Media

Here is an article that appeared in Hamilton's the View Magazine:

Photo by Mark Richardson

IT SURPRISED US to hear that Hamilton mainstay 2X The Mono - birth
certificate: Randell Neudorf - created his sophomore effort, Sound
Sketches, completely by accident. The Buzz surrounding the collection
of electronic songs notes that they sound intentional, collective and
thematic all at once. But accident it was. Neudorf says, in fact, he
couldn’t be further from his original intentions if he tried. “My
second album was supposed to be a Christmas album of all original
material that sounds sonically closer to my first release (that album
will be coming out in December). I had about half the tracks done when
I started experimenting with some ambient electronic sounds.”


“Live had gotten stressful and I found these electronic
improvisations very relaxing and cathartic. One night I decided to
record on of these improvisations and when I listened back to the track
I got really excited and started overdubbing more and more sounds over
the Chaos until a melody was pulled out. That first recorded experiment
is the last song on the album. I didn’t know I was working on an album,
I just kept telling myself that maybe I would use these as bonus tracks
on a future project. The process of making these “sound sketches”
became so addictive that before I knew it, I had a whole new album of
material”


2X The Mono’s first release was decidedly art rock, a musical
concept that hooked many fans, local and beyond, but Sound Sketches is
mostly instrumental electronica. Neudorf wasn’t worried about the
shift; he looks forward to people getting into his self-described
“robot space invader” sound, thanks to his vocorder, synths and ambient
loop tracks. “One big evolution is that , whenever you heard keyboards
and drum loops on the first disk, they are intentionally lo-fi, being
done almost entirely on cheap little cassios found at garage sales.”


The synth featured on Sound Sketches is a Micro Korg, a great
little synth that has given me a lot more sonic options and a ton of
real time control. The other evolution is that the beats have jumped up
a notch. I made a lot of the beats with a Roland drum machine, and
performed a number of the beats in real time instead of just relying on
pre programmed loops. What has stayed the same is that I gravitate
towards retro sounds. The retro elements have just morphed from organs
and reverb washed guitars into moog like blips and bleeps.”


“These songs can stand on their own,” continues 2X The Mono on
whether listeners need to be well-versed in the previous sound to “get”
the new effort. “They are kind of like abstract paintings; you don’t
have to own the whole collection at the gallery to enjoy the one you
bought to go over your sofa.”


If art rock vs. ambient electronica wasn’t evolution enough, there
will be another big change with Neudorf on this release, but this time
at the merch table. Joining the Disc Revolt Team, 2X The Mono will
release Sound Sketches as a downloadable format. Those interested will
be able to purchase a download card – like a credit card – that is
pre-loaded with a code to take home and acquire the tunes via the
Internet. Neudorf is happy to wax poetic on the reason behind the
change, nodding to the inevitable and exciting direction the industry
is taking, and the unique opportunities that technology offers
musicians for their distribution and sales. “I still buy CDs; I love
vinyl and I even own an 8-Track player so I’m not a download fanatic by
any stretch of the imagination. Last summer I went to a “how to make a
living as a musician seminar” that was sponsored by Disc Revolt. I
learnt a lot over the four day seminar and was introduced to the Disc
Revolt product.


“I know downloads are becoming the dominant format choice for many
people, but as a gigging indie artist, what I saw in the download cards
was simplicity. They could be sold for cash at a concert, no Visa or
Internet transactions; no hoping your new fan can find your MP3 product
after they get home late form the club. Most upcoming musicians sell
the majority of their music live and until download cards; MP3s just
weren’t practical in a live context.”


“I love CDs and it is very cool to hold a finished disc, for me
the download card bridges the gap between CDs and MP3s,” continues
Neudorf. “The download cards can become collectable; they look like
little back stage passes that a fan can hang on their wall or a back
pack. It creates the physical component you get with a traditional
release. Will I ever release another CD! Of course I will! But for now
it is really exciting to be part of something new, something fresh;
(it’s) an experimental format for my experimental Sound Sketches.” V



[KATIE MAIN]

VIEW, AUGUST 14-20, 2008

2x the Mono mentioned on the cover of the View