Monolink is one of the most exciting producers and performers of melodic house and melodic techno in the underground music scene in 2020. Those who already know the charms of Amniotic will know what we mean. That was his first album, released in 2018 on the German label Embassy One, based, like Monolink himself, in Berlin. Under that alias hides Steffen Linck, a producer, composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who has already attracted the attention of great minds like Acid Pauli -with whom he released his first EP, The End, in 2015- and one of the biggest melodic techno labels: Afterlife, owned by Tale Of Us, where he released “Swallow”. At the end of 2020, Monolink will repeat at Embassy One with a second album of which, for now, we know rather little. “Sinner” is the first track of the album unveiled by the German artist.
Steffen, my first shot goes directly to “Sinner”, your very last single just released. It is just a first taste of your second album, but it already says a lot.
Yes! I’m very excited to finally unveil some new music. My second album is going to be released towards the end of the year but there will be a bunch of singles coming out in the meantime and “Sinner” is the first one of them. With it, I wanted to explore a darker side of me, writing a fictional goodbye letter to a world that’s not worth living in anymore. On the musical side, it’s got a driving beat and is hopefully going to make people dance to turn it into something positive.
And we thank you for that since these are tough moments for all human beings. Let’s talk a bit about Monolink. How do you introduce your alias to our readers?
I always struggle with that. Usually, I keep it short and say I make electronic music adding live guitar and my vocals.
Come on, your music is much more than that… What’s your approach and your message?
I simply want to create something I feel touched by. The excitement and happiness I get from having created something I truly enjoy listening to, something that moves me, is indescribable. I’m always looking for that kind of music out there, but I find it harder and harder to find songs or bands that match my specific taste. I love folk music and storytelling and I also love warm, deep and emotional electronic music. But there really isn’t so much out there that manages to combine those two in a way that works for me. So, I’m trying to fill that gap.
As you said before, “Sinner” is just the first taste of your second album. What can we expect from it?
A collection of songs that all touched me at a certain moment. I recorded it in my studio here in Berlin, and I guess it’s a reflection of topics and sounds and feelings that moved me over the past months of creating it. I bought a beautiful old piano which inspired me a lot.
We still don’t know the name of the album, do we?
I do… It already has a name, but I can’t tell you yet. Embassy of Music, a Berlin-based indie label, is going to release it, just like my first album, Amniotic. I’m really happy to be working with them again, they’ve been passionate about my music from day one and for me, it really matters to work with someone I can easily meet and talk to in person here in Berlin.
Knowing your previous tracks, one can think for you it should be already something simple to produce a track, but we know “Sinner” has not been an easy one…
No, it hasn’t. “Sinner” is a track that changed a lot over the time making it. I produced it while touring and playing several shows every weekend, and that really shaped the sound of it. Its energy is much higher than what I used to produce before due to the fun I had playing it live. It was new for me to also take my live set into the realms of techno, and I discovered how much I enjoyed having some stronger contrasts within my sets.
Could you explain a bit more its technical side?
The main synths I used in “Sinner” are my Prophet 6 for the arpeggios and pads, and the bassline is a combination of Behringer Model D and the DIVA plugin. Vocals I recorded with my Townsend Labs Sphere L22, which emulates old microphones, and does so really well. At the moment, everything I record goes through a Thermionic Culture Fat Bustard to add some saturation and EQing, as well as my API 2500 compressor. I don’t know how long it took me to finish “Sinner”, but it was a really long time.
For which environment would you say is this track ready?
It’s a dark song, I guess night-time makes sense.
(Cover Image: © Monolink’s Press Kit)