Look into Monty’s eyes. Not around the eyes. Not between the eyes. Look into his eyes. Now take a deep breath as you listen to his new EP on 1985. Relax. Count down from 10…. You are officially Hypnotized.
You’re not hypnotized at all. But there’s potential to be spellbound, impressed or at the very least intrigued… Over the last year Monty has risen to prominence as an exciting new drum & bass talent with a slick rolling style that fits perfectly on Alix Perez’s label. It also fits neatly on the likes of Critical and indeed Flexout and Vandal, two other labels where he spent the last half of 2017 blessing us with a steady flow of EPs, gradually establishing his signature.
“All my EPs – the Vandal, Flexout and the 1985 EPs – feel like a step up,” considers Monty, an English-born, Toulouse-based 24 year old. “They all came up two months after each other last year and they all felt like very big steps. The new EP I hope you’ll hear even more difference and progression. For me personally I feels like my best sounding EP in terms of production. It feels cleaner and I’ve found my own style. It’s grown on me.”
It’s grown on us, too. Four tracks in total, all purring, slick and spacious. If any type of drum & bass could actually hypnotise you, it’s Monty’s. With plenty more in the chamber locked for the rest of the year, and a cool backstory of how he became hypnotised by the music and culture itself, we called him up and found out more about him…
He comes from a strong musical family
“Music has been there every day for as long as I can remember. Before I was born my dad used to play guitar and piano in a jazz band so music has always had a strong presence. Also my brother has had an influence. He used to play the drums in a metal band. That was the first time I really ‘felt’ music. They used to come over and practice at home and the whole house would shake haha. I was super young at the time and thought ‘this is cool’. That was the first time I really wanted to get involved in music and it wasn’t long before I started to learn how to play the guitar and, later, the bass guitar, myself.”
He came through the classical way on the dancefloor at the legendary Le Bikini club, Toulouse
“I’ll never forget the first drum & bass party I went to. It was 2012, a Dirty Dancing party which was organised by SKS (Vandal Records) at Bikini club here in Toulouse. Break, Cyantific, The Others, Generic and the Vandal Crew were on the line-up. It was incredible. The way the bass hits you, all the different drum patterns and basslines, all different vibes and the community. All the people dancing who were happy. I was hooked. That night was the start of it and made me want to make drum & bass. I did two years of these parties without mixing or producing but then I got Tracktor with just a mouse, then saved to buy a controller and from there I started producing. I guess you could call it the classic way.”
It’s now his favourite place to play…
“Every Bikini show I have ever played is great because it’s where it all began, but my first set there was extra special for me. It was a local b2b thing with Signs, Redpill, SKS, Redeyes, Trail and some other local artists who have been very inspiring to me. Toulouse has got a very exciting vibe at the moment. You have the original guys still doing great things and loads of new parties, new producers and DJs. It’s a great community here now. There’s a party every weekend. It’s great to be part of this.”
He samples animals
“I’ve sampled a few weird things. Especially dogs. You can’t hear them; I destroy the original sound – like a random vocal or clip of someone speaking and filter them and see what I can do with them to make new and unique noises. On my Critical Binary EP the track Breathe In The Frequencies, I know there’s a dog in there for sure. But there’s a lot of quite random things in most tunes. Any sound I find interesting I re-sample it and see what I can do with it and how I can make it unique to me.”
He needs tea
“I don’t think I have many strange studio habits but I do need a cup of tea in the morning or nothing happens. Preferably with peanut butter on toast. Sometimes with a little Marmite, too, which I know is a bit weird but I need that to start off the day….”
Start your day off with Monty: Facebook / Soundcloud / Twitter
Monty – Hypnotize is out now on 1985
