London-based artist John Monkman has been on an unrelenting rise in the last 12 months. Early 2019 saw a return to the prestigious Kompakt for the lethal ‘Pesto Punk’ in collaboration with James Monro, followed by a Drumcode debut in remixing label boss Adam Beyer. He continued a triumphant year with a masterful three-track release on Anjunadeep titled ‘Komplex’. What’s more, John Monkman has gone on to exhibit his exhilarating live show at the likes of Fabric, De Marktkantine and Printworks, bringing his vast array of captivating tracks to life in a thrilling presentation of sound and emotion.
We caught up with John Monkman before he heads out on a cross-atlantic tour next month.
Electronic Groove: Hello John, first and foremost, a huge congratulations on the birth of your first child!
John Monkman: Thanks… News travels fast! Of course, immense love for this little chap. It’s a special time.
EG: How has the first month of fatherhood influenced your music?
John Monkman: There’s a new and additional sense of purpose now.
EG: The ‘Komplex’ EP has made quite an impact. How has your relationship with Anjunadeep developed?
John Monkman: They’ve been supporting my music from the early days, which I couldn’t be more thankful for. I played their show at Printworks last year, which was a terrific time. Very happy to be back on the label recently.
EG: From what we hear, you might have another surprise in store soon with Anjunadeep. Can you tell us a bit about this?
John Monkman: Yes! It’s a remix of a track called ‘You & I’ by Eli & Fur. It was nice to work with their unique vocals and ended up focusing on the verse vocal melody. I recorded a lot of sounds from the modular, while trying to not over-edit the audio so it would maintain some of the madness. It should be out early November!
EG: How does your process in the studio translate into developing your live set?
John Monkman: It’s always in an evolving state. Taking older tracks that weren’t necessarily meant to be deconstructed and reworked for live performance is tricky. My current direction is one of minimalism and focus, which is easier to translate to a live setup. I’ve been very happy with the recent performances, I think they’ve gone down really well.
“My current direction is one of minimalism and focus, which is easier to translate to a live setup”
EG: You seem to have an innate connection with the North American scene, and will be back state-side in November. With stops in each corner of the US on the calendar, how do you think the American scene stands out for electronic music?
John Monkman: Yeah, been some great trips out there recently. The scene seems to be growing by the day. Every time I go out things seems to have been taken up a level. I think the American scene was slow to get the dance music memo, but now it is skyrocketing in terms of accessibility. Really looking forward to my first time in Denver and Tampa, and excited to head back to Montreal, New York and San Francisco.
EG: What’s on your radar as we look towards the end of 2019? Anything exciting you can let us in on?
John Monkman: Release wise I’ll be closing out the year with the new remix for Anjunadeep in November. On the touring front, once I’m finished stateside, I’ll be back in London playing with Booka Shade at E1 on Nov 30. Most importantly though, I’ll be spending my first Christmas with our Huxley!
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