Unsigned: Spider Monkey - Grey Horizons

Prepare yourself for the terror that is Spider Monkey.  Little could have prepared me for the aural onslaught that lay ahead.

Track 1 is "Drowning" which starts with an undulating synth bass before crashing headlong into a straight, and somewhat familiar, hip hop break beat. It sounds like a less frightening Prodigy remix of Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy." It certainly is a track with sinister intentions.

Track 2 is "H.L.S." which has a superb beginning with an old vinyl effect and scary ping pong synth notes, reminiscent of a 1970's horror soundtrack. This guy is beginning to scare me! This is my favourite track out of the three on offer here. There is a genuine beauty to it, despite its intimidating nature. The big criticism I have is that the mix is too cluttered. The track needs some space to really bring it to life. During the middle section it all gets a bit muddy.

Track 3 is "The Horror" which finally leads me to believe that this guy is setting himself up to do the soundtrack to Scream 5, or whatever number is next in the endless genre. It has a straight 4/4 bass drum kick with a loop over the top that goes well with the disturbing pad sound and grating bass note.
   
Overall, this demo is very promising. The main problem is the sound quality! I am not sure if the distorted nature of the tracks is intentional, or down to limited equipment. Whatever the reason, it detracts from what is a very competent set of tunes.

Mark obviously knows what he is doing. He has a unique style that offers something refreshing to the world of electronic music. With a little upgrade in equipment, or a cleaner mix to his tracks, he may have a good shot at getting signed. One thing is for certain though, the A&R men that listen to this demo better not listen to it in the dark.

Spider Monkey is loose, and ready to terrorise the nation...

3/5

Lee Fewkes

Contact info:
[email protected]

www.spidermonkey.org.uk
www.mp3.com/spidermonkey