Monolake - Archaeopteryx (2020)

Robert Henke marks 20 years of Monolake / imbalance computer music albums with a bumper pack of sci-fi tekkers in his 9th studio album proper. RIYL Electric Indigo, T++, Dopplereffekt

Seemingly inspired by a Ballard short, ‘Archaeopteryx’ is by some measure the longest and most narrative-driven of Monolake’s albums. It’s geared to the gills with classic kit list (included below), making use of a rich palette of orchestral drum hits and signature, wipe-clean synth textures and open space to spell out a winding album across 19 tracks in 96 minutes.

The sound design is, as ever, impeccably sterile and mixed for optimum space, meaning that it responds well to amplification without distortion, and the likes of tightly coiled steppers ‘Pelton Rota’ and ‘Espace Fourier’, the darkside synth stabs of ‘Sinc Response’ or sheer beatless ambient contours of ‘Phaenon Ono’ and the nastier epic ‘Alu Minimum’ will sound most impressive; primed for gawping at or accompanying your next night in with a novel.

Gearsluts slather here: Ableton Live, Wavetable, Operator, MaxMSP, Granulator II, Celemony Melodyne, Sequential Circuits Prophet VS, Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 12, Yamaha SY77, Yamaha DX-7, PPG Wave 2.3, New England Digital Synclavier II, Ensoniq ASR-10, Oberheim Xpander, a few modular things, Alesis Quadraverb, Lexicon PCM 80, Publison DHM-89 B2, Quantec QRS, Eventide H3000, Eventide Eclipse, Dynacord DRP 20, AMS RMX 16, modified Linn Drum, Sequentix Cirklon.