Getting all Radical on Jeudi Records
Interview by Ian Fleming
With a past heavily stacked in musical influences, Monte it would appear was always destined for that stage. With an upcoming release ‘Radical’ soon out on Jeudi Records, we caught up with the man to discuss that, and his families musical roots some more…
Hello Monte, great to meet you. How has your summer treated you?
Very well. I’ve played some festivals and had a great time in Asia. Summer in Hamburg was nice too so I decided to do more studio work, finish off my new EP and mix a lot of other artists as a mix engineer such as Adana Twins and Joyce Muniz…
For those of our readers that may be unfamiliar with you, how would you describe your sound in three words?
Big, emotional, electronic – sometimes even movie score-ish’
Which artists would you say you take most of your inspiration from?
There are too many to name one but I always go back to Vangelis, Jarre, Glass, Tangerine Dream, Carpenter, Zimmer. I also listen to a lot of 90s techno records. These guys were doing black magic back then…
Was there a defining moment in your life that made you want to be a DJ/producer?
Very early on. Playing drums wasn’t enough. You just serve and can’t paint in a bigger picture style. Very limiting…
When working on a track, do you follow the same procedure or is it different every time?
Yes, I open up my DAW thinking: Fuck, it’s still empty. Then I just hammer myself with some booze until I suppose a muse kissed my ass (no, I just fell down on the floor). To be honest: NO! Every Song / EP is different. Once I explore and define a soundscape for an EP I stick to that until I go to the next project.
Your EP ‘Radical’ is set for release on Jeudi Records, what did you set out to achieve with this and do you feel you have done so?
To make money! lol. My style of playing changed over time. I pretty much explored the 80’s field and left it to my separate ’80’s research Project’ which is still in the works, but mainly I concentrate on a more straight forward electronic concept. The pure sound of a machine, the roughness, modular minimalistic sound, the darker side of music and transformation. There is the main synth in ‘ Radical’ which is just one sound that transforms from something tonal into atonal over time, pure mayhem. And ‘ Simpler’ could be also used as a soundtrack, very large and dark sounding track. I want to explore that world as well and I think my ‘ Radical’ EP is a good continuation of what I’ve already started with my previous ‘Bubblegum’ EP. Very different from my early works.
How did you establish your relationship with Jeudi, and how does it feel to release on such an established label?
We boozed ourselves from time to time and party like hell! I know these guys for a long time now and it feels more like a family. Great support and a great label, and it’s growing!
Have you had the chance to test the tracks out on the road? What has the reaction been like and does one tune go off more than the other?
No one seemed to start smoking, texting stuff on their phone or bashing beer against the DJ booth. ‘Radical’ seems to be the most liked track, but ‘Simpler’ works as well depending on when it is played….
Why was it that you chose the remixers that you did for the release?
That was Jeudi’s decision to bring in their experience as a label rounding up that EP and I think they did a great job.
Looking back at your childhood, did you have an upbringing that was rich in music? If so how do you think that has shaped the sound you produce today?
I come from a musical family. My grandmother and my mother are classical trained singers. Even my grandfather was an opera singer so I had no choice! My uncle was always a big fan of electronic music so I got this from him. My father was a guitar player in a well known band here in Germany and a DJ as well so he brought all the old school funk records home. Classical music was always around so these 3 things are part of my sound today.
If you could go back in time and give yourself some advice, what would it be?
1. Don’t listen to other people telling you that you can’t do shit.
2. Get off the fuckin’ computer and share some quality time with friends
3. For gods sake GET OFF THE COMPUTER!
Outside of electronic music what do you find yourself listening to? How does this affect your sound?
To German Volksmusik/Stubenmusik! Stubenmusik as a genre in Volksmusik is like jazz to popular music 4 real! Besides that I listen to lots of music from the past, classical and early electronic music, movie scores, jazz fusion records and old funk/soul stuff. Keeps my mind fresh and inspired.
What are your top 5 tracks right now?
1. Stephan Bodzin – Birth
2. Marco Resmann – I Will Love feat. Mz Sunday (Holger Zilske Remix)
3. Terranova – Kepler 186F
4. Eric Prydz – Opus (Four Tet Remix)
5. Fur Coat – Seven
Monte’s ‘Radical’ is out on Jeudi Records on 2nd November