Image Cred: Honeystills
Monolink’s third studio album The Beauty Of It All landed this week on Embassy One, marking an important new chapter in the Berlin-based artist’s catalog. Across ten tracks, he moves between sparse songwriting and carefully layered electronics, creating a record that feels at once reflective and immediate. It’s the kind of release that speaks to long-time fans while opening new doors for what his live shows can become.
To support the album, Monolink is rebuilding his live set from the ground up. Old favorites are resurfacing alongside new songs, and his performances are evolving into something that blurs the lines between concert and club. In our conversation, he shared how older sketches resurface with new meaning, why he keeps his live setup flexible, and how songs like “New Morning” still strike a chord with audiences years later.
What stands out most is how Monolink balances letting go of the past with carrying pieces of it forward. He’s candid about the way his perspective has shifted since his debut, and how The Beauty Of It All feels closer to the music he’s always wanted to write. The album captures that sense of clarity, and the upcoming tour promises to translate it into a format that feels as personal as it is expansive.
Do you ever revisit older sketches, recordings, or unreleased material and find that it feels fresh again in the context of your current live show?
Yes, totally. Especially early sketches are really interesting for me to listen to now, because I had no idea what I was doing back then. And that’s the beauty of it, it’s a unique time that you can never go back to as an artist, it’s pure expression. I think that’s also every artist’s challenge to find that space again, but in new places.
How often do you rework or reorganize your live set arrangements? Does a milestone like an album release usually spark those changes?
The way my live set is structured is that I have a lot of freedom to improvise and change things on the fly. That way I can retain my joy of playing and go with the flow of the night. For the new album tour though I’m doing major changes to my setup, I’m gonna have new instruments on stage like a piano and of course a lot of new songs.
It’s gonna be a mix between a concert and a rave, so I’m rebuilding my set to find that sweet spot.
Have you ever performed a song you hadn’t played in years and noticed it landing in a completely new way, especially when presented alongside newer work like Beauty of it All?
Yes, I recently played ‘New Morning’ again in some of my shows, which was one of the first electronic songs I ever made, together with Acid Pauli back in 2014. It was really beautiful to see how people connected with it, because I think for many it was one of the songs they got introduced to my music with back then.
Do you feel that certain songs or ideas return to you at the right time, as if they reveal their place in a live set when you’re ready for them?
Absolutely.
I think the music we choose is closely related to what’s going on inside of us subconsciously. And then it almost feels like the music chooses us. I love the feeling when that happens. That’s why I try to not be too committed to a set list when I play live, so I can stay open to whatever music wants to come out at that moment.
Do you keep versions or folders of live set files that act more like archives rather than material you actively perform?
Not really.
My live set is constantly evolving and it’s still the same Ableton session I started with 11 years ago. Sometimes I kick stuff out of course and keep the files stored to not lose them. But I’m a huge fan of letting go and making space for new.
How has revisiting your own body of work helped you understand your growth as a live performer?
Yes, I actually recently listened to some songs from my first album again with a friend, and it was pretty fascinating to see how the perception of that music completely changed for me. I think I can appreciate it more now than I could back then. And I could also hear what I was trying to express but didn’t yet have the proper tools for it.
With my new album I feel like I was finally able to make the music I’ve always wanted to make, and that’s a pretty good feeling.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
