Today marks the highly-anticipated release of Quilted Stereo, the latest album from the visionary bassist and experimental musician, MonoNeon. This musical journey, released via Court Square Recordings, will captivate listeners with its dynamic blend of genres, ranging from jazz and funk to hip-hop and beyond.
As a GRAMMY Award-winning musician known for pushing the boundaries of contemporary music – and his collaborations with Prince, Nas, and Mac Miller – MonoNeon continues to solidify his place as a trailblazer in the industry. With Quilted Stereo, he invites listeners on a transformative musical odyssey that transcends genres and leaves a lasting impression. The project, made in collaboration with mentor and writing partner Davy Nathan (Mary J. Blige, Usher, Jennifer Hudson), also features an impressive lineup of collaborators, including legendary Parliament-Funkadelic icon George Clinton, who lends his signature style to “Quilted!”. Additionally, the album showcases a standout performance by the incomparable Mavis Staples on the track “Full Circle,” adding depth and soul to MonoNeon’s sonic landscape.
Much like the intricate artistry of a quilt, Quilted Stereo weaves together diverse musical influences into a cohesive and vibrant tapestry. With each track, MonoNeon invites audiences to explore new dimensions of sound, pushing the boundaries of conventional music with his innovative approach. On finding his balance he explains, “I think that balance came from early on with me wanting to combine a John Cage mentality to an Albert King mentality… or a Frank Zappa mentality to a Gangsta Boo thing. I’ve always been incorporating things that are pretty much not really related to each other… I find a lot of joy and fun in thinking like this. I want to play and create music like that… even with fashion. Just those kinda ideas alone are inspiration for me. The foundation with everything I do is the ‘Blues’… so with me knowing that… I can superimpose so much shiet with that thang.”
Commenting on the complexities of the album, MonoNeon shared, “It’s a fun album for me, but there is some heartache and sadness on this junt too that I’ve recently been fully accepting of letting people hear in my music. The songs ‘Church Of Your Heart’ and ‘Stereo’ be having me teary-eyed like a mug. So yea this album got a fun, melancholic thang on it… cry and dance at the same time.”
PURCHASE QUILTED STEREO VINYL HERE
QUILTED STEREO TRACK LISTING:
1. Intro
2. Quilted! ft. George Clinton
3. Jelly Roll
4. Full Circle ft. Mavis Staples
5. Stereo
6. Segreghetto
7. Crown and Coke
8. Church of Your Heart
9. Another Man’s Treasure
Earlier this year, MonoNeon completed a 10-show run at the historic Blue Note in New York city, joined by special guests including Eric Gales, Eshu Tune (Hannibal Buress), and Mike Stern. Starting this month he’ll bring his electric live show on a short US run, performing in Nashville, Boston, Oakland, and more in support of his Quilted Stereo album. Fans can purchase tickets HERE, and a full list of upcoming shows can be found below.
TOUR DATES:
July 27 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
July 28 – Chicago, IL – Outset
July 29 – St. Louis, MO – City Winery
July 30 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
August 1 – Durham, NC – Missy Lane’s
August 2 – Durham, NC – Missy Lane’s
August 9 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s Oakland
August 10 – Portland, OR – The Get Down
August 11 – Carnation, WA – The Thing Festival
August 30 – Memphis, TN – Overton Park Shell
November 9 – Groningen, Netherlands – Rockit Festival
November 11 – Madrid, Spain – Madrid Jazz Festival
November 12 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala La Paloma
November 15 – Milan, Italy – Blue Note
November 16 – Bologna, Italy – Locomotiv Club
November 18 – Zurich, Switzerland – Plaza
November 19 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma
November 21 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melk Weg
November 22 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli Vrendenberg
November 24 – London, United Kingdom – Earth Theatre
November 25 – Paris, France – Alhambra
November 27 – Cologne, Germany – CBE
November 29 – Oslo, Norway – Parkteatret
December 1 – Helsinki, Finland – Korjaamo
December 3 – Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser
December 4 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Hotel Cecil
December 5 – Hamburg, Germany – Knust
December 6 – Berlin, Germany – Gretchen Club
December 7 – Brno, Czech Republic – Metro Music Bar
December 8 – Katowice, Poland – Hipnoza
December 10 – Warsaw, Poland – Klub Hybrydy
December 12 – Vienna, Austria – Porgy & Bess
December 13 – Budapest, Hungary – A38
December 15 – Tbilisi, Georgia – Republic Tbilisi
ABOUT MONONEON:
MonoNeon, is an American bassist and experimental musician from Memphis, known for his social media presence and being one of the last people to work with music icon Prince. MonoNeon has contributed to Grammy Award winning albums, including his participation on the 2020 Nas album King’s Disease. In 2021, MonoNeon was nominated for a Grammy for his contribution and participation on Jacob Collier’s album Djesse Vol. 1. In addition to his work on Cory Henry’s album, Operation Funk.
Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers has referred to Mono as “the greatest fucking electric bass player”. On November 1, 2022, Fender released the MonoNeon Collection, which included the MonoNeon Jazz Bass V Signature.
As for what is ahead for the artist in 2024, expect more social media content where he harmonizes the speech of viral clips found on TikTok and Instagram. As for his song development and studio time, he says, “I just want to keep making great music and take it up a notch, all I can think about is making music
MONONEON ONLINE:
Instagram | Facebook | YouTube “When Flea refers to you as ‘the greatest fucking electric bass player’, you know you’ve done something right”
By: Bass Magazine