2018 In Review: Monument Staff’s Top Tracks

With his debut EP Dwell in Motion on Avian, Desroi displays his dark and effective style of his productions already hailed by no other than Mike Parker. The title track, in particular, is a dancefloor banger; combining minimalistic sounds, rattling effects and droning elements over an intelligent rhythm structure.

Primal Code’s first full-length album on Hypnus La Via Della Seta features Varanasi, a deep, emotional excursion. A hypnotic, dreamy drive, accompanied by beautiful melodies segues into a breathtaking ambient outro. Primal Code’s mesmerizing delivery leaves the listener looking for more.

Listening to Rene Wise‘s EP Loud Colours, it is not a surprise, that this record found its place among Luke Slater’s Mote-Evolver label. Our favorite track is Spirit Molecule, a techno tool with a great mixture of powerful dub, eerie sounds and hypnotic vocal echoes that will turn the dancefloor into a dystopian postmodern wasteland.

Midgar and Wata Igarashi, a match made in heaven, they share a common bond: deep techno that tells stories through ambient touches. Igarishi exhibits the concept with Lost combining reduced acid lines, complex sound textures and experimental tones; forming a unique character as expected from Igarashi & Midgar.

What it comes to Svarog, it is clear which direction his productions are going: dark and atmospheric techno. For us, Decepticons stands out among all his productions of the year. Starting with minimal elements, the track evolves to beautiful soundscapes with Svarog‘s typical dark touch.

Striking a balance between heavier techno and profound ambient experimental sounds, Anthony Linell always loves to explore deep techno in all his facets. Our favorite track is Breeders Trophy, a subtle ambient trip with very few elements and an eerie and weird melody.

Banke is the newest member of Token and delivers a fantastic debut with his Totem EP, a powerful four-tracker. The title track, in particular, creates heat on the dance floor with a heavy bassline and a slow building tension throughout the techno tool.

A reduced bassline, drip-like elements and a sparsely used kick drum characterise DJ Nobu‘s Fish. Listening to it feels like watching drops of falling rain on the surface of water from the perspective of a fish. This point of view sounds so bizarre and unique like the track and perfectly fits to the sound of BleeD.

After releases for Mord, Warm Up, Pole Recordings and other notable imprints, Body Sedation is Kwartz‘s debut release for Horo. His track Altered States of Consciousness is a dark and mental piece with a growling bass that leads to a hypnotising and haunting drive enabling the listener to get lost in the shadows.

Italian mastermind Donato Dozzy is a veteran in creating art in form of mesmerizing music and Cleo is a perfect example of Donato‘s wide knowledge of techno. The track shaped by crystal clear textures and a emotional soundsphere, touches our musical hearts with positive vibes and happy feelings.

Quite recently, Isorinne released his album Stumhetens Toner. Just in time for the winter season, this beautiful compilation explores the wonderful world of ambient through all possible viewpoints. Each track is unique but Tarlös Sorg is our true favorite. The beginning is reminiscent of one of the many piano pieces of Ludovico Einaudi. Tarlös Sorg continues with elegance and sensibility, unfolding Isorinne’s magic as the song draws to a close.

A year without a track from Semantica feels wrong. Hence, Curvature from ASC is our pick of the year from the label run by Svreca. With atmospheric break-beats and minimal elements such as eerie melodies, experimental and beeping sounds, the track develops its own hypnotic and dark drive to get lost in.

End of Perception is a new label founded this year, and it’s releasing compilations that combine raw techno with noise, atmospheric and ambient genres by established and lesser-known artists. Numen, a track by newcomer Barks, is a techno stomper with a powerful bass line and broken beats. The industrial and metallic sounds give the track a dark and heavy energy.

In June, we premiered a remix of Josef Gaard – 2929 by Avancera. Still, it is one of our favorite picks of this year. By slowing down the original driving beat and adding a touch of acid, Avancera has reduced the tribal vibe set out on the original and created a more rhythmic focused track.

As producers, Artefakt always touch our hearts and ears as ravers. They recently invited us into their studio for a talk about how they work in the studio and Falling Into Light is an excellent instance of their style of production. It starts with volatile kicks and combines them with melodic emotional melodies. The whole track is then rounded off by a beautiful and rolling acid line.