Mono-Amine- Like a Machine

ARTIST: Mono-Amine

ALBUM: Like a Machine

LABEL: Vendetta Music

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 5-29-10

One of the rising stars of the Dutch rhythmic noise scene, Mono-Amine offers distorted beats with a hint of epic soundtrack flavor. The project's latest album begins with "Rythem," a hard-hitting breakbeat composition that combines windy synths with cold yet funky beats; title track "Like a Machine" is crunchy and epic, its keyboard hooks cold but less mechanical than its name would suggest. "Economics Maintain This Situation" shows off Mono-Amine's more political side with its angry samples and angrier power noise beats, and "If I Started" is similarly aggressive, an aural assault of angry snares over rumbling samples. Most of the album has a decidedly Western European flavor, with subtle orchestral elements, both sampled and synthesized, adding flavor to the heavily distorted kicks, but final track "Danderzei" brings a more exotic vibe with a vaguely Middle Eastern wail serving as the introduction to a hard-hitting power noise assault. Ultimately, though, this is club music, smart though it may be; the soundtrack loops and orchestral elements add sonic interest, but the speaker-shattering bass and broken but dance-ready beats are the real stars of the show.

Visit Mono-Amine's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/monoamine for more information.