Monokino Archieven - Pinguin Radio

MONOKINO RELEASES NEW SINGLE: ‘BABY’

Today, Monokino shares a brand new single entitled “Baby.” The track’s accompanying visual, created by Monokino himself, is made entirely of ASCII characters.

Lyric Video: https://youtu.be/T3GoVmP4odw
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/61SxmmcswoOwGaiAWE3bfe
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/monokino/baby/s-DmsgJv0Awd4?
Streaming platforms: https://monokino.ffm.to/baby
Youtube (lyric video): https://youtu.be/T3GoVmP4odw

Monokino is the work of enigmatic Dutch pop composer and visual artist George van Wetering who currently resides between Nanjing, Shanghai and Amsterdam. His sound is an exhilarating, eccentric explosion of driving alternative-rock guitars, off-kilter electronica, and devilishly unadulterated POP!

Stylised new earworm Baby is another illustration of Monokino’s distinctive, quirky approach to song writing and his technicoloured imagination. The infectious, high-octane track is on a high-speed acceleration throughout with a rush of hyper-fast beats and infectious rapid fire guitar riffs laced with van Wetering’s distinctive transatlantic drawl.

The song’s energy and attitude wholly embodies the imagery in van Wetering’s head whilst he composed the track, as he explains…“I saw myself driving a racing car, singing ‘Baby’ in this Billy Idol kind of way,” with the lyrics loosely inspired by a personal experience of a one-sided relationship and the universally relatable regret at staying too long in a bad situation. As van Wetering expands:

“I was never enough for someone who claimed that I was her one and only. She often wanted to be alone, but when I was gone, it was not good either. Some days I was too feminine, other days just too masculine. People like Billy – in a speeding car – would have let go a long time ago already for sure.”

Baby’s accompanying visual is made entirely of ASCII characters and has a stylistic kind of retro-futurism perfectly befitting of Monokino’s sound.

Monokino has previously released two long-players, Fake Virtue and Human Error winning fans across Asia, Europe and North America, with Monokino releasing music via China’s largest independent label Modern Sky and Zip Records in the USA/the Netherlands. He has also collaborated with renowned American record producer and artist Tony Visconti and the artist Kristeen Young on their most popular track New Kid, alongside Dutch artist/producer Jacco Gardner.

Monokino has extensively toured the USA, Canada, China and the Netherlands and played huge international festivals from Strawberry Festival, Beijing and World Expo in Shanghai, to South by Southwest, Texas.

Baby follows the 2021 singles No Return, Bend or Break and Your Underground, all taken from Monokino’s forthcoming third album (expected later in 2022). All singles received attention from blogs worldwide, with plays from the late Janice Long on BBC Radio.

“A woozy fusion of alternative-rock and off-kilter electronics that certainly deserves your attention.” The Vinyl District

“Energetic, stylish alternative pop sitting somewhere between the new romantic sound of 80s and Gary Numan.” MXDWN

” Monokino has a knack for quirky, but engaging songwriting.” Fame Magazine

“Monokino takes no prisoners as electro is formidably melded with rock-style guitar.” Fortitude Magazine

“If Adam Curtis made music instead of documentaries Monokino would be the sound. Magnificent.” Yack Magazine

MONOKINO LINKS:
Website: www.monokino.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/monokino1
Facebook: www.facebook.com/monokino
Twitter: www.twitter.com/monokino
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1j1SytNuBSzXUkCMOfRVhH?si=Y4f1ucUMSDGMPvGsxX22pw&dl_branch=1&nd=1
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/monokino

MONOKINO SHARES NEW SINGLE “YOUR UNDERGROUND”

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/monokino/your-underground/s-DF9OHQNpg4W
Spotify: https://show.co/JezvqLX

Monokino shares his new cross-genre single “Your Underground,” an edgy track with a hyperpop/alt rock flavor. The gritty, electric track explores Monokino’s pent up frustrations towards the music industry and his feelings of anxiety, angst, and imposter syndrome within the so-called “underground scene”. Opening with a majestic choir of synths and harmonies, the song quickly dives into an 8-bit style sampled beat, punctuated by wailing guitars – complete with pulsing bass, electrowave textures, and rapid fire lyricism. Simultaneously cathartic and energetic, you could imagine “Your Underground” pulsing from the depths of a grungey basement rave. The breathless music is the perfect platform for Monokino to experiment with his vocals, effortlessly undulating from falsetto and baritone and back again.

On the track, Monokino shares: “‘Your Underground’ goes a bit further in the sense that now an entire (music) scene is trying to proclaim what is right or wrong. Although the industry is seen by some as more democratic (‘everyone can be an artist, just upload a song, create your own scene’), that scene is valued by a system that is very similar to how everything used to be: new music is promoted and liked through the lens of a Spotify playlist and its streams measure its importance.”

Dutch artist George van Wetering, AKA Monokino, has continued to develop his chameleonic approach to music and art. His music slips and slides between sonic pallettes and tropes, transcending genre and creating an entirely new sonic landscape of its own. Hailed as “a free spirit that finds harmony with disparate elements and a pattern without a formula” Monokino’s uniquely rock/pop has already struck a chord with audiences across the globe. His music has been released by labels in the US, Europe and record company Modern Sky – a major player in the Asian music industry.

Signed to Zip Records in the Netherlands, Monokino’s international reach has seen his works released by China’s largest independent music label Modern Sky. Combining his time between Nanjing, Shanghai and Amsterdam, his new work has already gained support from a diverse range of tastemakers including Janice Long on BBC Radio.

Your Underground is out on 30th June 2021 via Zip Records.

“If Adam Curtis made music instead of documentaries Monokino would be the sound. The music is suitably odd and unnerving with little solid ground to feel steady on but the sonic journey is an unforgettable one.” – Yack Magazine
“With Monokino being described as an odd/pop – rock composer I felt the eyebrow begin rise and meet the furrowed brow. Oh joy one of those avant garde types that makes noise but has no intrinsic merit whatsoever. I was wrong. Utterly…. A musical venture with a salient point that’s actually worth listening to.” – Faultline
“Magical electro-pop and baroque fusion… cement[s] the rise of Monokino’s status as a major act in 2021’s music scene.” – Vents Magazine
“Ripe and unhinged, [Monokino’s songs] moved back and forth from drum machines to live drums and keyboards to electric guitar, all awash with endless effects” – Culture Collide

Powerd by Penguin Artists

Monokino – Bend Or Break

Monokino is de artiestennaam van George van Wetering, een smart-rocker uit Amsterdam. Monokino schijnt wereldberoemd te zijn in China, niet geheel onbekend in de V.S. en graag gezien in Canada.

Niet alleen heeft George al heel wat van de wereld gezien, tijdens zijn omzwervingen heeft hij ook mogen samenwerken met o.a. Bowie producer Tony Visconti en retronaut Jacco Gardner. Monokino is dus al even bezig. Mocht er een nieuw album komen zijn dan wordt het zijn derde.

Bend Or Break komt dus niet uit de lucht vallen. En dat hoor je. De uitgekristalliseerde sound wordt voor een groot deel bepaald door George’s karakteristiek nasale stemgeluid. Zijn zang doet wel aan Brian Molko van Placebo denken. Verder vallen de snedige gitaren op, de slimme productie en de sterke refreinen waarin George een canon met zich zelf lijkt te zingen.

Vanwege corona zal Monokino zijn activiteiten voorlopig tot de lage landen moeten beperken. Jammer voor hem, maar goed voor ons.

MONOKINO releases brand new single: “Bend Or Break”

Amsterdam-based odd/pop composer – MONOKINO – will release a brand new single: “Bend Or Break”

OUT February 1 2021 MONOKINO

RELEASES NEW SINGLE:
‘BEND OR BREAK’
OUT February 1 2021
LISTEN HERE

PART OF A UNIQUE UK-NL MUSICAL EXCHANGE

“Magical electro-pop and baroque fusion… cement[s] the rise of Monokino’s status as a major act in 2021’s music scene.”
VENTS MAGAZINE

“Monokino is just on a planet of his own… his sound is relatable, sublime at times, and powerfully inspiring.”
POP IT

Amsterdam-based odd/pop composer – MONOKINO – will release a brand new single: “Bend Or Break” on 1 February 2021

“Bend Or Break” is a bubbling broth of influences and styles designed to break down barriers and push the limits.

Written in direct reaction to the endless stream of grim statistics, toxic information and barbed opinion that engulfed us as 2020 unfolded, “Bend Or Break” is a track that finds George van Wetering/Monokino unplugging himself from the media mainframe and urging a revolution of free and independent thinking.

As George says:

“The inspiration for the song came when I stopped reading the forwarded articles from my whatsapp contacts, messages about the number of covid deaths, the IQ of Trump, about how efficiently they respond to the pandemic in Southeast Asia and how stupid the Netherlands is… I longed for a time when we were talking about things with common sense and our common stance about that we do not need to explain, rationalize, or quote someone else, or know everything. When all the information comes to you and supposedly refers to experts, how do you still think independently?”

Based on a series of online conversations Monokino had last year, “Bend Or Break” tells the story of someone who becomes consumed by the never-ending torrent of news and misinformation, and ultimately has their outlook on life warped in the process.

“Bend or Break is about a friend who says all year round how bad things are in the world and with humanity and with himself but at the end of the year says that 2020 has never been such a good year for him personally.” says George. When faced with conflicting opinions and clashes of personality, sometimes “it’s easier to oppose it and to let go of some friendships” he adds.

Underpinned by George’s distinctive Thom Yorke-esque falsetto, “Bend Or Break” is a record that defies convention at every turn. Amorphous and mercurial, its snaking rhythms wind around low-slung latino hooks that refuse to be pinned-down. Atonal chords stretch into wiry solos that burn bright, then disconnect.

Esoteric of sound and erudite of concept, “Bend Or Break” is an exploration of fake news and hard truths. It’s a record that dares defy the norm to challenge, stimulate and electrify in equal measures.

Monokino is the alias for Dutch composer George van Wetering. Hailed as “a free spirit that finds harmony with disparate elements and a pattern without a formula” Monokino’s uniquely odd-ball pop has already struck a chord with audiences across the globe. Seeing his music released by labels including Konkurrent (NL), Zip Records (USA/NL) and major Chinese record company Modern Sky, albums such as ‘Human Error’ and ‘Fake Virtue’ launched Monokino into five consecutive tours of China and North America; visiting landmark festivals from China’s Strawberry Festival to the US’s South by Southwest along the way.

Working with legendary producer Tony Visconti and Kristeen Young (on “New Kid”), plus fellow Dutch artist/producer Jacco Gardner during his career, Monokino has a reputation as a keen collaborator; a trait he also brings to his latest release: “Bend Or Break”.

“BEND OR BREAK” BY MONOKINO IS RELEASED 29th JANUARY 2021 on Spotify by ZIP RECORDS Amsterdam and JZ Shanghai

www.youtube.com/monokino – song and music video release February 1 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION
w/ http://www.monokino.com
instagram: www.instagram.com/monokino1