Mathias Modica - Sonic Rohstoff (2021)

Sonic Rohstoff is a journey through abstract downtempo vibes, lofi jazz and futuristic electronica. This is Modica’s first album under his own name, following three albums under his monikers Kapote and Munk. All instruments are performed by Modica himself, embellished by guest musicians from the new Berlin Jazz scene.

Most people might know Modica from his earlier works as a producer, keyboard player and founder/ creative mind behind Toy Tonics, Gomma and Kryptox.
Over the past two decades he has made a name for himself by discovering and breaking new talent and styles of music. He produced albums with James Murphy and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem, Peaches, Asia Argento, The Rammellzee and WhoMadeWho for his former label Gomma records. Nowadays, he is busy running Toy Tonics and Kryptox Records.

Originally a jazz piano student and the son of a classical composer Mathias interrupted his studies exactly 20 years ago to launch his label Gomma records and his artist moniker Munk.
Gomma became one of the leading labels of the 2000’s Indie Disco wave alongside DFA Records and Output Recordings. Crowned as „Germany’s freshest and most interesting record label“ by London's i-D Magazine. In fact Gomma was more than just a record label: besides connecting DJ aculture with bands and „real“ musicians, Gomma also released graphic magazines, shirts and ran underground art exhibitions around the world.

Modica stopped the Gomma label in 2015 to start Toy Tonics and Kryptox with two friends - two platforms that showcase the vivid new music scenes of Germany across electronic ad organic dance music. Toy Tonics became a go-to label for international artists experimenting with house, neo-soul, future disco and broken beat. (Coeo, Joel Holmes, Kosmo Kint and Cody Currie are among the artists on Toy Tonics.)

Kryptox Music was launched in 2018 as a home for new bands working in Germany. Highlighting new exciting forms of jazz, psychadelica and electronica that come out of Berlin, which has established itself as a melting pot of new bands and live musicians from across the world.
After Kryptox albums by Niklas Wandt, Ralph Heidel and the Kraut Jazz Futurism compilation, Mathias Modica finally delivers his own debut album.

Sonic Rohstoff are ten slow, instrumental pieces in which Modica plays the Rhodes, synthesisers, bass, drums and percussions. The music is based on deconstructed samples and beats made from real drums and field recordings. Guest musicians are Ralph Heidel (fl, sax), Viktor Wolf (sax), JJ Whitfield (Beats). Loose drum patterns lead the way, mixed with carefully crafted, sensitive atmospheres setting the perfect mood for Modica’s warm and melancholic chord progressions and melodies played on several keybaords. Across the album, he draws inspiration from 1970s jazz funk and 1990s hip hop and electronica. Moods transition from sweet to bizarre, from cinematic to funky. Modern pioneers like Flying Lotus and DJ Shadow are influences as well as movie composers like Alessandro Alessandroni and David Axelrod and the fascinating world of 1980ies japanese fusion jazz.
But it’s difficult to find words for Sonic Rohstoff. In fact the sound of Mathias Modica’s debut album is too special to be described with few sentences. It’s deep and meaningful music. Listen and judge yourself.