Monty Presents: Classic Yeh / No Context.
Following his recent Grind Mode EP, Monty returns to the imprint with a double single. Classic Yeh / No context sees the Toulouse producer further experiment in the 140 realm.
Hailing from a musical family, Monty was surrounded by diverse sounds early on. When it comes to his introduction to the studio, he largely credits his father. “He used to compose library music, and when I was a toddler he'd show me his setup, his hardware, how everything worked. I remember his old Macintosh and a really early version of Cubase. So yes, my dad was really the first one to expose me to electronic music, studio and hardware”.
His love for drums however he largely puts down to his brother. “We used to jam together a lot growing up, me on guitar or bass, him on drums. I think my love for drums comes from him”.
Born in the UK and raised in France, the influence of Toulouse's thriving bass scene plays a key role in his journey into drum and bass. “When I moved back to France I started going out to Toulouse... I started going to the Bikini club, which to date is still the best-sounding venue I've ever heard or played at."
With Toulouse producing many talented and up-and-coming artists from various genres, the scene is diverse and evidently inspiring.
“It’s an ecosystem: artists, promoters, DJs, the crowd, and the love for the music all matter”.
The musical influences and sounds from his early years can evidently be linked to the genre’s he gravitates to as a producer. Citing metal and punk, jazz and classical, as well as reggae and dub. “When I'm not producing music I'm usually listening to reggae… I think that connection makes sense, alongside hip-hop, UK raves and electronic music broadly, Jamaican sound system culture has a massive influence on what became bass music, especially in the UK scene”.
We can also hear a lot of bass lines rooted in nu-metal artists throughout his music. “When you strip back those guitar and bass riffs they're often quite simple melodic lines, and that simplicity translates really naturally into bass music”.
While music remains central, much of Monty's creative inspiration comes from outside the studio. "Travelling a lot… Discovering new places, new cultures, new food, it all feeds into the music somehow." Photography is also another passion, with those close to Monty knowing he is never without a camera in hand.
“I think everything you live ends up in your music one way or another”.
When it comes to production, Monty favours minimalism. "I've always been a bedroom producer and never really had the space for hardware, so I've just kept it that way." Though he appreciates hardware, he's cautious about opening that door. "I know myself. If I start buying gear I won't stop."
Asked about his particular mindset when writing this latest project, the answer is direct and immediate. “Drums I guess!”. In both No Context and Classic Yeh, we clearly see Monty pushing himself further with interesting drum patterns while simultaneously retaining that classic Monty sound.
What listeners takeaway however from listening to this two-tracker, is rather subjective.
“If the music makes someone feel something, anything, and they enjoy it, that's more than enough for me”.
As for what’s next for Monty, the plan is to keep writing music, keep learning and have fun with it. A second album is also on the radar, five years on from his debut album Hit The Lights. In terms of what exactly we can expect, he has been getting more into writing garage lately. “Another genre of bass music where the drums are just so fun to make, so you can expect more of that coming”.
Classic Yeh / No Context is out now on all platforms digitally.