Monde UFO, LA-based duo of Ray Monde and Kris Chau, are a monochromatic sunset for the senses. Their music is a sonic journey through psychedelia, space rock and jazz. A cosmic space where Spacemen 3 meets Vanishing Twin, by way of Sun Ra. Monde UFO perfectly embody the framework of lo and hi-fi sounds which have helped define their music.
Photo courtesy of Monde UFO
“I usually get a bit stressed out when recording covers. I’d like to do it justice, trying to simultaneously over and under do it. Fortunately on this one, I felt the essence of the song took over.” Monde UFO
Listen To Monde UFO’s ‘Amen (Spacemen 3 Cover)’
Ahead of Fire Records’ 40th anniversary this weekend, Monde UFO reveal a euphoric reworking of Spacemen 3’s ‘Amen’ taken from their iconic 1986 debut album ‘Sound Of Confusion’.
“Amen was always to me this sort of Drug Prayer as maybe most Spacemen 3 songs are. But this one felt like the Hail Mary. I used to partake in various types of opiates, and had this weird obsession with trying to maintain an afterglow for as long as possible. Convincing myself it was a possible shortcut to enlightenment. If I was able to focus enough mentally I could maintain transcendence. I, of course, was high on drugs and doing this while working at a pizza place. Every Monday I would go into work feeling like I could maintain these feelings of hope, to only walk home miserable. I was living in this gnarly area of Downtown Los Angeles, in a warehouse and Spacemen 3 was always on rotation. It felt fitting for the setting of a crappy part of beautiful Southern California. This music encompasses this period of my life, as good and as bad as it truly was.”
Influencing the likes of Mogwai, Animal Collective, Low, Slowdive, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and more, Spacemen 3 remain one of the most influential bands of the 80s British underground.
“Monde UFO wander through a humid mist of exotic samba shuffles, shamanic whispers, and reverberating laser beam synthesizers.” New Commute
“An intoxicating blend of free-jazz, lo-fi psych, and experimentalism.” Shindig
“A slice of low-key bedroom pop-psychedelia in the vein of Syd Barrett.” Aquarium Drunkard
Links:
https://mondeufo.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/mondeufo/
