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Decktonic - Stars (2012)

Rating: 9.0

/Acid techno, Primitronica, Electronic pop, Tracker music, DIY, Lo-fi, Electro pop, DIY/

Comment: Decktonic is the nom de plume of Christian Montoya, a New York-based electro music producer. He has said he created it with KORG DS10+ and Nanoloop for iPad. At the time of creating process he was inspired by the work of Henry Homesweet, KODEK, Cheapshot, ???, HarleyLikesMusic, Anthony Seeha and Disasterpeace. However, his 10-track publication involves the elements of rusty, angular electro and more bouncy club-induced propulsions and even infantile-near primitive electronica (though, it is highly amusing and funny) and tracker music/chiptune bits and grains. These sultry synth chunks and acid techno inspired hooks are highly enjoyable. In a nutshell, the more you listen to it the more you like it (as it used to be so usual case in this way). In general, it is as well as his previous, debut album Dark Mode (2011). Actually it is even a tiny bit better.

Wow, really excited to see this review from Recent Music Heroes, posted a week ago. Stars feels like something I made years ago, even though I worked on it at the beginning of this year and released it in June. I think the reason I feel that way is because I was going through a very difficult & emotionally painful period in my life at the time, and this was a product of that experience. I was literally advised at the time to take that experience and “put it in a box and put that box away”, and this album ended up being that box. Sometimes I’ll be up on stage and I’ll play one of these songs, and to everyone in the audience it might be just another song, but I can feel everything I was going through and everything I was thinking back then; each of these songs is a little time capsule of emotion. And while I can never really “love” this album (it brings back a lot of painful memories, really), I am always happy to hear that it makes others happy. The idea that something that was terrible for me can be channeled into something that is good for others, that idea of taking something bad and turning it into something good, that is what has helped me to move on. So when I see such positive words being written about my work, it certainly makes me feel good! It even makes me think that it was all worth it. 

p.s. my next album “Forgotten Machines” is coming out soon. this is a very different piece of work, a future techno / progressive house direction and it was a lot of fun working on, I think you’ll enjoy it ;) watch this space for more information as I get the release all put together.