Monophonic Underground’s debut EP Do or DIY arrives as a quietly assured statement, one that resists spectacle while still leaving a deep impression. Rooted in chillout and electronic language but stretching comfortably into ambient, IDM, and experimental territories, the record feels less like a debut in the traditional sense and more like the documentation of a process already in motion. There is a sense of intent here, but also of openness, as if the music is still breathing while it unfolds.
Across the EP, rhythm plays a restrained yet crucial role. Beats rarely dominate the foreground; instead, they function as skeletal frameworks, minimal and deliberate, often reduced to pulses or lightly textured patterns. This approach allows space for details to emerge gradually. Percussion elements appear and dissolve, sometimes more implied than stated, giving the tracks a slow, nocturnal momentum. The influence of early acid house and modern minimal techno can be traced in the underlying structures, but these references are filtered through a much more introspective lens.
Synth work is central to the EP’s character. Monophonic Underground moves fluidly between analogue warmth and digital sharpness, using acid basslines not as nostalgic signifiers but as expressive tools. The basslines coil and uncoil, occasionally abrasive, often hypnotic, anchoring the compositions without locking them into predictable patterns. Pads and melodic fragments drift in and out, sometimes resolving, sometimes intentionally left unfinished. This sense of incompletion feels purposeful, aligning with the project’s broader themes of creation as an act rather than a product.
Atmosphere is where Do or DIY truly settles. The EP draws heavily on field recordings and found sounds collected in the UK and Tenerife, and these elements are woven into the fabric of the tracks with subtlety. Foley sounds, distant voices, environmental noise, and the hum of unseen activity create a sense of place without ever becoming illustrative. At times, the music evokes suburban landscapes after dark, when familiar surroundings take on unfamiliar contours. Sirens, radio chatter, and fragmented audio cues surface briefly, then recede, leaving behind an uneasy calm.
The title track encapsulates much of the EP’s ethos. Built around minimal percussion and acid-inflected bass, it unfolds as a meditation on quiet insurrection and vanity publishing, not through overt statements but through texture and tension. The idea that creation itself can be an act of resistance runs through the track, and by extension, through the EP as a whole. Rather than pushing a singular narrative, Monophonic Underground allows meaning to accumulate in fragments, inviting listeners to assemble their own interpretations.
“Killer” shifts the focus slightly, guiding the listener through a twilight version of suburbia. Melodic structures slowly degrade, replaced by noise and atmosphere, as if the music is dissolving in real time. The track’s pacing mirrors the transition from evening to night, with a gradual draining of color and clarity. It is here that the EP’s cinematic origins become most apparent. The project began with re-scoring silent films such as Nosferatu and Metropolis, and while the direct references may be obscured, the influence remains in the pacing and visual quality of the sound.
What sets Do or DIY apart is its balance between spontaneity and control. The cut-up techniques inspired by Brion Gysin, combined with a blend of analogue and digital production, give the EP a raw edge without sacrificing coherence. There is a feeling that many of these tracks could have taken different paths, and that what remains is one possible version among many. This lends the release a sense of honesty that feels increasingly rare.
As a debut, Do or DIY positions Monophonic Underground as an artist attentive to process, atmosphere, and ideas rather than trends. It is a high-quality release, confident in its restraint and generous in its ambiguity. For a webzine committed to documenting thoughtful electronic music, it is a release we are genuinely pleased to host and explore through review.