ml/i, 2003
This 12-inch is a bit grittier than Monolake’s usual fare. In fact, it reminds me slightly of Speedy J’s masterpiece Public Energy No. 1. Textured beats and hypnotic squelches make “Linear” anything but. “Atomium” is slightly more complex, with rattling, ticking sounds over a driving rhythm. Echoey white noise and train-like wooshes eventually emerge. Finally, “Reminiscence” begins with bass-heavy repetition and slowly gains crackles and reverb. Somehow Monolake manages to translate a minimalist aesthetic into multi-layered tracks. This is Henke’s best material since his Chain Reaction days.