Monolake: Silence (CD, Imbalance, December 2009)

If you don't like Monolake (and there are fools out there who don't, you know) then this probably won't win you over. If you do, this will do very nicely thank you. Complex, stark, endlessly involving, and atmospheric, this is ultra-minimal headphones techno at it's best. The thing that struck me most about this, compared to previous releases, is the influence of Plastikman, especially of his (literally) awesome Closer — particularly obvious on "Reconnect", which is surely a nod to "Disconnect".

Incidentally, this also has a gorgeous sleeve. There is a perfect little short story inside the gatefold, which you can also read on Robert Henke's site. It seems to be about some rather lost seeming explorers — whether in the Antarctic, or on some lonely alien planet, it's not quite clear — and it sets the scene for the record beautifully.

I bought this from Juno. They (quite reasonably) call it techno.

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