What Can we say about Monika Zenkeviciute aka Monikaze. Hauntingly beautiful IDM enriched with organic textures and melodic motifs that directly tap into your soul. Make sure to listen to her full catalog on a good pair of headphones, we did love every moment of it. Read our discussion with the versatile artist below.
Describe your sound in three words please!
complex, ironic, emotional
What do we need to know about your debut album Chicken Wings? First of all, how did you decide on this name?
I think ’’Chicken Wings’’ is representing the childish joy of discovering electronic music tools after years of academy training where I would mainly compose for instrumentalists and be judged by professors. So I guess its name also represents the same thing – freedom from having to explain what it means.
Your new album Waste of Space is also out..Any more plans?
October 14th my new album “Waste of Space” has been released on Moshi Moshi Records, and soon after my collaboration with orchestra should come out.. And more…
Who did you grow up listening to? And what are your main influences today?
Thanks to my mother who was a theatre director, I grew up listening to a very wide range of music, from classical composers like W.A.Mozart or R.Wagner, to pop, jazz and rock bands like Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry.. Also, we used to sing Lithuanian folk songs and create our own.. And now although my influences come mainly from electronic music and post-minimalist composers, I can listen to anything really, if it’s good. I don’t care about the genre.
Your sound is super fresh. Where do you draw your inspirations from?
I create subconsciously, so everything that I hear or experience makes an impact. Mainly music that I listen to, people I am friends with, life, everything.
You seem confident in experimentation and it seems to be turning out well in your songs. Would you consider collaborating with anyone? Who would that person be?
I really like collaborations. At the moment I am really into collaborating with instrumentalists. They tend to have these raw musical ideas that represent the essence of their mastered instrument. And it’s nice to be able to use my knowledge and experience I gained as a composer. Recently I had a very nice collaboration with a flautist Giedrius Gelgotas and also a very big project with the St. Christopher string orchestra. Can’t wait to share those with everyone!
What is the best thing you learned at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and what would you say is the least useful thing?
Best thing I’ve learned – to be productive without having a deadline. Worst – history of philosophy (but I didn’t actually learn anything as I slept through the lectures).
Tell us something about you that has nothing to do with music!
When I was 8 years old I promised to my old-self a “Jungle room” in my future home, crowded with plants and in blue lighting. So I’m already collecting plants – if anyone has any loose plants, let me know!
Thank you!
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Secret Eclectic 