It is not often that you get to attend an actual concert rather than a rave when it comes to electronic music. When I received the invitation to see Monolink at the 02 Academy Brixton, it was an offer I couldn’t turn down. After all, the German-born singer, songwriter, and electronic music alchemist has taken the world by storm since 2015 with deep ambient vocals, meaningful lyrics, and ecstatic melodies, sometimes taking one on a journey or melancholic soundscapes and memories far gone, with a slight break in the heart.
I have known of Monolink through his presence at Burning Man, mainly through Mayan Warrior, but his success has been apparent long before he made his debut at the desert event. His dedicated fanbase around the world makes incredible moves to see his shows, celebrated for his incredible transformations across multiple instruments and sound mediums, to be able to deliver a performance as a one-man band. With original roots in folk music, his sound is unique, permeable, and aligned with a higher conscious frequency, the one that tunes into the very soul of the listener.
The event fell on the 1st November, shortly after the Halloween celebrations, and extending onto a gloomy Saturday night with half the revellers still coming in Halloween costumes. Opening set by Timanti, followed by an incredibly versatile and wacky set by the mastermind that is Acid Pauli. With doing incredible live remixes of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and Kiss’s “I made for loving you’ and going into deep dark techno and gothic sounds with DJ Koze’s remix of Everything is Recorded ‘Porcupine Tattoo’ and Bicep’s & ELIZA’s new single ‘CHROMA 008 TANGZ’ – he set the tone for an ultimate Halloween experience.
With a short interlude and a quick stage turnaround, the show started promptly at midnight with an intimate prelude of Steffan Linck behind a piano synthesiser, opening to a darkened backdrop of just a few headlights casting dots across the curtains and opening with ‘Call of the Void’ – the entry track of his latest album ‘The Beauty of it All’. Throughout the bridge, the curtains drop to reveal two opposite-facing synthesizers, drum machines, mixing pads, and a microphone in between, ready to take listeners on a musical wizardry as the singer and songwriter switches between guitar, gadgets, vocals, and occasionally doing all three at the same time. Three large rock-shaped sculptures suspended from the ceilings, reminiscent of the album cover ‘Under the Darkening Skies’, and lights cascaded and superimposed visual art on these as he sang through most of his newer material, including ‘Mesmerized’. During short breaks, Monolink expressed his heartfelt gratitude to his fans and shared a tender story on how, once upon a time, he used to busk not too far from Brixton station and how times have changed for him to stand in front of thousands of people, an honour he will never take for granted.
Balancing between more soulful tracks, he moved into his more electronically heavy sounds with deeper and darker tunes echoing across the theatre and strobe lights on full pelt. “I think we are gonna have a lot of fun together,” he said as he started to ramp up the drum machines and moved his set across an array of electronic sounds, ambient, and impressive all at the same time.
Monolink is a masterclass in genre fusion, seamlessly bridging the intimate, narrative depth of a singer-songwriter with the hypnotic, driving rhythms of melodic house and minimal techno. The performance centers on Steffen Linck’s live vocals and electric guitar, which are not mere additions but integral components that add an organic, emotional layer to the electronic soundscape. This was a dynamic, improvised live electronic act, where the set’s energy arc is carefully managed, building from ambient introspection to a full-on, trance-like rave state. This unique blend creates an atmosphere that is both deeply personal and collectively euphoric, making it a standout experience that transcends the typical DJ set format. The fanbase is an older, more discerning audience that is there to experience music in all its dimensions, which this concert truly delivered.
