Mono/Poly Chats About New Album Moonlight To Sunlight

Written by: chris.

If you’ve heard of LA’s world renowned Low End Theory, chances are you’ve also heard of Mono/Poly. A highly respected and long-time cornerstone of the LA Beat Scene, Mono/Poly’s list of accomplishments and collaborations is as vast as it is impressive. From Kendrick and Thundercat to BUSDRIVER and Flying Lotus, he has proven his respected place in the music industry is an earned one. 

Charles has a style that is hard to put a thumb on. Equal parts heavy psychedelia and ratchet basslines and Moonlight to Sunlight is no exception. The single “Space Bass” was an instant winner for me as soon as I heard it, but as an opening track for the album, it just smashes the door off the brain hinges, letting in a whole cosmic circus of extraterrestrial riff raff. Warm synths, crushing basslines, intricate drum patterns, and vocals that give you a perpetual stank face. It’s like a whole massage for your mind. 

Favorite Song: "When You Give Me A Dose"

I’m on my 3rd listen and I just had to see if I could get a couple words from the man himself. Lucky me, lucky us. He responded:

Synapse: Is there a specific concept behind the new Album? Where did the inspiration for it come from?

Mono/Poly: This album wasn’t planned to be conceptual but there were running themes throughout my life during the creation of it that I put into the album which made it become a meaningful journey.

Synapse: I noticed that there was more vocals/rapping in this release than in the past? Is it something you’re newly exploring or something you’ve always done but you’re feeling more comfortable with expressing? 

Mono/Poly: In the last 6 years I started using my voice more because it made the music process more fun. In the past I always stayed in the background to focus on the instrumentals but it got to a point where I felt like I needed to show more of myself.

Synapse: What is starting a new album like for you? Do you plan things out or do you just constantly make music and gather things that fit together for releases periodically? 

Mono/Poly: Starting an album has mainly come from being in the creative process with no expectations until something inspires me to make all the past pieces fit into an album. One of the big differences between Moonlight To Sunlight and the previous albums was that it was an album of songs and experiences made in different countries.

Synapse: What tools/equipment are necessary for your creative process? Do you experiment with new tools/gear a lot, or do you just stick to your comfort gear for everything? 

Mono/Poly: The Access Virus keyboard, Ableton and a few different plugins have always been my go to for most things but while in Spain I used a modular setup to tie the album together.

Synapse: It feels like ancient history, but LA has been pretty quiet in the underground since Low End Theory closed. Where do you hang out now? Is there a new spot to find the cutting edge in the beat scene? Or did everyone just kind of grow up and become homebodies with responsibilities? 

Mono/Poly: I was just talking to someone about this and it seems as if there’s no other places to go now. I just moved to Austin and was asking about cool places too but I doubt there is anything like Low End Theory. I think after Low End Theory ended and everybody got psychologically raped by the past 4 years it´s just been a bit overwhelming.

Synapse: Showing my age again, but I remember reading an interview with FlyLo where he said in regards to Kendrick potentially winning a Grammy, “A win for Kendrick is a win for LA.” Now that some time has passed, would you say that was an accurate prediction. Has the general way of life for the artists in that community improved over the last few years? (Ie. More opportunities, more money for the arts, more collaborations?) 

Mono/Poly: I feel a win for Kendrick is a win for LA, but also the world, because he is one of the best MC´s of all time and he is able to rap over just about anything and make it dope. 

Synapse: Are you gonna do any touring to support the release? 

Mono/Poly: I’m not sure at this moment, there’s been many unexpected turns with everything but I´d like to do a proper tour with this release.

Synapse: Tell us about your Patreon? 

Mono/Poly: It’s a place where people get to ask me questions about production and visuals + get unreleased music from me.

I’d be remiss to not expand on just how important Low End Theory, the LA Beat Scene, and Mono/Poly have been in shaping both my musical tastes, as well as who I am as a human. Around 2011,  at a time when I was feeling like an outsider within the “pseudo-spiritual” electronic music community, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of absolutely mind blowing music and artists coming out of LA. Discovering Flying Lotus led to Brainfeeder led to Low End Theory, and a whole universe of jazzy, hip-hop, experimental electronic music and weird art. No wannabe gurus or shamans. Just a bunch of super talented people doing cool and weird shit. I felt at home inside those sounds. It’s almost 15 years later and it’s still monumental to how much that time and space influences my life. 

Mono/Poly came onto my radar around 2013 when I heard Golden Skies, as well as some production/collaboration with BUSDRIVER. I’ve been adamant at keeping up with all of his releases since then. He’s one of those artists that I feel just keeps improving with time. I’ve yet to be disappointed by anything he’s released or had a feeling of “I liked the last one better”. 15 years (that I know of) into his career and he’s still innovating his sound and clearly growing as an artist. 

That’s the kind of energy that drew me into that scene. I think that same sentiment can be said about most everyone I can think of that came out of that time and place. Flying Lotus, Teebs, The Glitch Mob, Nosaj, etc. all still feel like they’re still on the incline of their artistic trajectories. More than the music itself being phenomenal, I think that the influence expands beyond that. A perpetual growth mindset was born of that era. At least for me. That constant desire to improve and learn and push things to a new level, all feel like they stem from that kairos.

Needless to say that I’m floored that my life has reached this point, and I can’t wait to see where I end up. Getting to collaborate and connect with people who have been so influential to me is awesome. I genuinely hope you enjoy this new album as much as I did, and if this is your first time, welcome. 

-c.

Website: https://www.monoxpoly.com/

Instagram: MonoXPoly

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