A L O N E O U R S E L V E S

F O R 

[: ARTIST..... :] James Monro
[: TITLE...... :] Sanctuary, Vol 1
[: GENRE...... :] House
[: RIP DATE... :] 2021-01-14
[: LABEL...... :] Proton Music
[: CAT NR..... :] PROTON0484
[: TRACKS..... :] 5
[: SIZE....... :] 85m
[: ENCODER.... :] LAME 3.100 -b 32 -V 0
[: CODEC...... :] MP3 (MPEG-2 Audio Layer III)
[: SOURCE..... :] WEB (FLAC)
[: URL........ :] https://store.tidal.com/nz/album/159533927

[ ::.. Tracklist ..:: ]
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01. Sanctuary (Original Mix) ..................... 09:19 
02. New Religion (Original Mix) .................. 07:56 
03. Injected with a Serum (Original Mix) ......... 08:32 
04. Heat (Original Mix) .......................... 08:50 
05. Another Weirdo (Original Mix) ................ 06:46 

[ ::.. RELEASE NOTES ..:: ]
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James Monro has been at heart of the dance music scene for over 
three decades. As fully immersed now as he has been at any other 
point in his musical journey, the UK born, Brazilian based DJ 
and producer begins a new and exciting relationship with Proton 
Music. Following in the footsteps of Erdi Irmak, Rick Pier 
O'Neil and Michael A, Monro now launches the first in a new 
series of releases as Sanctuary, Vol. 1 takes centre stage.

Able to point to a stellar career that has seen him perform 
regularly across the globe to packed festival crowds at the 
likes Burning Man and Oregon Eclipse alongside performances at 
Tokyo's Womb, Ibiza's Amnesia and London's Heaven, Monro is a 
seasoned world-traveller. With a huge fanbase behind him, a 
production career in tandem is no less impressive. Finding 
himself featured on John Digweed's Structures Two compilation 
and Nick Warren's Renaissance: Masters Series, a 2019 hit on the 
iconic Kompakt witnessed Pesto Punk in partnership with John 
Monkman. 150 additional production credits have seen releases on 
Flow Records, JOOF Mantra and onedotsixtwo.

Proton Music accounts for a growing number of those credits 
through a glorious selection of music centred around 2017's In 
the Ether album, while Fonik, Nectar and 2019's Ascension 
continue to showcase a kaleidoscopic array of original material. 
Writing a new chapter on the label via the five-track Sanctuary, 
the title track is a nine-minute tour de force that opens with 
glorious atmospheric textures before thumping kick and 
meandering pads forms the basis for a dreamy soundscape that 
evolves through different phases of bristling bassline, 
percussive flair and stereo-panned effects. The result is a 
track certain to go down well at sunset on the beaches of Ibiza 
and Rio de Janeiro. New Religion revels in a richly sustained 
bassline that pulsates gently, juxtaposed against searing 
crystalline lead whose motif creates an earworm moment. 
Percussive woodblocks add dancefloor intrigue in the latter 
stages as pitch-bent pads add depth and innovation.

A gloriously in vogue breaks pattern opens In Search of a Serum 
as the lilting groove paves the way for a powerful syncopated 
bassline and machine-gun hi hats to create a dark and sinister 
offering. Subtle melodic flourishes and rich string section come 
to the fore at the mid-point in a Hybrid-esque manner, complete 
with effects that leap out of the speakers. A squelching bass 
and sparkling arpeggio add to the aural collage in the second 
half in a wonderfully emotive production. The hypnotic Heat 
immediately commands attention with its driving bass pattern and 
heavy kick. An array of percussive hats pitch delicately in time 
before an imperceptible melody emerges out of the tapestry. A 
whispering vocal cut adds drama at the breakdown before the 
track explodes into the third movement with a glissando motif 
that brings further texture. Another Weirdo closes the EP with a 
staccato bass and dream-like pads weaving a seamless path. 
Emotive chord changes and swirling melodies envelop the listener 
as multi-faceted layers of sound build to create a sonic collage 
that waxes and wanes with ease across the piece.

Directed by Jay Epoch
AandR by James Warren
Mastered by Grant Collins
Design by Ben Mautner
Text by James Warren

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