Monolog X

Monolog X is getting together with superb drummer Fredrik Nelson of The Royal Nelson Orchestra to create a live set for my latest album ‘The Shape of X to Come’. The set will contain of lots of live drumming, electric guitar and melodica blending in with the electronics. It simpy sounds great! Check out these two video clip teasers:

If you ask me, the most difficult thing in making music is finding your own voice and not giving up before that happens. Actually, it’s not so much finding a voice that matters, but searching for one. This search is preferably lifelong and ever changing. It is in this essential quest for artistic expression that hardware plays a big role. I and everybody else in the business is working on a computer of some kind and musical software. So, if we’re all using the same tools; will not our musical endeavours crash at mutual crossroads? At least, the risk of blandness and too much homogenuity seem evident. On the other hand, computer software is the most powerful tool ever in our hands and could lead you almost anywhere. Well, that does not seem to be happening exclusively. Software and various DAWs are arguably too clever and too quick.

If you don’t get any kind of resistance, you just follow. Magic seem to be happening for musicians and producers when re-routing, doing things the long way around. So please continue  working with stuff not meant to co-exist within the digital domain. Play something through an old spring reverb and record it so you can’t change your mind later on in your sequencer. Make decisions and stand by them, or discard them. Let the bass go out from your soundcard through a cheap distortion pedal and further out through a bass amplifier and record it with a condenser microphone. Why? Because it takes time! Re-record your synth melody 10 times and slightly detune each part a little bit and smash them in an outboard compressor only to find out that it sounds crap, so you bypass the compressor just because you like the white noise it ads which give unexplainable life to your recording. Why? Because it takes even longer time!

Will be starting rehearsals for the live show of my new album – ‘The Shape of X to Come’ this weekend.

I will be collaborating with hiphop drummer Fredrik Nelson from The Royal Nelson Orchestra and I will be playing lots of electric guitar, meldoica and keyboard. Will try to get some short video clips up here in the near future.

I learned a few things at the show on Saturday. The line between academic contemporary music and experimental electronic music is thicker than what many seem to be claiming. Let me put it this way, you know when you’re standing in front of a group of braindancers or when you’re nervously fiddling in front of a turtle neck mafia. However, I also learnt that the melodica fits perfectly within the soundscape of three electric guitars.

The tracks Zoo Humans and WannaBZ are on the newly released NELES Compilation #1 (008) :

NELES Compilation #1 is our first official release, put together partly from our digital back catalogue but also featuring entirely new pieces. The selection stretches from ambient soundscapes, tape experiments and minimalistic techno to haunting analogue funk, breakbeatsand vocal arrangements. Dreamt up during elaborate studio sessions, in dusty bedroom setups, and on the run. This is our sound, and we hope you’ll enjoy it. Enjoy NELES!

My new album is out now on Swishcotheque Records! Here’s a few people that I want to thank for their invaluable support:

Matt at Swishco for being so devoted and a positive force for our music.

Sven at Borglab Studios for doing such an awesome work with mixing/mastering

Huge thanks to Karin for all the support and the amazing cover art

Mattias at NELES for the video and being an inspiration

Marcus for picking up the phone

Click the image below to download the album:

Mattias at Svarta Linden Studio sent me this amazing looking teaser today. He’s making a video for the track ‘The shape of X to come’ and I’m stunned by the result.

Monolog X will be playing live together with Trackermatte on April 21st at Kulturens Hus in Luleå. Lush sounding pads, breakbeats, melodica and electric guitar. Tracks from the upcoming album on Swishcotheque will be performed. Also in the beginning phase of creating an album for NELES.

If you’re waiting for The shape of X to come I suggest you check out my Love My Style EP. It was relased on Napalm Enema Records in 2010, I think, and includes some of my best work up to date. You can get it at:

http://www.junodownload.com/products/love-my-style-ep/1504226-02/

My new album The shape of X to come will be released on Swishco in a very near future. Very excited about this one.

New soundcard, new mixer and speakers. Sold all the vintage stuff. Bought a padkontrol and new software.