Bringing their psych/jazz fusions to the Chicago scene, Monoculture is a distinctive genre-bender with star-studded acclaim. Led by founding members Faayani Aboma Mijana and Nick Leibold, they’ve released two studio albums and supported the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre and Mild High Club. Growing in their sound, incorporating guitars, keys and orchestrations, whilst remaining political in their commentary.
Hot on the heels of their single ‘I’ll Do You One Better’, Monoculture is back once again, bringing a politically conscious narrative to their ‘Beyond Material’ film. The visual commentary surrounds perceived freedoms and a lack of actual independence in the modern world.
They use their music to search for a break from the mundane nature pushing an ideological struggle. The direction of Spirit Award winner Merawi Gerima allows space for the story to breathe, whilst the music, through tracks ‘Open’, ‘I’ll Do You One Better’ and ‘Beyond Material’ provides the perfect commentary without the need for speech.
Explaining the film, the band adds, “The film is about workers who experience the workplace as a new plantation. The commentary here is that, under our current system, we ostensibly have freedom, but in actuality, we are wage slaves who must work to survive. Even then, living is often meager, even if the work is hard. I call the film ‘Beyond Material’ because I recognize that the fight for a better world is more than just a material struggle, there’s also an ideological component to that struggle, and this film humbly joins that struggle.”
Watch the production here…
