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Monstercat

Monstercat (formerly known as Monstercat Media) is a Canadian independent electronic music record label based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Monstercat

1 July 2011 (2011-07-01)

  • Mike Darlington, CEO
  • Ari Paunonen, COO

Electronic dance music

Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia

www.monstercat.com

Founded in 2011 by Mike Darlington and Ari Paunonen, the label released regular compilation albums featuring music from various artists, beginning with the release of its first compilation album, Monstercat 001 – Launch Week. Until the release of Monstercat 030 – Finale in 2017, each compilation was given a name and depicted the story of the aforementioned mascot in the album cover. This preceded a rebranding of the label, with a new series of albums titled Monstercat Uncaged. In 2018, Monstercat introduced a new brand titled "Instinct". In 2021, Monstercat acquired electronic label Silk Music to form a third brand titled "Monstercat Silk". The compilations ended the same year with the release of Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 11.[1]


Monstercat has featured many notable artists, including Pegboard Nerds, Vicetone, and Seven Lions. Monstercat has also released soundtrack albums for various video games, including Fortnite, Rocket League and Beat Saber.[2]


The label is best known for the 2016 release of the song "Alone" by American DJ Marshmello, which reached Platinum status in the United States and Canada in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The April Fool's Day release of "Crab Rave" by Irish music producer Noisestorm became an internet meme for months after its release.

History[edit]

Founding (2011–2012)[edit]

Monstercat Media was founded on 1 July 2011 by Mike Darlington (born 1989)[3] and Ari Paunonen (born 1989/90),[3] two university students from Waterloo, Ontario. The label's YouTube channel, which served as a medium to promote their friends and their music, was created the same day,[4][5] and began a tri-weekly upload schedule in October.[6] The young students were later responsible for the creation of the label's uniform compilation albums.[4]


The team moved to their current offices in Vancouver in 2012 after Darlington and Paunonen finished school.[7]

Building the label, first tour, and Marshmello (2013–2016)[edit]

In July 2014, Monstercat surpassed one million in record sales across the label.[5] When asked about the label's model, Darlington said:

Mike Darlington – co-founder, chief executive officer[37]

[5]

Ari Paunonen – co-founder, chief operating officer[38]

[7]

Jonathan Winter – director of [24][38]

A&R

Chelsea Shear – Lead A&R

[39]

Conor Systrom – promotional manager

[24]

Gavin Johnson – head of gaming

[24]

Ben Brown Bentley – head of events

[40]

Daniel Turcotte – commercial director

[41]

Jacob Henry – director and founder, Monstercat Silk

[33]

: First appeared on the label with the song "Sweet", a collaboration with I.Y.F.F.E and Auratic, later releasing the two track EP Blossom as his first solo release. He collaborated frequently with Fractal until the release of Ison,[49] when he took a brief hiatus from releasing music under Monstercat until he returned to the label with the song "The Journey".[50][51]

Au5

: Debuted on the label as its first official artist with his song "Dubstep Killed Rock 'n' Roll" in mid-2011. Ephixa had left the label in late 2012, continuing to release music independently.[52] In a Reddit AMA, the Monstercat staff were asked what happened to him and they responded: "Ephixa, as an artist, took some time off to focus on other projects and his personal life. However, word on the street is that he is back at producing and we are looking forward to hearing his new work".[53] In mid-2016, Ephixa returned to the label and has since continued to release music through Monstercat.[54]

Ephixa

: Martin Vogt first released his song "Synergy" on Monstercat in 2013, after American electronic music artist Fractal recommended that Vogt send his music to Monstercat's head of A&R as they might be interested in signing the song to the label.[55][56] Haywyre has since released two full-length albums through the label, Two Fold Pt. 1 in 2014 and Two Fold Pt. 2 in 2016.[57][58] His first album, "Two Fold Pt. 1", was ranked as the fifth and ninth best album of 2014 by EDM Sauce and Your EDM websites respectively.[59][60]

Haywyre

Hellberg: A Swedish house producer from Stockholm, Jonathan Hellberg debuted on the label with his single "Stockholm". His prominent releases include "The Girl", featuring vocalist and actor ,[61] and "Synchronize", featuring New York singer Aaron Richards. A music video for "Synchronize" has been released by the label.[62]

Cozi Zuehlsdorff

: A DJ vocalist duo (Max Rowat and Katie Boyle) who debuted in 2016 with their single "Silence". Since then they have gone to have numerous releases on the label including their album "Butterfly Effect"[63] in 2020, which later received a deluxe edition the following year.

Koven

Nitro Fun: Born in 1998, Mexican producer Gustavo "Gus" Rangel became the youngest artist signed to Monstercat when he made his debut with his 2013 remix of Televisor's "Old Skool", before debuting his first original singles, "New Game" (featured on 016 – Expedition) and "Cheat Codes" (featured on 017 – Ascension), in early 2014. He released the track "Checkpoint" in a collaboration with Hyper Potions in 2016, which was featured in the trailer for the video game Sonic Mania.[65][66]

[64]

: They first appeared on Monstercat in 2012 with their song "Gunpoint". This duo, composed of Alexander Odden and Michael Parsberg, have since released thirteen extended plays through the label, including Guilty Pleasures in 2013 and Nerds by Nature in 2017.[67][68] Their 2015 extended play Pink Cloud was released to help fund breast cancer research and charted at number nine on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums and at number twenty on the Billboard Heatseekers charts.[69][70][71]

Pegboard Nerds

: Thomas Shaw and Ryan Henderson, two friends who met via Skype, first joined the label in 2011. Mike Darlington convinced them to join in an effort to diversify Monstercat's then dubstep-heavy catalogue.[72] The duo has since released two extended plays through the label—Continuum in 2013 and Summer Feels in 2016.[73][74]

Project 46

: Debuted on the label with "Waiting For You",[75] Armond Arabshahi has released six singles with Monstercat, including "Everything Black", which was praised by music outlets.[76] In 2017, Arabshahi left the label due to creative differences, as he was pursuing a different artistic direction at the time.[77]

Unlike Pluto

: Debuted as one of the first artists on the label under the alias Halo Nova, Varien has since released various albums and extended plays via the label, including Mirai Sekai (with 7 Minutes Dead) in 2014, The Ancient & Arcane in 2015 and My Prayers Have Become Ghosts in 2016.[78][79][80]

Varien

Monstercat signs artists on a single-track basis,[22] allowing them to move between labels and brands without an exclusive contract.[42]


Monstercat has supported prominent artists such as Krewella,[43][44] Gareth Emery,[45] Knife Party,[46] Modestep,[47] Seven Lions, and Infected Mushroom.[48] Other producers with connections to the label include:

(2017)[111]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 1

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 2 (2017)

[112]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 3 (2017)

[113]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 4 (2018)

[114]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 5 (2018)

[115]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 6 (2019)

[116]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 7 (2019)

[117]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 8 (2020)

[118]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 9 (2020)

[119]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 10 (2020)

[120]

Monstercat Uncaged Vol. 11 (2021)

[121]

Official website

on YouTube

Monstercat

discography on Bandcamp

Monstercat