Monuman's next move, 'The Polychoral EP'

InsightsWritten by Keelan Rushby on

It's already been a year since Monuman released the heartfelt 'end of days' on inspected.

Since then he has been working heavily under his other alias 'Emperor' working on a ton of content for the highly esteemed drum and bass label 'critical' as well as an astonishing remix of 'The Upbeats - Prism' (One of my favourite Emperor tunes period).

We are now all blessed with his most dynamic work yet, Monuman's first EP is nothing short of an alluring emotional journey, on top of that, the way his exploitative mind approaches the use of energy in combination with emotion, is what makes this release really shine.

—Polychoral

The EP starts with a heavenly choir luring you in with their simple yet powerful song. subtle layers build into an energetic rise in energy until an immensely satisfying breakdown thick drums and groovy bassline take centre stage. The blending of the pure vibes of the choir and the funk vibes of the bassline is so seamless, you would be hard press to find anyone that wouldn't connect to this one, a perfect start to the EP.

—If You Want

Next up is a joy filled, steppy delight. In the beginning of the track, there is a very consistent energy to it that makes it really easy to become immersed in the track and fully appreciate the amazing drum patterns that are sprinkled throughout. About two thirds in he introduces a very contrasting section with grimy basslines that is an appreciated point of change in an otherwise very consistent track.

—Sasquatch

This one. This is the heavy hitter of the EP. Originally making an appearance on one of inspected's Friday Filth mixes this is likely to be a fan favourite. Fierce whipping chunks of bass and texture are propelled by solid drum work and accentuated by masterful use of dissonant 'effects' to add tension and space to the call and response of the drums and bassline

—Blossoms

A brilliant idea to put this one after sasquatch. Its harmonically lush chords that blend with the vocals create something really special. It's like walking through a field of flowers on a sunny spring evening. There is also a very smart use of silence use in this crack that accentuates the groove, seemingly allowing him to place a lot of the groove in the melodic elements. Brilliant.

—Spectre

I find that this tune brilliantly blends a sort of easily digestible dance-floor energy with very obscure left field sound design. When your ears first glance this one, you will likely be compelled to bounce off or your walls and call yourself a trap lord, However upon closer inspection you would find that there is a very deep level of sound design going on that you might want to sit down and really listen to.

—Ur

Monuman closes up the EP with a very Grand and emotional piece. What starts sounding like a beautiful score from your favourite movie slowly starts blending synthesised melodic strings and build varying degrees of tension. The way the syncopated drums slowly slip into place and begin to take a solid standing within the track is very well pulled off, as is the blending of classical instruments, synthesised sounds and vocals to create a very depthy blend of emotion. A spectacular ending to Monumans Debut EP.

Rendah Mag is a creative UK-based outlet, primarily focused on exploring the nexus of experimental music, art, and technology.

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