Monotonne - Gl1tch

A Closer Listen

The sub-genre of glitch turns expectations on its head; instead of tolerating sonic glitches, artists use them as starting points, in essence making what is imperfect perfect.  As one can glean from the title, the Gl1tch EP celebrates the art of imperfection, encompassing both digital and human error.  But as  Monotonne (Yuriy Bulychev) hails from Dnipro, Ukraine, one also thinks of the breaks in service – electricity, water, transport – and the larger disruptions of a brutal invasion.

“Fi00ds” starts with a distant drone and a snatch of song before an industrial beat drops, inviting listeners to the dance floor.  The harshness of the backdrop is offset by the sweetness of the vocal.  Midpiece, the track enters the next level, an exhibition of strength. The bass blasts are like air raid warnings, repurposed for a club setting.  “S1i3nc3” is synth-dominated and 80’s-leaning, a reminder of simpler times.  At 2:05, the machines take over, spewing rhythmic sounds reminiscent of dial-up, transforming them into melted melodies.  The title track begins with the melody, then backtracks; while the synth offers consistency, the percussion follows its own path, shifting between modes, not always quite on beat, although purposely so.  The ensuing question is “Should one embrace life’s glitches, or attempt to straighten them out?”  Yuriy could have refitted every beat to a 4/4 framework, but in so doing would have betrayed the music’s irregular appeal.  The slight asymmetry attracts the ear, as similar occurrences in nature attract the eye.

“3mptv” is the EP’s most industrial piece, marked by a distorted male vocal that runs counter to the unadorned female vocal of the opener.  The track feels angry, a common reaction in the region, but is also self-controlled.  Even here, the synth melody runs beneath the distortion, surfacing midway to take momentary control.  In the final stages, the machines wrest power without running amok.  “1mp3rf3ct” wraps up the set with pitch-shifting that might be considered glitchy, but that works in context.  Without imperfection (1mp3rfect1?”), the track would be too smooth, gliding over the ears instead of lodging in the mind.

Monotonne calls the embrace of errors “the groundwork for a new auditory logic.”  Such logic might lead to a greater acceptance of the glitch: the happy accident or random occurrence that increases the value of the whole. (Richard Allen)