Monolake was founded by
Robert Henke and Gerhard Behles in 1995. They initially described their music as "minimal techno, dub, breakbeat, ambient and each possible mixture of these genres." Monolake's signature sound could best be characterized by its cinematic feel, opening up listeners to wide sonic landscapes structured by hypnotic pulsating rhythms, vast reverberation spaces and other spatial effects.
They have released on the Berlin DIN and Chain Reaction labels and since 1997 on their own Monolake/ Imbalance Computer Music labels. Monolake, from their inception, has placed great value on their live performances, with a special emphasis on the envelopping qualities of their sound, using surround audio technologies whereever possible, with Robert Henke working his custom designed
Monodeck controller admist the audience in the center of the speaker array. Monolake live performances usually incorporate video or illumination elements, for a time provided by the Berlin-based video artist Alexej Paryla. Today Monolake live consists of Robert Henke and Dutch
audiovisual composer Tarik Barri. Born in Saudi Arabia, Tarrik Barri was raised in the Netherlands where he discovered computers and programming. He is currently based in Utrecht. In his work, he aims to discover new synergies and aesthetics through new audiovisual composition methods realised with computer software he has made himself.
In 1999, Gerhard Behles founded the music software company Ableton, which produces the innovative and succesful 'Live' sequencing software, co-developed by Robert Henke. Since this point in time, Gerhard Behles has concentrated on the software development side of things whereas Monolake has been continued by Robert Henke.
Besides Monolake, Henke is a renown installation artist and sound designer. He was a sound engineer at the Berliner Ensemble, mastering engineer at the renowned Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, and teaches sound design at the Berlin University of Arts, where he is Visiting Professor of Auditory Media Design at the Sound Studies faculty.
› www.monolake.de
› www.ableton.com
Appearances:
› CTM.11 › CINECHAMBER MODULE 3
› CTM.11 › CINECHAMBER (LIVE)
› CTM.07 › JUKEBOX BUDDHA
› CTM.03
› CTM.02
› CTM.00
