It is the experiential nature of Steffen Linck AKA Monolink’s music that defies the muddy definition of modern live electronic music. Armed with the blend of Berlin underground culture with the pop-leaning sensibility of American electronica, Monolink transports listeners into his own realm of sonic exploration. The music is pillared by emotive guitar tones, analogue synth stabs and, for the first time, his own vocals – acting as a singular point of departure for this budding talent.
The process is almost intuitive for Monolink, “Sitting down and writing a song on a specific topic is foreign to me. I want to be surprised by my lyrics, to find an idea that appeals to me and is not just coming from the logical part of my brain.”
With newest single “Swallow”, Monolink reveals a painful encounter and the subsequent loss which occurs in that place between dreams, thoughts and reality.
“Oh you swallow me inside / Like the dark swallows the light / When I’m drowning in your sea”, fits perfectly into the concept of a cycle of life, the central theme of Monolink’s debut album Amniotic.
Monolink’s forthcoming album Amniotic is being released through Embassy One, a subsidy of Embassy of Music which has released gems from talents like Björk, Booka Shade, Moby and more. The debut album stands as Monolink’s first complete body of work, following his 2017 EP Burning Sun via Sol Selectas, and The End, a collaborative record with Acid Pauli in 2015.
Following the release of Amniotic, Monolink will be embarking on his 3-month live trot across the US, Europe and UK where he’ll be exhibiting his evolved live performance. Steffen performs all of his music live with Ableton, his guitar and fully live vocals, proving to be something truly different in the global modern techno scene.
It is with this in mind that we asked him for tips and advice on how to construct a good live setup:
Tracklisting:
1. Amniotic
2. Black Day
3. Sirens
4. Rearrange
5. Frozen
6. Father Ocean
7. Swallow
8. Take Me Home
9. Riverman
10. Return To Oz
11. Burning Sun
Monolink’s Amniotic is out April 30th on Embassy One and available for pre-order HERE