Monoton

Although Monoton dried up in 1992, its entire output consisting of a handful of mini-albums and limited-run EPs, its minimalist electronica appears increasingly ahead of its time. The sole work of Austria's Konrad Becker, it was a key influence on the brand of Eurotronica found on labels from Kompakt to Mego. Becker began hooking up analogue rhythm boxes and tone generators in late '70s Vienna, churning out a terse music of bleeps, pings and subsonic pulses, all plunged in tape delay and reverb. Blau — originally titled Monotonprodukt 02 — was Monoton's first release from 1980.
The buzzing machines often sound strained to their limits, yet the overall mood is sombre, a palette of greys and umbers punctuated by Becker's incoherent murmurs. “Dubwise” is a spooky premonition of Rhythm and Sound's Germanic reggae. Muffled steel drums resound around “Wirklichkeit,” while “Teil 2? is seared with a violin drone. Even after 28 years Monoton's unearthly, steely beauty is preserved intact.
Rob Young This classic album is now reissued for the first time ever and original copies exchange for high prices nowadays.

• 1 Ein Wort
• 2 Dubwise
• 3 Wirklichkeit
• 4 Leben Im Dschungel
• 5 Teil 2
• 6 Teil 3