Hard Techno Finds Its High Priestess in Solitary Garden

At the Monasterio Rave, Solitary Garden and Sub Imperium lead Electronic Music out of the mundane and toward the liminal.

Can an aggressive genre like Hard Techno offer the same cathartic experience that Dead Can Dance accomplished with “Summoning of the Muse” or Coil with “Be Careful What You Wish For”? A recent collaboration between Sasha Belyaeva’s Solitary Garden and Hard Techno master engineers Sub Imperium at the 2024 Monasterio Rave provides the transcendental experience the postmodern world is in search of.

On October 11th, Solitary Garden, known for her unconventional and secretive performances, headlined the Monasterio Rave, known to be one of the most aggressive and demanding electronic music events, and perplexed a crowd of a reported 10,000 fans. One concertgoer captured the essence of the night perfectly: “It felt like the singularity between the archaic and the future.”

As the relentless beats surged through the venue, it was easy to drift into mesmerism, only to be pulled back by Solitary Garden’s haunting vocals—akin to the irresistible call of a Greek Siren. With each song, she wove a tapestry of sound that blurred the lines between past and present, drawing the audience deeper into her world.

Scarcity, Mystery, and Immersion as an Artform

Prior to the event, Solitary Garden limited her exposure, performing for an invite-only audience: one at The Light Church in Osaka and the other at the Secret Roxy Suite at Radio City Music Hall in New York, choosing to join a growing movement of music artists who are refraining from releasing their music on streaming services and focusing on novel live experiences first, in order to challenge themselves to successfully engage and confront an audience accustomed to being overstimulated and drowned in a sea of mainstream noise.

The Monasterio rave was a breath of fresh air for electronic music, which has been lost for nearly a decade, often catering to finance bros and fashion influencers who seem more interested in Instagrammable moments than actual music. But at Monasterio, Solitary Garden and Sub Imperium brought back the intense sensory overload, immersive shows reminiscent of the days when Nine Inch Nails, Sunn O))), and Godflesh ruled the underground scene.

When Live Music is More Than a Performance

While performing, Solitary Garden appeared to be draped in glowing white light and mist in a reconstructed silk custom-gown designed by former Givenchy Director of Design and Travis Scott collaborator Courtney MC, who masterfully crafted a dress and thorned mercurial-esque necklace both ultra-modern and mystical, reminiscent of Cate Blanchett’s Lady Galadriel or the Oracle in the film 300. Solitary Garden’s ethereal vocals merged seamlessly with Sub Imperium’s artillery-like production, weaving Gregorian-esque chants that offered fans both the transcendental and a connection to the harsh reality of the times, in what seems to be the first live show in a generation that fills the void once achieved in the cathedrals of previous eras.

“Not a single hand was raised with a phone; everyone was dancing in a trance. It was more than just a party.” said a fan who attended the live-show.

This kind of collaboration between vocalists and techno engineers is often tried but rarely done right. Here, Solitary Garden not only led but also connected with the crowd, creating a harmonious atmosphere that was truly captivating. If you missed it, you really missed something special.

Credits:
Photography: Olga Vorontsova
Fashion and Jewelry Design: Courtney MC
Hair Stylists: Sasha Patlataya And Nastya Kozhuhova At Birdie Moscow
Makeup Artist: Yulia Lebedeva At Birdie Moscow
Makeup Director: Lindsay Kastuk
Executive Producer: Republicist