V/A 10 Years Of Monkeytown Records 2LP
Ten years, a hundred releases and countless outstanding tracks: Monkeytown Records is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a compilation of new and exclusive productions by the artists who shaped the label in the past and will do so in the future. These artists represent electronic music in all its shades, from more experimental to dancefloor focused approaches. Monkeytown has always tried to combine both spheres simultaneously, never neglecting fun nor freethinking. The 12 tracks from the likes of Shed, Mouse on Mars, FJAAK, Redshape, Anstam and many more showcase and celebrate the label’s continuing mission: to explore new sounds and to seek out new bangers.
Monkeytown was launched in 2009 by Modeselektor. Originally conceived as a means to release music by friends and Modeselektor’s own records, it soon developed into much more. The label and its offshoot 50Weapons became key players in connecting the various strains of dance and bass music, the scenes of Berlin, London and everyone affiliated to these. This compilation unites artist that stuck with the label since the very beginning, like Siriusmo or Modeselektor, and newer family members like Catnapp or FJAAK. Over the years, some renowned producers found their way to Monkeytown, among them Shed and Redshape. These two of course provide the techno and house part of this collection, while Gajek’s kraut-influenced electro-acoustic piece or Alex Bank’s blissful opening ambience show that it’s not necessarily all about beats. We got a lot of beats though: Dark Sky and Robot Koch like them rolling and sweetly broken, Mouse on Mars smartly frenzied, and Modeselektor themselves contribute a multidimensional track in honor of the famous Roland Space Echo, the device which lent them their name. There’s also a world premiere inhouse collaboration by Otto von Schirach and Catnapp, a weirdo match made in heaven.
Next to releasing great records, the best thing a record label can achieve is to have a sound of its own. Monkeytown has long become a household name for everyone who loves electronic music. We didn’t invent anything, but we stand for something. Here’s to the future. Cheers!
A1 Alex Banks - Ignition Sequence
A2 Dark Sky - TLA
A3 Robot Koch & Radarbird - Squares
B1 Redshape - Dirt Box
B2 Shed - Rigger
B3 FJAAK - Duz It
C1 Modeselektor - My Friend The 201
C2 Mouse On Mars - Krautzig
C3 Gajek - Large Scale / Small Scale
D1 Siriusmo - Extra
D2 Catnapp & Otto Von Schirach - Rattle Snake
D3 Anstam - Ztlghtz
