Monolith (album) by Fluqx
‘Monolith’, the highly anticipated debut album from hfn music’s latest signings Fluqx – aka Joel Krozer & Brian Della Valle – arrives in March, and it’s been worth the wait.
„aesthetics are at the rendezvous“ (Tsugi)
„There’s something quite relaxing and fascinating about it and we surely hope for more from Fluqx in the next months.“ (Nothing But Hope And Passion)
Comprising producer-engineer Joel Krozer and Brian Della Valle, the Copenhagen based duo got together when Joel heard Brian (singer-songwriter of Of The Valley) recording in the studio below his. Their encounter led to a series of late-night recording sessions, together with collaborator Søren Holme, that quickly became the cornerstone of their partnership and the formation of Fluqx.
“Since the birth of Fluqx it was always on the cards to create a coherent album early on,” explains Krozer. “The concept became a reality after looking through the rolls of film I shot in Oaxaca, Mexico a few years back. They had a certain feeling that reminded me of finding something long lost or discovering something unseen in vast open spaces. They became the inspiration for the textures of many of the tracks that we had already composed in their primitive form.”
The sound of Fluqx is distinct – a merging of deeply warped synthesizers, swirling textures and Brian’s affecting vocals. ‘Here’ starts the journey – a typically dynamic production that features beguiling synth melodies, crunchy drums and 80s influenced new wave / pop hooks. Last year’s first single, ‘Vanishing Point’ is up next – a perfect example of Fluqx’s use of desolate synth landscapes contrasted with intimate vocal deliveries over vast drum patterns.
“Half way through the recording of ‘Monolith’ I went on another trip that led to a lot of the visual material used for the album artwork and videos,” explains Joel Krozer. “I spent five days in the desert of Bolivia looking for more material that fit the aforementioned themes and ended up finding more existential situations than anticipated – caused by the extremely limited supplies and ongoing altitude sickness… My favorite shots were those of objects that didn’t at first seem to belong in the landscape, creating an otherworldly contrast. That’s also where the title ‘Monolith’ came from. I knew immediately it should be the name of the album and deep down also knew Brian would agree. We had already worked together for quite a while at this point and rarely ran into differences with these things.“
