Ever since they first emerged, Chicago’s Monoculture have always sought a more progressive approach that many in the modern jazz scene. And with their 2018 LP ‘Blueprint for Dysfunction’ maintaining that effervescent nature, they recently made their long-awaited return with their much-loved comeback single ‘I’ll Do You One Better’.
So with the new single now doing the rounds, we joined them in conversation to find out more about their background and what the future holds for them as well.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
We were self-taught musicians and started jamming together with friends in our teenage years and learned to play the songs we liked. At a certain point, we started writing our own stuff, and then we made a lo-fi demo of those songs we wrote, and the rest was history.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
Our biggest musical influences are The Sketches of Brunswick East album from King Gizzard and Mild High Club as well as Arthur Verocai’s self-titled 1972 album. The 2017 Sketches album helped us bridge the gap between our previous psych rock sound into the more jazz-fusion place we now sit. And then the Verocai record influenced us into integrating more Brazilian rhythms, chord progressions, and most of all string and brass.
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
Going to the studio and recording and producing our first four songs that would later be on our first album.
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
It’s not all the same. Usually, we start with a section that Faayani wrote – usually a chord progression and lyrics – and then Nick expands on it with drums. From there, it’s a back-and-forth process where, with each new section Faayani has locked in, Nick expands on it in his way. Sometimes we’ll write a song linearly, but most of the time, different song sections come separate from one another, and we combine them and make them cohesive. This upcoming album had a lot of that.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
A lot comes out of the political work Faayani does in Chicago around stopping police crimes. Through deeply being in that work, the music inherently reflects the experiences that come from that. And at the same time, that experience is filtered through the music we both listen to.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
Our music is informed by real work we do in our community to make the world a better place for working and oppressed people. At the same time, we’re not unique in this regard, nor are we the first people to do this. But we hope to be a part of a rich tradition of movement artists who help propel this fight for justice.
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
There are a lot of brilliant artists out there, and unfortunately, there’s too little opportunity. And even if you get some opportunities here and there, you have to have lots of resources, whether connections or monetary, to turn it into something.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
Meeting people we don’t know personally who come to our shows and love our music. It’s one thing for our friends to support us (lol), but it’s another for strangers who have no reason to like us but really take to our music.
How do you stay true to yourself and your artistry in a constantly evolving industry?
Staying in the movement keeps our feet on the ground. Surrounding ourselves with other musicians with a more collectivist outlook ensures we’re with people that have our interests at heart. And always staying creatively curious and listening to new things ensures that we’re continually growing in our sound.
What can fans expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or tours?
We just released this song “I’ll Do You One Better,” and it’s one of the songs in our short film called “Beyond Material” that we made with the Spirit Award-winning Director Merawi Gerima. These two releases are our first releases since 2018 (!). So now we’re shaking off the cobwebs, getting back to live performances, planning more film screenings of Beyond Material, and also planning to release our album in 2025.
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next five years?
Through our experience, we learned to not be wedded to expectations. We just plan to enjoy ourselves as much as we can every step of the way.
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Listen to Monoculture’s new single ‘I’ll Do You One Better’ below.
