Trumpeter, producer and composer Rory Simmons summons his iconoclastic musical vision on the genre-blurring Monocled Man album, 'Ex Voto'. Here, the omni-appreciative trio (Simmons, Chris Montague and Jon Scott) travel down a groove-adjacent pathway in search of solemn industrial soundscapes. Simmons' cultural inquisitiveness forms a treasure-trove of musical touchstones, which he uses to sculpt a sound that's truly his own. 'Ex Voto' ('an offer given in order to fulfil a vow') represents another idiosyncratic journey, this time inspired by Victorian novelist Samuel Butler and his work of the same name. The themes found in both Ex Voto and Butler's magnum opus Erewhon punctuate the album, as the trio conjure visceral musical excitement from base ideas on dystopia and politics. 'Ex Voto' is an opportunity for Monocled Man to tread new ground. Close collaboration between Simmons and Scott prompted a creative shift with more emphasis on both groove and production value. "A lot of the touchstones for the record are cinematic, ambient, industrial soundscapes," Simmons explains. "I still wanted it to sound English too, whilst tipping European noir." "I wanted to make a record that was darkly cinematic and ambient but with big washes of industrial sound," Simmons says. "I didn't want to make a record based on how I would play it live, I wanted to make something I could sculpt, and create something really original." Simmons continues to find new ground through his thought-provoking, uncategorizable music. LP 1: End Signs / Przhevalsky / Sense / Gemstones / Tin Skulls LP 2: Heksen Romance / Siler Woods Pt. 1 / Cellarius Shores / Natural 93 / Amongst The Machines / Siler Woods Pt.2
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
-
Ortofon 2M Blue Premounted
Mounted on the SH-4 Black Headshell, this setup delivers exceptional clarity, dynamic range, and accurate sound reproduction.
-
Pro-Ject Phono Box DC Pre-Amp
Compact, high-performance phono preamplifier for both MM and MC cartridges, delivering a clean, detailed signal with minimal noise.
-
Audioengine A2 Plus
Precision-engineered 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, featuring built-in DAC and Bluetooth connectivity for seamless integration.
-
Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge
Features an elliptical stylus that accurately tracks the grooves of vinyl records, delivering a rich, detailed sound with an output voltage of 5.5 mV
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Shaki Tavi Minor Slip
Felte Records
August 15, 2025 -
Slipknot Slipknot [2xLP]
Roadrunner Records
September 5, 2025 -
Rocket R Is for Rocket
Transgressive
October 3, 2025 -
Earth Legendary Lost Tapes
Big Bear
September 12, 2025 -
Sudan Archives THE BPM (Ruby) [2xLP]
Stones Throw Records
October 17, 2025 -
Grateful Dead Blues For Allah (50th Anniversary)
Grateful Dead Production
September 12, 2025 -
Firstborne Lucky
M-Theory Audio
August 8, 2025 -
Florence + The Machine How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (Blue Marble) [2xLP]
Republic Records
August 29, 2025 -
John Butler PRISM [2xLP]
Independent
September 5, 2025 -
Runnner A Welcome Kind of Weakness (Blue)
Run For Cover
August 29, 2025 -
Kerosene Heights Blame It On The Weather (Blue Bone Splash)
Sideonedummy Records
August 15, 2025 -
Ada Lea when i paint my masterpiece (Ice Ice Baby Blue)
Saddle Creek
August 8, 2025 -
Debby Friday The Starrr of the Queen of Life
Sub Pop
August 1, 2025 -
Signs of the Swarm To Rid Myself Of Truth
Century Media
August 22, 2025