Genre/Influences: Industrial-techno, rhythmic-noise.

Background/Info: Mono No Aware is not the kind of project unleashing new work every year. “OTO” is the sixth album since the year 2000 (when the band was still featuring Stefan Böhm). Leif Künzel is now back on track unleashing a new piece of extreme industrial stuff better known as ‘rhythmic-noise’ or ‘power-noise’.

Content: Mono No Aware strikes back without real surprises, but simply gives the fans what they expect: raw, unpolished, brutal and powerful noises driven by distorted rhythms. This artist also illustrates there are not many differences between hard-techno fields and this kind of music. Both genres are based upon- and driven by hard-banging kicks. “OTO” is just much darker and extreme although here and there mixed with a few minimal-like electro treatments. “F12” even reminds me of Suicide merged with an industrial sonic monster.

Notice by the way the album also features remixes by Philipp Münch and Project Erratic.

+ + + : Mono No Aware is one of those artists remaining faithful to hard-industrial formats. The artist likes to experiment with noises, manipulating his sounds till reaching a truly caphernaum. But he also takes care to inject a few more delicate and minimal elements, creating cool cuts such as “Furafurafura” remixed by Philipp Münch and “Red Devils With Blue Eyes”. Another great- and already mentioned cut is “F12”.

– – – : Mono No Aware seems to voluntary avoid any real innovation and that’s maybe a pity, especially after all these years of commitment. You know what the sound stands for and you know what you’ll get. The initial magic is a bit gone. But at the other side it rapidly becomes clear that Mono No Aware is the kind of project you going to like.. or not; there’s no way in between!

Conclusion: I compare “OTO” to industrial ‘art brut’. Somewhat abstract and driven by a kind of ‘free-industrial’ expression this artist doesn’t care about modern hypes and other forms of innovation.

Best songs: “F12”, “Aware”, “Furafurafura – Philipp Münch Remix”, “Red Devils With Blue Eyes”, “72”.

Rate: (8).

Band: https://mono–no–aware.bandcamp.com

Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official