Monolog Rockstars
Monolog Rockstars is a musical formation consisting of Leisure-B and the brothers Bas and Ramon Lookman. Originating from Bussum in the Netherlands, Leisure and the Lookman brothers go way back. Their musical endeavors having crossed paths many times in the past, it took up until may 2013 until they decided to seriously combine their efforts.Leisure-B comes from a background of sound design, thus his sounds have a cinematic character and a dynamic flow, with influences ranging from trip hop, to dub, drum and bass, jazz and just plain old school. Leisure has been making music with various people/bands in different configurations. Originally a bass player, Leisure has transformed into a gifted producer that uses the studio as his personal playground. Styles and influences don't seem to matter, as long as the net result can be considered a piece de resistance in a mass media controlled pop culture. Leisure is based in Germany and is an important musical cornerstone for the area he lives in as well as for the musicians he works with.
Bas and Ramon have been making music together since the age of 8 years old, Bas was playing the guitar while Ramon played the piano. Considering their problems with authority, it wasn't a surprise that it didn’t take long before they were kicked out of music lessons and started to teach each other how to play the piano and guitar. They played in various bands and worked together with many musicians, but always found time to compose songs together. Their style varied from alternative rock and pop to trip hop and cross-overs. Ramon's main contribution lies in the creative area as well as vocals and keys, Bas' main contribution is rhythm and bass, guitars as well as overall composition.
The roles of the members of Monolog are diverse and variable, as they each of them have their own specialty. Leisure and Bas are in charge of sound, rhythm, bass and production as where Ramon usually is the creative coming up with the initial harmonies before running off to the next idea. If a good idea pops up, Bas and Leisure are usually the ones coming up with the know how and input to make it a real good song. Together they master all the musical elements essential for a high quality production.
Monolog Rockstars is completed by teaming up with many musicians from different musical backgrounds, ranging from guitar/bass and drum players, to percussionists, vocalists to violin/cello players. Monolog Rockstars is therefore an ongoing creative collaboration, serving as a quality stamp for a mixture of styles thereby crossing the musical divide.