Saturday September 10th @ Chop Suey
2005 Decibel Benefit Show featuring:
MONOLAKE: Live PA - Berlin (Ableton Live engineer, Chain Reaction, ml/i
Records)
w/ special guests:
NORDIC SOUL: DJ Set - Seattlle (Synth Club, Dreaming in Stereo, Decibel)
PAUL EDWARDS: Live PA - Seattle (PG Series, Oscillate, Decibel)
Live visuals by:
RANDY JONES Seattle (Cycling 74, Orac)
THE NOW DEVICE
$10 presale available at Wall of Sound, Chop Suey, Sonic Boom and online at
http://www.ticketweb.com/user/?regi...mp;event=622542
21+
Doors open at 9pm (come early)
*All proceeds will being going towards the 2005 Decibel Festival happening
September 22nd - 25th. Check out www.dbfestival.com for more info.
Chop Suey
1325 E. Madison
Seattle
quoted 1 line ARTICLE IN THIS WEEKS STRANGER
>>>ARTICLE IN THIS WEEKS STRANGER
Beatseeking Missives - MONOLAKE
BY DAVE SEGAL
Last year, Monolake (mainly the recording project of Berlin producer Robert
Henke) had to cancel his Seattle gig due to a bad case of tinnitus. Data
Breaker's hoping the ringing in Henke's ears has subsided (one is hopeful as
he played two memorable gigs at Montreal's Mutek festival this year) so he
can help bestow Monolake's icewater-in-veins, dubwise techno on our humble
city.
For the last decade, Monolake?at first a duo with Gerhard Behles, then Henke
solo from 1999?2004, and now operating as a duo with Torsten "T++"
Pr?frock?have been advancing the art of minimal techno. Hongkong, Monolake's
1997 debut album on the legendary Chain Reaction label, established them as
a major international techno force. The disc stands out for its vivid sound
design; recontextualization of dub as laid-back, oceanic skank; and
mesmerizing rhythms that seemingly emanate from the deepest caves. The
tracks strike a riveting balance between tranquility and tension and would
probably sound fantastic while you're scuba diving.
Monolake have continued to refine their sound over five more albums,
including the most recent, Polygon_Cities. This work lightens Henke's
typically tenebrous atmospheres and ushers in attractively pastoral tunes
and winsomely chugging beats ? la '70s proto-synth-pop band Cluster. As
usual, Henke's sonic palette is rich and precisely arrayed, but a slight
predictability's creeping into his approach, which is somewhat expected when
you've been creating for 10 years. Nonetheless, Monolake's music is more
interesting than 98 percent of their peers', and even if they seem to have
plateaued, Monolake's plateaus top most artists' peaks.
Regardless of what you think about Monolake's recorded output, you have to
respect their live act. Under his own name at Mutek, Henke stunned a large
crowd into silence with his Studies for Thunder piece, which had punters
repeatedly flinching and reaching for their phantom rain gear, even though
we were indoors. Later in the fest, Monolake played a marathon set that left
people happily drained. After an intro of ominous, midnight-blue dub-tech
with efficiently neck-cracking beats, the music gradually became more
complex and polyrhythmic. At points, Monolake seemed to craft the perfect
hybrid of German and Afro-Latin dance music?brainy yet slyly bawdy, with
accelerated cha-cha beats surprisingly surfacing. The tracks were extremely
heavy, but they possessed irrepressible shake appeal, and they turned
dancing into an act of paranoia.
What makes Monolake unique is Henke's role as head engineer for the revered
Ableton Live program, as well as his musicianship. It's as if Antonio
Stradivari were also a virtuoso violinist. Henke is both scientist and
sorcerer. While most of the Chain Reaction roster has lapsed into
obscurity/inaction, Monolake are the sole act still powering the mighty
legacy futureward.
DAVE SEGAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org
For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org