Monomorte has been consistently building a following and expanding his catalogue of singles, remixes and EPs for almost a decade, before finally unleashing his debut album in 2021. In this in-depth interview, we go back to his beginnings, explore both regional and esoteric influences behind the project, and chat about playing live in 2025. Dan has also prepared an exclusive mix for the blog, titled "Shadow Alchemy". Press play above and enjoy the read!
I tried to trace the origins of Monomorte, and the earliest mention I found was from January 2013. How did you discover the witch house scene, and what inspired you to start this project?
The first artists that really interested me were Mater Suspiria Vision and ∆AIMON, and it all spiralled from there I guess. I lean more to the experimental and darker elements of the genre. I was also intrigued by the pop songs that were being remixed into new and interesting versions.Your first few remixes demonstrated technical production skills, which makes me think this wasn't your debut as a musician. What other projects were you involved in before Monomorte?
I've had quite a few ill fated projects, one called Of These, Hope which was more a remix project tbh, from then I ended up in a few bands which gave me a little bit of live experience with crowds, and all the things that can and will go wrong on stage. I've also remixed some pretty well known dark scene bands and won a few remix competitions too. My tracks are still out there for acts such as 3TEETH, Aesthetic Perfection, Deathstars etc. before that I dabbled in 8bit electropop and ambient/drum'n'bass vibes. My tastes span a lot of genres and I find it hard to stay just in one.Your eclectic taste, paired with symbolism and some track titles, may point to The KLF as an inspiration source?
They are the perfect band to me, in both execution and legacy. How many acts invent a genre (trance), then have massive commercial success without really trying, burn a million pounds and quit the music business for 23 years! Also a good reminder to not take yourself too seriously, leave that to others. I'm also lucky enough to have met them quite a few times and had my tracks were used on a BBC radio show about them, so they are vaguely aware of me which is very flattering. I've also done a fair bit of published photography for them too, which is another interest of mine.
Is there a story behind your name Monomorte?
I like to leave that to the listener, but it could mean we are born and die alone, it could mean the singular ending of death for everything or it could just be a cool name and nothing more.Your Bandcamp lists Liverpool as your location - how did that city influence you?
I was born in Wales but Liverpool's been my home for most of my life. There's always been a great experimental music scene once you get past the Beatles grip on the city. I was a metal and industrial club kid back then and it was a tight community and a great melting pot of ideas and other musicians to work with.Could you recommend some local acts? Are there maybe any collabs in the works?
Sadly, they always seem to disband, but Double Echo, Coughin' Vicars and FEND are worth checking out!Do you try to stay up to date with what’s happening in the dark electronic scene? Are there any new producers you’re really into right now?
Not as much as I should, some favourite artists I've been listening to lately are Iglooghost, George Clanton and Pixel Grip. What I listen to is usually very different from what I generally create.What's your creative process when making beats?
I start off usually messing around with sound design, long fx chains and sometimes an idea for something bigger can come out of that. I have an archive of samples from past gear and ideas so I trawl through that sometimes. Always best to steal from yourself first, less legal issues. Most of my tracks lately are made on a tracker, which gives me just 8 tracks of audio and two effects. It's very limited and old school but less is more sometimes.Do you play any instruments?
Jack of all trades, I loosely play piano, synth, guitar, vocals and some percussion.I actually wanted to ask about vocals - most of your tracks with lyrics feature your own voice, right?
I am lucky to work with a couple of other artists who lend me their talents but nearly all tracks will have my vocals somewhere, nowadays everyone has access to the same samples, plugins and synths but nobody's got my voice, for better or worse. Work with what you have.If you could work with any three singers alive today, who would it be?
I'd love to work with Goldfrapp, Gazelle Twin and Jamie Lidell. All incredible voices and all still alive, so there's hope.
You played a few gigs and festivals in the past few years. How did they go, and did any of them stand out?
They have been a learning curve but the best part is meeting fans and seeing their passion, it really does keep you going when being a creative in 2025 is like screaming into the void. It's been great to meet and play support for other bands I’ve loved too like Skinny Puppy for example.What's your live setup like? Do you change/remix your tracks for the live shows, or have any visuals?
For current shows it's very stripped back, but still any less than live vocals and keyboard isn't really a live show. If people pay to see you then you owe them a decent performance that's not just karaoke. I used to carry around two keyboards and vocal effects but I'd rather concentrate on having decent visuals to augment everything. My minimum show requirements are a smoke machine, projector and subwoofers.You mentioned MSV as one of the early inspirations, your EP "The Three Mothers" is named after the Dario Argento trilogy - what are the three horror movies any fan should watch to better understand your project?
Cemetery Man is one of my favourites, and everyone should watch everything that Argento and John Carpenter have put out, even the less good ones. The Fog is one of my favourite movies ever and Suspiria is very influential for me as well. The Wicker Man is also a given. I had a very nice laserdisc collection of import horrors once, and all that filters through my work in some way.Your 2021 epic "The Wiccan" was inspired by Gerald Gardner - I'd love to hear more about your fascination with the pagan and occult traditions.
He was always somewhat of a local legend and was born close to where I live. When he was a child he played in the same places I did so I felt a kind of connection to the area over the years. I was thinking about a concept album and it seemed a perfect fit for me. I wrote and recorded some parts near to where his family home was to add some flavour to the concept. Despite being called "The Wiccan" I also mix in other elements from discordianism, chaos magick and thelema too. I've recently released a vinyl version, and these have been limited to 23 copies only.The Internet has changed how we consume music, for better or worse. Most of your catalog is digital-only, apart from a few physical releases like the "Ad Extremvm" tape from 2020 and the recent vinyl reissues of that EP and "The Wiccan" as you said. How do you feel about physical formats? Are you a collector?
I like physical formats as just nice objects in themselves, I don't have anything to play them on myself but I can see why people want to own them. Personally I'm not one for nostalgia, I don't miss chewed tapes and scratched records.What are your plans for the near and more distant future?
Maybe a live show, but it would have to be a real experience for the audience. There's a trend of just standing on a table with hands in the air over a backing track and that's not a live show, or even a show. Longer term I want to branch out into new genres but still keep a similar sensibility as that's who I am. I get bored easily and don't see the point of making the same song over and over again. Always keep them guessing.Any shout-outs?
Big love to untitled burial and Nightmare & 808's, these channels have given me a lot of support over the years, and all the fans who keep playing my music and supporting my art.Make sure to follow Monomorte on Instagram instagram.com/mono_morte, Bluesky: @monomorte.bsky.social, Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/monomorte and Bandcamp: monomorte.bandcamp.com