Monotrona

about

Monotrona was a one-woman musical/performance group active from 1996 to 2003 founded by Jodie Baltazar, also known as Jodie Mechanic. Monotrona performed in costume and in character as one of many self-styled Superbeings or Fourteen Impersonations of Man. These Superbeings took the form of marginally or partially human figures such as apes, robots, ghosts, madmen, or giants with the additional perk that they possessed (or thought they possessed) superhuman powers. Monotrona’s early performances (1996–1997) utilized drums and metal percussion, played while standing up, along with electronics, which Jodie built herself and played with her feet. These early performances include Gorditz, Ooka, and Jing Pow Ki Poo. Some of the homemade electronics in these performances include a sine-wave generator, square-wave generator, baby monitors, heart monitors, PZM microphones attached to drums, toy drum machines, and a Wollensak reel-to-reel tape recorder. As Joey the Mechanical Boy, Monotrona used a Casio keyboard and modified children’s toys attached to her arms. In 1998 Monotrona moved to New York City, dispensed with actual instruments, and began using video game and other electronic samples. Beginning with Hawkeye and Firebird and continuing with The Might Mun, Monotrona used SID samples and songs from early video game music, as well as samples generated using the Elektron Sidstation. In the spring of 1999 Casey Spooner of Fischerspooner performed as Hawkeye and Firebird and even d

albums

Hawkeye & Firebird

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Menlo Park Recordings : Skyskip (1995-2008)

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Hawkeye and Firebird

Ooka Meets Jing Pow Ki Poo

The Might Mun

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Karazma Reimagined

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Hawkeye Firebird

Burglemir

Nakadai the Samurai

Joey The Mechanical Boy

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Menlo Park Recordings: until the year we make contact

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Electroclash: New York City Compilation