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Alex Monk
Electroacoustic / Electronica / Psychedelic

		London United Kingdom Profile Views: 19156 Last Login: 11/9/2009
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MySpace URL:

www.myspace.com/alexmonk

Alex Monk: General Info

Member Since	12/4/2006
Band Members	Alex Monk
Influences	,Cul De Sac, Joy Division,This Heat, Fonal records, Brian Eno, Sonic Youth, Harmonia, Can, Bark Psychosis, Phillip Glass, Janek Scaheffer, Spacemen 3, The Only Ones, Alexander Tucker, Silver Apples, Robert Wyatt, Neubauten, Aphex Twin, Electrelane,Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co., Ravi Shankar, Len Cohen, Oval, Tim Buckley, Il maestro Franco Battiato, Charles Hayward, Alan Sorrenti (first record), Cluster, Thomas Koner,Water records, John Peel playing Napalm death (this one fades in), Kafka, Jerzy Kosinski, Tony Benn, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Georges Delarues, Les Mepris, Lau Nau, Minit, Rosy Parlane, Phillip Jeck, John Pilger, Chomsky, Tim O neill, Peter Perrett, Ian Curtis, Nico, Lou Reed,Henryk Gorecki, Penderecki scares the hell out of me, Humcrush, Rothko, Rocket number nine, Elite Barbarian, Jah Wobble David Stubbs, Tape, The leaf label,Mordant Music
Sounds Like	Dire Straits
Record Label	Smeraldina-RIma
Type of Label	Major

Upcoming Shows

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Oct 29 2009

8:00P

Fleapit

London

Nov 27 2009

8:00P

Nocturne Folks at the half moon herne hill

London

Dec 13 2009

8:00P

Ship of Fools

London

Alex Monk's Latest Blog Entry [Subscribe to this Blog]

Dream Machine Festival (view more)

New record (view more)

Wire review (view more)

RECLUSE FIRST BIRTHDAY ALL DAYER (view more)

First release and it’s a nice pair (view more)

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About Alex Monk

EXCHANGING CHAIRS. LIMITED EDITION 60 COPIES. BEAUTIFUL HAND ETCHED COVER IN 7 INCH STYLE. WORLDWIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED

KIT MIKAYA. LIMITED EDITION 60 COPIES. BEAUTIFUL SILK SCREEN COVER IN 7 INCH STYLE.WORLDWIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED

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Alex Monk is a musician and producer based in London and fond of experimentation and improvisation with vocals and digital and analogue sources and field recordings. His new simultaneous debut 'double release' on the Belgian Smeraldina-Rima label is limited to 60 copies each and out now. The release has received great reviews and Monk is a regular on the London live circuit, co-running the monthly 'Recluse' night in London with Katie English promoting new and experimental musicians. Monk is also a member of Fractured Waves, who are recording an album for release early next year and have live shows to promote this coming up soon. www.myspace.com/fracturedwaves

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Two years' worth of pent-up material finds its way out of the world on these simultaneously released dual debut albums. Alex Monk is a London based musician/producer who uses laptop trickery and a concatenation of effects pedals to balance swathes of gaseous ambience against chiming, layered guitars. Hardly a revolutionary approach, you might think, but his music succeeds in making a genuine emotional impact. The high-built clouds of "Exchanging Chairs" and the psychedelic stasis of "What Thou Lovest Well" achieve a lofty grandeur, while the electronically-enhanced fingerpicking of "Neutrino" and "Death Without Tears" opens up a connection to the visionary beauty of guitarist James Blackshaw. A frail vocal rises like a broken reed through the frozen mist of "Winter Meccanica"; it's a glacial, incantatory conclusion. The CD's are packaged in attractively screenprinted 7" sleeves - but it might be difficult to get hold of them as they're being made available in a limited edition of just 60 copies each. Chris Sharp, The Wire, December issue 2008. A review for the CD-R debut from losing today: Alex Monk 'Exchanging Chairs' (Self released). This colossal 6 track 41 minute set from London based musician Alex Monk should by rights appeal to fans of not only Brian Eno, Pimmon, Stockhausen and EAR (especially on the mind melting 'Soyuz 1') but Moondog, Roy Montgomery and other fringe psychedelicists operating in outer realms of concrete ambience. Some time member of Arch slider (who we now feel restless to seek out and sample) Monk crafts monolithic drone scapes by way of sound manipulations extricated via guitars, laptop and found sounds. The set opens with the 11.12 in duration 'exchanging chairs', a humungous sloth like slab of glacial ambience reminiscent of Sadar Bazaar and Windy and Carl and yet swept through with a maligned void less elegance more associated with Yellow 6. This impenetrable slice of bleakly cathedral like stateliness is pierced through by ominous swathes of regal swells that exact an unsettling edge to the proceedings yet strangely sound if truth be known like a despondent half cousin of Laurie Anderson's 'Oh Superman'. 'Neutrino' with it's flurry of chime charming softly strummed chords could easily assume a place on Montgomery and Heaphy's 'True' set without a so much as a batting of the eye lid though on this occasion sounding as though both Roy Budd in collaboration with Gnac had wrestled with the recording giving it a curious rain swept noire-ish appeal. The abstract sounding 'The Advocate on the other hand is something that Ochre records would have welcomed with arms wide a few years back given their love of all things inspired by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop while the daintily frail lunar-esque suite 'MG' brings the set to a lulling close - think early career ISAN meets Raymond Scott, a shyly beguiling slice of chilled out spectral galactic pop or rather more a binary coded lovelorn epitaph to a fading memory. However all said and done the sets crowning glory is the heavenly apparition like 'Przykrosc'. A beautifully realised symphonic score that's filtered through with layer upon layer of reverential swathes of unworldly celestial grace, shimmers and twinkles achingly with a sense of monastic majesty brought to heel by the appearance of Madam Butterfly like operatics which all at once evoke polar mood swings that veer between tearful tragedy and euphoric ecstasy. Quite perfect if you ask me.

Alex Monk's Friend Space (Top 23)

Alex Monk has 1418 friends.

Fractured Waves

Smeraldina-Rima

Shep

sand snowman

Isnaj Dui

Dominic

Rocketnumbernine

Lust Wave

Tegid

fearofjazz

LEVI

Wouter

Jrumhand

audioMER.

this heat

the slate pipe banjo draggers

Ben Eshmade

KRAUTROCK JIM

Bea * r-esistere

Gonzo (circus)

Robert Wyatt

Kaparte Promotions

Roshi

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Alex Monk's Friends Comments

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Karl (Music Promoter)	Sep 20 2009 7:26 PM Hi Alex, I'm looking forward to seeing you play @ THE BRIDGEHOUSE 2 on the 22nd September 2009 Karl 07782 492988 / 9 The Bridgehouse 2, Canning Town. www.bh2live.com
gravid hands	Aug 22 2009 9:32 AM www.myspace.com/dukegarwood www.myspace.com/theexploitsofelaine www.myspace.com/sixtoes1 http://www.cafeoto.co.uk/DUKEGARWOODTHELADYWOODSMEN.shtm Register for cheaplist at gravidlist@gmail.com
VACILANDO ’68 publishing & promotions	Aug 2 2009 9:02 PM SCALEDOWN BOYS salute you sir! thanks for taking part in a very special night. now try not to time the return of Recluse with my old man kicking a football activities.
VACILANDO ’68 publishing & promotions	Jul 26 2009 10:22 PM UPCOMING ACTIVITIES: July 31st: SCALEDOWN 5th Anniversary Celebration featuring John Butcher, Mike Adcock, The Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra, Don Tempi, Alex Monk and Susie Hug [www.theorchestrapit.com/scaledown]. August 8th: The Orchestra Pit / V '68 Promotions presents This Ambitious Orchestra, The Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra and John Bisset & Alex Ward live @ The Luminaire [www.theorchestrapit.com/luminaire]. August 13th: Country Dad (live @ Scaledown from 2008) - podcast on New Jersey station WFMU, courtesy of Kurt Gottschalk and his The Brother Lucy Show [www.wfmu.org/playlists/KU]. August 31st: new single release from Naïm Amor for The Orchestra Pit Recording Co. [www.myspace.com/naimamor].
gravid hands	Jul 25 2009 11:45 AM WORLD SANGUINE REPORT - 'THIRD ONE RISES' NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY AT ALL GOOD RETAILERS THROUGH CARGO RECORDS DISTRIBUTION THE WIRE- ‘Third One Rises twists the noble craft of songwriting into a dystopian mindfuck’ THE GUARDIAN - 'Tom Waits-meets-Napalm Death specialist' TIMEOUT - 'Plummer is a raggedly brilliant singer... ' DIE SHELLSUIT DIE - 'Like all truly great records it rewards the listener who is willing and able to persevere. A record this ambitious succeeds or fails on the strength of its players. Fortunately, the musicians on Third One Rises are more than up to the challenge.' JAZZWISE - 'Think David Lynch getting drunk with Hieronymus Bosch in the bar of the hotel from the shining. With nightmarish lyrics plumbing the darker depths of the psyches and evocative song names, it is clear that Plummer has a writer's way with words.'
Ryan Gregory Tallman	Jul 25 2009 11:45 AM Thanks for the add. I'm really digging your work.
fyrepyle	Jul 22 2009 11:19 AM very cool sounds Alex, many thanks for the add
Seefeel	Jul 22 2009 7:04 AM
Dolores	Jul 16 2009 1:20 PM Very nice to meet ya too. Really liked your set you did at Union chapel daylight fest.
hybernation	Jul 15 2009 1:57 PM
Isnaj Dui	Jul 5 2009 9:21 AM Morning sir, what a jolly afternoon we had yesterday! Brill set, the recording turned out really well so will send it on to you... Maybe see you later for Telephasing!
Roshi	Jul 5 2009 9:18 AM Great stuff from you in the chapel yesterday Alex. Probably my favourite solo set of yours so far. Longer next time please. Roshi xx
Lucy Railton (cello)	Jun 25 2009 10:28 AM KAMMER KLANG NEXT TUES 30TH, please come down! CAFE OTO, 7.30
Kaparte Promotions	Jun 24 2009 11:51 AM Hey man x
Euhedral	Jun 22 2009 11:24 AM Hello & Thank you Really nice work here
The Loved One	Jun 21 2009 12:29 PM Out Now "......Further Observations" by The Loved One CD AVAILABLE AT METAPHON.CO.UK Downloads Available At "Lots of things to listen to in a very big space" ..
PHIL MAGGI	Jun 18 2009 1:27 PM OUT NOW on Idiosyncratics Records : Phil Maggi - Blue Fields in Paramount CD ..Blue Fields in Paramount is a very personal and fascinating opus, a beautiful introduction to the style of this talented artist, that could be qualified as 'dark psychedelia for daydream believers'. It has been mastered by James Plotkin (Khlyst, Khanate, Old, Phantom) and is out now as a stricly limited to 300 copies ekopack edition with a fantastic artwork by czech artist Jan Karpisek... 10€ ONLY! GET YOUR COPY HERE! --
NITKOWSKI	Jun 17 2009 11:49 AM
Front & Follow	Jun 11 2009 8:25 PM Great you are coming - see you there! J
Moonswift Ashley-West	Jun 10 2009 1:23 AM Hi Alex, thanx for friendship and sorry I've taken so long to get back to you. Glad you like the vibe of Alien Eyes and look forward to seeing you perform your stuff live again. Spaces me out beautifully. Moonswift x
Some Bizarre	Jun 9 2009 4:50 AM some bizarre
Moose Factory	Jun 4 2009 2:08 PM June 7 @ The George Tavern Tenebrous Liar "moody and intense, occasionally terrifyingly primal, country-blues soundscapings". (Time Out) The Notorious Hi-Fi Killers “Mondo heavy blues collide with superfuzz space rockers.” (Mojo) Ivy's Itch "..Unsettling and arresting" (The Fly) from 3.30pm FREE!! Hope to see you then!
Magdalena Solis	Jun 4 2009 12:09 AM Forgot to mention: wonderful track What thou lovest well! peace ms
Pat Fish	Jun 6 2009 1:15 AM
Magdalena Solis	Jun 2 2009 8:38 PM Thanks for your request!