Hailed as “The Best New Electronic Dance Band of New York” by MusicFestNews.com, the NYC-based electronic quartet Monotronic is proud to announce their new single “Cyborg Love” from their forthcoming self-titled album, due out September 27, 2019.
Inspired by the 2013 film Her this song tells the story of a human-like A.I. that learns to feel human emotion. The song’s lyrics are loaded with double meanings that colorfully evoke the process of a Cyborg struggling to come to terms with the feelings of romantic love: “if I had a heart to find could I process these feelings.”
The song’s overarching concept evokes the famous Michelangelo painting “Creation of Adam,” whereby God gives life to Adam. In this futuristic context, however, the human creators of the A.I. are playing God, giving life to the Cyborg: “the space between your heart and mine when I touch your finger.” The song ends with a sense of longing for love (“all this waiting, code translating, calculating….”), which is eerily human, but still open to interpretation, leaving the listener wondering whether or not the A.I. has indeed come to life and become human.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Monotronic about the new music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
We’re mostly from the northeast: NY, Philly, Boston but all based in NYC/Brooklyn.
It’s very hard to categorize the kind of music we play. It’s electronic beat-based music played with real instruments, so our sound is more organic than most other kinds of electronic music. Our live shows are heavily improvised with lots of jamming, fun to dance to!
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
My mother was an opera singer and music teacher, so I was exposed at a very early age. Each band member has their own story, but a common thread is their passion for music. I have always felt that if you’re doing music for the right reasons then the passion is always there.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
This song is very different than the other songs on the album. Inspired by the 2013 film “Her” it tells the story of a human-like A.I. that learns to feel human emotion. The song’s overarching concept is like an inversion of the famous Michelangelo painting “Creation of Adam,” whereby God gives life to Adam. But, in this case, it’s the human creators of the A.I. playing God, giving life to the Cyborg. The song ends with a sense of longing for love (“all this waiting, code translating, calculating….”), which in itself is eerily human, but still open to interpretation, leaving the listener wondering whether or not the A.I. has indeed come to life and become human.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
As a music lover it’s great because there’s so much music out there these days. As a musician it can be a bit of a challenge if you’re not willing to embrace the new forms of media and become actively involved in the promotion of your “brand”, which requires a very different skill set than creating music.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
https://www.monotronicband.com/
https://www.instagram.com/monotronicband/
Anything else before we sign off?
Monotronic is a collection of NYC-based musicians that blend an array of genres and styles together to create a unique dance/electronic sound of their own. All top rate musicians, members of Monotronic are encouraged to showcase their individual talents throughout the journey of every song, which will vary from night to night during their electrifying live sets.
Meet Ramsey Elkholy, the brainchild behind Monotronic. Elkholy is a musician/guitarist and anthropologist that has used his extensive travels throughout India and South East Asia to create the electronic and world music that is Monotronic. Monotronic can be described as “a concept, whereby each instrument can be heard as a continuation of the other and the music sounds as one distinct whole, emanating from a single source”.Monotronic also features Adam Ahuja on keys and vocals, Devin Collins on drums and live electronics, and Alex Hayes on bass guitar and vocals.
