Brutal
Moka Only
2016
“Brutalism,” or “brutalist,” is a term developed by Swiss French architect, Le Corbusier, to describe his work. The etymology of the term is derived from the French ‘béton brut” translating to “raw concrete”.
“It is not, as assumed, a reference to the brutal appearance of some of the structures, although that assessment lies in the eye of the beholder,” Moka Only said. “Anyway at the risk of bungling up a crash course in the brutalist philosophy and modernist architecture, let me get back to the story. I started this project in March 2015 by naming the first track “It’s Brutal”. At that point, my objective was to create beats that encompassed a feeling similar to the structural concept of brutalism: stripped down, raw and rough drums with chunky or blocky-sounding samples within minimalist tone arrangements.”
I carried this sentiment throughout the project as best I could, but there were definitely some tracks that deviated from that attempted formula. Even so, any tracks lacking that foundation still made reference to certain architects and painted an architectural soundscape. I saw myself as an architect of sound. Why not, right? Essentially, that’s what we are as musicians: builders. It’s my given and chosen vocation to create sonic “buildings” in which we can dwell or escape to, as part of an even larger “universe” in which each artist is responsible for creating and maintaining. – Moka Only
Stand-Out Tracks
Dream and Build
Skyscraper
Right and Exact
