Monolake 8bit
techno electro bass with early personal computers [2023]
Monolake 8bit celebrates beat and bass heavy techno-electro in a live performance based entirely on four Commodore CBM 8032 computers. It is a derivate of the CBM8032AV concert piece, exploring exclusively the sonic side of it, and going deep into the crunchy rawness of low sample rate, low bit depth digital synthesis, running on computers built in 1980.
Monolake 8bit was born out of a spontaneous idea in fall 2022:
A lot of work went into programming the sound routines for the CBM8032AV and in the development of the sequencer and the necessary additional hardware. Why not using this unique and complete 'digital composition system' to do something very different with it?
For Monolake 8bit, eight pieces of music have been created, pushing the limits of what can be done with three voices (one computer can create only one note at any time) and equally 'vintage' effect processing.
Monolake 8bit was devised for a performance at OHM Club in Berlin, it has been shown at Golden Pudel Club in Hamburg, and at RSO Berlin.
Monolake 8bit is using the same code for sequencing and sound generation as the CBM8032AV performance, but with different patterns and partially adapted sound routines. Beat clock provided by Firebird. More technical details can be found here.
Photo taken at Golden Pudel club, Hamburg, Germany, January 22 2023 by Cornel Hecht.
Monolake 8bit at RSO Berlin, August 18, 2023.
Monolake 8bit at Open Ground, Wuppertal, June 8, 2024.