Berlin-based artist Steffen Linck, known famously as Monolink, has released a new album entitled The Beauty of it All. The album has nine clean tracks that feature Monolink’s unique producer-meets-vocalist quality. His sound falls under electronic dance with layered effects and well-thought-out progressions.
Monolink has gained steam in recent years amongst savvy musical minds with appearances at Lightning in a Bottle, Tomorrowland, Coachella, and Burning Man. He wears a signature flat-brim hat when he performs, singing live over his produced tracks.
The album opens with the song “Avalanche”. It has a hypnotic quality, with the repetition of Linck’s voice bringing you in. “In My Place” follows with an echo effect, which gives a touch of psychedelic play. Then, “Phoenix” brings some corrupted base into the mix, allowing one to sink their heels into a lower frequency.
The album then softens with the song “Beacon”, which opens with a nod toward Kerala Dust: a creeping circus beat and some gentle rhymes and a refocus on Linck’s beautiful voice. The midpoint of the album, “Before the Gold Rush” creates a vacuum of negative space, with distorted piano and alien pads, and high tension drops that warp the dance floor.
His song “Perfect World” makes a note of the experience of the audience. He talks about keeping our heads up in a world of scrolling, reminding us that the world is meant to be experienced through our senses, and not our phones.
“The Promised Land” might be my favorite track on the album. It starts off with a tribal drum, and has a long and slow build (the track is almost 8 minutes), but if you hang on and let its hypnosis grab hold of you, it drives into a gnarly electric guitar that lifts you out of your body and into that other space. It cuts so juicy.
All in all, a solid album from a talented artist. Would definitely recommend him if you are getting deeper into the world of electronica and want to start going to shows where it’s a little less crowded and a little more stylish.
Monolink has a North American tour on the docket for early 2026, with stops in 14 cities to help get us through the harshest weeks of winter. Tickets are available here. The album, The Beauty of it All, is now available for streaming on Spotify and other platforms.
The Indy Review 