Kim Rapatti, aka Mono Junk, is a key figure in Finnish techno, known for his deep, hardware-driven sound. A firm believer in analogue synthesis, he has been shaping raw and hypnotic club tracks since the early ’90s, drawing inspiration from Detroit pioneers like Derrick May and Juan Atkins.
“Love Me More” by Mono Junk debuted on the ultra-limited Korento Compilation 01, released by Dum Records in 2001. Among its eleven tracks – ten of which were previously unreleased – “Love Me More” stands out as a compelling exploration of electro vibes, a shining example of the creativity that flourished in the Finnish electronic music landscape at the turn of the millennium.
The techno pioneer of Finland, Kim Rapatti, makes his solo debut for Cold Blow with an EP of his trademark dark, soulful and raw sound. IÄTI is what techno can be when breathing humanity and soul into every inch of it. The EP has lineages to Mono Junk’s 2019 album Vanished, moving between deep swirling stompers, emotional compositions and raw, uninhibited electro.
Kim Rapatti a.k.a Mono Junk presents the second volume of Finnish Electro All-Star on his DUM Records imprint – active since 1992. The new release is the latest chapter of Mono Junk collaborating with friends. The A-Side features collaborations with top Finnish electro duo Morphology. “Electro Por Favor” is a pulsating driving electro track with a killer bassline and vocals by Rapatti. Raw, apocalyptic, solitary remix by Mono Junk follows the original. The B-Side features collaborations between Mono Junk and a very special guest: Goner a.k.a. Martin Maischen. The two included tracks are deep electroid techno excursions made last year in Berlin.
Music from Le Chocolat Noir, Tryphème, Russell Alderton, Luke Eargoggle, BLΔCKMOON77 and Kimmo Rapatti for your emotional sorrows, choose for now,the energy transmission , take and congregate. The breakable experience of an unconventional trip, but not so modern as that.
Raw minimal techno specialist Mono Junk is back with a selection of new material on his own DUM Records. Having pioneered key techno sounds as far back as 1990, more than 20 years later the influential Finnish artist is still on top of his game. Up first is Halo, nine minutes of edgy techno with a nervy lead synth snaking around in paranoid fashion. Rolling drums set a direct groove in motion below and the whole thing will be brilliantly hypnotic on the dance floor. Halo 2 is a hallucinogenic bit of ambient with celestial drones and icy synth prickles making for a tense interlude, then Musta Peili is all fucked up and scuzzy, study and disrupted. Sounding like a slowed-down techno track heard though a freezing snow blizzard, it is masterfully textured. Farewell closes out the EP with an intergalactic bit of glassy melodic techno that will have you up on your toes.
DUM Records are dipping into the label boss’s production archives for the next one: it is a reissue that features tracks from a number of classic Mono Junk releases. Two came on Trope Records, one in 1995 and one in 1993, and the last pair of cuts come from 1996 when they were released on Plug Research. Arguably some of the influential Finnish producer’s finest work, all of the tracks here emphasize how long he is operating on the top of his game already.
Mono Junk’s DUM Records has been dictating trends in the world of minimalistic techno since the 1990s, and its 34th release is as special as any. This one comes from label boss Kimmo Rapatti aka Mono Junk vs Mesak, who is better known as fellow Finn, Tatu Metsätähti, aka one half of Mr Velcto Fastener. Together the pair serve up three mixes of their jam and an additional track
Mono Junk delivers four pieces of pure Finnish melancholia for Rat Life’s 7th release. This guy is a true European techno originator and like no one he reflects the darkness of the long, cold and lonely winters of suomi in his music. While listening to these tracks you will find yourself wondering: are these voices coming from the speakers or are you listening to your own morbid thoughts? Perfect soundtrack for your winter depression. Can’t understand what you say!
DUM Records has been a fine purveyor of minimal techno ever since 1992. The label run by Kim Rapatti—himself a long serving Scandinavian techno pioneer who has released on labels like Skudge and Forbidden Planet deals in analogue gear, sleek and stark sound and, after a long sleep, is now back with a great new EP. It comes from the label boss under his Detroit Diesel alias and perfectly encapsulates the label, and artist’s, perfectly reduced sound. The first cut is a new re-written interpretation of the ’93 acid classic ‘Dimension’, previously released on DUM011. An intense, nerve jangling and engagingly dark acid workout. Many supple synths gurgle next to huge and ice cold hi hats and the whole thing keeps you on edge throughout. The original ‘Dimension’ on the flip is less aggressive but is just as intense, with a thick acid line the main feature above cantering drums and explosive claps. There is no letting up in any of the tracks here and closer ‘Freestyle’ is no different. It was recorded in ’94 in Finland and has never been released on vinyl before. It is a lithe, elastic track that twists and turns with big stabs, pummelling drums and machine gun fire synth that will fill any warehouse with irresistible sound and energy. DUM Records is back, and back in style.
Cool new material from from Kimmo Rapatti. It pitches the 303 against colourful, synth fuelled-backgrounds and rattling drum machines programmed in a manner that don’t sound tried or retrospective.
Given their obsession with the analogue-rich, stargazing sound of early ’90s intelligent techno, it seems fitting that the latest Forbidden Planet release sees the return of Mono Junk. Predictably, the veteran producer is on fine form, delivering cuts bristling with yearning, sci-fi tinged melodies, restless arpeggios, far-sighted electronics and raw, stripped-back drum machine rhythms. While much of the EP is bold, melodious and intoxicating (see “Prince of the Night”, for starters), Mono Junk also indulges his rarely seen dub techno influences on “Channel B (Remix)”, before reaching for the stars with the Legowelt-esque synth beauty of “Maalisku”.
Given that he released his first EP way back in 1992, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Mono Junk’s latest 12″ – his first since 2011 – sounds like a blend of early ’90s intelligent techno, Kraftwerkian rhythms and Clone-ish icy electro. While “Shotokai” is a pulsating shot of woozy, off-kilter futurism, the EP’s hardest hitting moments are those that shuffle to a different beat. The glacial melodies and skittish 808 rhythms of “With You” are particularly potent, while “Bleep Number 9” sounds like a stripped-back, underground take on Brown Album-era Orbital. As for “Kime”, it comes on like a long lost Kraftwerk production circa Computer World.
Mono Junk from Finland with a new four-tracker on Skudge White. The affair starts off in a most evil fashion with “Electric Chair”, an industrial creeper with rolling minimal acid bass-lines. Next is “Yhteys”, a deep cut with Detroit cues and a highly 80ies romantic flavor, a haven before next the stage, “Jupiter Acid”, a night driving noisy banger that’ll turn your batteries acid, peak time ecstatic action followed by the contrast-full “Härinähouse”, a moody piece filled with a somewhat eastern charm to close this tense journey.
Weird dark and beautiful electronic wave songs with strange vocals by Kimmo Rapatti. Various styles from electro to techno to the unknown.
The Hipodrome Of Music 