The Elektron Monomachine

How a little box changed my vision of music

A unique machine

I’ve always been a fan of Autechre, and their music defined my teenage years. When I was lying on my bed, browsing the internet and thinking about how painful school was for me, I was listening to their music. I loved Amber (1998), but my favorite at that time was probably Quaristice (2008) — a genuinely crafted album ranging from ambient soundscapes to skull-smashing, gritty IDM drums.

Quaristice is tied to two different memories. First, the moment I borrowed it from the public library next to my music school (before they moved the library and turned it into a gigantic complex in the city center). Second, the memory of my brother coming to me and saying, “I have a video to show you” (which meant I had to stop whatever I was doing and open YouTube), and adding, “This is the synthesizer Autechre used on Quaristice, look how cool it is, and it even has a keyboard.” That “cool synthesizer” was the Monomachine, an instrument designed and built by the Swedish brand Elektron.

The Monomachine was not cheap at all — it cost over a thousand euros. I couldn’t afford it, and my parents wouldn’t buy it for my birthday either. Besides, why should I spend that much on an instrument I wasn’t even sure how to use? That was before I came across an article titled something like, “Monomachine to be discontinued — only a few left.” It was 2016, and after finishing my university studies, I had just started an internship. I was at the office when I read that and decided to buy the Monomachine. My will even more fierce that I had found a text on Sophie saying she used it to compose Lemonade, one of my favourite tracks at the moment.

After waiting for a few days like a kid before Christmas, I went to the post office to pick up my parcel, went back home, and powered it on. No sound. And I didn’t understand how it worked at all. Should I sell it? Should I try harder? I read the manual. The sounds I could shape with it — its sequencer and arpeggios — convinced me to keep it. It took several years to somewhat master what first seemed like an untamable machine. I eventually came to understand how such a limited instrument — only six monophonic tracks and one polyphonic track — could unleash boundless creativity. Nevertheless, after spending countless hours on this curious instrument, I achieved honest results and eventually used some of the melodies I had composed in real tracks (Gemma I, II, III, IV on Novae Gemmae, and later There is no Alternative on Propaganda).

There is no alternative (2020) - from the Monomachine to Ableton.

It definitely changed my vision of music toward more crazy sequences, arpeggios and strange squelchy sounds.

I explained to my nephew once: “This is a professional version of a Vtech game”. It’s true, one of the instruments that makes me think: “I don’t need to buy more gear”.

Past and future

Now, what an old machine, more than 15 years old have to say in a world where DAWs can do whatever we want?

What do I do with it?

• Control it with Ableton

• Make chords

• Make dreamy pads

• Do nonsensical sound design

• Compose melodies

• Try different time signatures

As a conclusion, I would say that I always come back to the Monomachine when I’m running out of ideas. I’m therefore quite sure I will find something inspiring in my old patterns.