustic composer Annette Vande Gorne (Royal Conservatory of Mons, Belgium). On his Reverbnation page Kirdec indicates that he hails from “Terra nullius.” Not being familiar with this particular locale, I was forced to conduct some research which revealed it to be a latin expression which literally means “land belonging to no one.” Actually, he is of Greek, Zairian and Belgian descent, and was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), lived in Belgium, then later the Netherlands. Continuing his somewhat cryptic manner, Kirdec wryly describes himself as simply having “one head, two arms, a body and all the rest.” That particular collective of head, arms, and body began recording what it describes as “industrial and noise music” with the band Crno klank and, since then, has played in many other projects under different names including Axiome, Ammo, Ambre, Dead Hollywood stars, C-dri, Kirdec, Moonsanto, Tetra plok, Elekore, Logatomistes, etc. Kirdec describes his styles as including “electro-acoustic,” “noise,” “improv,” “digital punk,” “breakcore,” “electro,” and “dark ambient.”
Kirdec’s music is wholly – one might even say fiercely, original – and intense (e.g., the track “Crno klank – Fatalite’ “). His tracks “No excuse,” and “Art mou moral,” while unique (as are all the tracks this reviewer had an opportunity to hear), deftly conjures up great artists from the electronic body music era which so heavily influenced modern electronic music (e.g., Die Warzau, Nitzer Ebb, Front 242. ) Similarly, these outstanding tracks bring to mind early Wax Trax greats such as Ministry in the band’s early days, as well as the Revolting Cocks, and Luc Van Acker. One could almost describe the tracks as a “reimagining” of electronic body music. It’s as if Kirdec exists and creates music in a dimension parallel to our own in which music evolved down a different path where, rather than morphing into modern techno/trance/progressive, the sound stayed truer to its original, raw industrial roots while continuing to advance creatively and technologically and without digressing into metallic distortions. That was a long sentence.
Kirdec’s tracks are diverse. A few, for example, are chill / ambient-like, mysterious, and, frankly, sinister. One example is “Ely” by “C-drik / Aluviana,” which, while listening to it, gave me the unmistakable feeling that I was alone in a vast desert surrounded by unseen, powerful and mystical forces. “Hypothetica” by “The Klank of Crno Migs” and “Morgen” by “C-drik & B6″ are similarly mysterious, suspenseful, to the point of being almost unnerving.
Kirdec describes himself as being interested in music, noise, veganism, ecology, atheism, anti-capitalism, linguistics, semiotics, and new technologies. “I’m fascinated by science and how it can help but also destroy everything” he indicates. “I’m fascinated by humanity: such an entity full of paradoxes, hate violence, self destruction. I’m fascinated by stupid ignorants blaming people different from them to be responsible of all misfortunes of this world. I’m fascinated by artificial intelligence and how complex and powerful it starts to be.”
One thing is certain, Kirdec is a unique spirit and Monster Loop wholeheartedly endorses Kirdec’s music. To stream Kirdec for free, go to http://www.reverbnation.com/cdrk
6
Oct
The City of Nottingham, located roughly in the center of England, enjoys fame for its connection to the mythical Robin Hood. And, like Robin Hood who was ultimately no longer able to elude detection or fame; Nottingham electronica artist Chris Bicknell, aka ‘BIK,’ may no longer be able to hide within his musical Nottingham forest.
A true student of the electronic music genre, BIK could be described many ways, though a common thread to his music is a detailed focus on composition. Each track appears to have been constructed patiently and intelligently. Moreover, while many contemporary electronica artists focus exclusively on percussion, BIK focuses on filtering synthesized sounds and building impressive soundscapes. The man knows how to construct a track. More importantly, those constructed tracks make you dance!
BIK’s influences are unclear to this writer; perhaps those European electronic music pioneers from the ‘80s and ‘90s who carried the torch of electronica when so much bad music was being produced as the genre spread rapidly. Whatever the source, BIK’s music reflects several interesting styles. The pure danceability evident in many of his tracks is, at times, reminiscent of early Front242 (e.g., ‘White Dwarf’). ‘Funk N Jive’ recalls early European techno classics, such as the 1990 mind-blower “Evolution” by Nostromo Department which appeared on the cutting-edge and influential compilation “Technopolis.” Other tracks suggest a more mature Oliver Lieb, aka LSG (e.g., ‘Rachael’s Song’). Several feature a mysterious, almost gothic, old-school electronic trance vibe (e.g., ‘Drance’) and an aggressive, psychedelic aspect is evident at times (e.g., ‘LTM vs. BLK’). Some tracks are relatively mellow and recall Vangelis (e.g., ‘Creed,’ ‘LollyB,’ ‘Automata,’ ‘Gabriel Kron,’ and ‘Roykion’). One could almost envision these appearing in a modern day version of Blade Runner. Turn up the danceability knob a notch or two on certain of these (e.g., ‘Roykon’) and you have his track ‘Eva3.’ But to this writer, BIK’s masterpiece is without question ‘Binary,’ which brings it all together.
Chris indicates on Reverbnation that “[m]y first experience of electronic music was spinning around to Popcorn by Hot Butter as an infant. It wasn’t until I heard Kraftwerk’s ‘Man Machine’ on my mum’s old gramophone that I realized that there was so much more out there. Listening wasn’t enough though; I needed to make it. There has followed years of buying and selling of different pieces of electronic music equipment making of songs: some good, some bad. The urge to make music still continues today.” That is evident in his body of work, which is artful, upbeat, hopeful, and intelligent music for the mind, body, and soul. Monster Loop recommends BIK!