Something I put together in a few hours way back in 1996 or so.  I don't know if you can tell but I suspect I might not have been in the best of moods.  

Let's file this under "Artistic Expression," shall we?

Infinite Tracks - F That MF

Hollis P Monroe presents The Beautiful Ones...


ABOUT THE PROJECT:

This concept has actually been floating around my mind, heart and hard drive for years. Now, for whatever reason, I feel a sense of urgency to move forward with it. Each of the primarily instrumental songs will be named for a different woman I have known. Some of the songs and versions will be available for free download and others will be released officially. Elements of some will probably show up in other songs just as the influence of these great women shows itself in various aspects of my life, personality and relationships. The free songs probably won't be mastered or particularly well-mixed but they will indeed be raw with the essence of my appreciation that I fondly send out in full view of you all.

ABOUT THE SONG:

I think it's pretty much a given that I'd be doing one of these for my mom. In fact, this song was one of the very first that I created when the concept crossed my mind all those years ago. Roughly mixed and definitely not mastered, this is the only version of the song that I have but she loves it and I love her and there you have it.
Happy Birthday, Ma!

ABOUT THE WOMAN:

I could say so much about my mom. Of course, I have the natural love that a son has for the woman who gave him life and nurtured him. She fed me, clothed me, educated me, protected me and all that good stuff. I completely appreciate it but that's really a mother's job, isn't it?

No, I never had a want or need that she didn't provide. No, I had no idea that we were ever poor when i was growing up because she never let our struggles reach my reality. Yes, I know that back then she'd rather go hungry than see me unhappy. Really, is that anything special?

I mean, I could go on and on about how the mere fact that she walks this earth gives me the confidence to take chances and be who I choose to be because I know that I can always count on her in success or failure. Nobody wants to hear that crap! Or I could talk endlessly about how I know she has my back at the beginning, middle and end of all things. All the "constantly telling me she loves me" and all the "you can do anything" speeches... Come on! Plus, now she has me doing the same thing to all my friends and they hate it! Thanks a lot, Mom! And speaking of friends, whenever I meet one of her friends, their first words are invariably, "I've heard so much about you! Your mother talks about you all the time...." Apparently, anyone that has every spoken to my mother knows within minutes how much she loves me and what I mean to her. Whatever! She's probably boring those people to death!

I'm sure it was quite easy to manage that kind of support while not letting me become a wimpy mama's boy who couldn't function without her. Making sure that I knew that there was an "entire world" outside of my neighborhood when my neighborhood just wanted to see me on the corner briefly before I took my rightful place in a jail cell. That probably didn't even require any effort or finesse at all!

Supporting my every dream and desire? Making me save up my own money... MY OWN MONEY... all that time, just to turn around and buy me that drum machine and 4-track recorder when we finally got to the store? Exposing me to Steely Dan, Jimi Hendrix, Sylvester, Chaka Khan and Janis Joplin when all I really wanted to know was RUN DMC and Kool G Rap? Funding my very first 12-inch? Teaching me the art of "Just Get It Done"? Showing me by example the virtues of sacrifice at the same time keeping my need to practice said virtues at a minimum? Seriously? Do I really need to acknowledge all that?

I ask you... WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL? I think that's just typical "mom" stuff. Not even worth mentioning. ; )

Hollis P Monroe - The Beautiful Shirley Ann

this is one of the last 12inch vinyl records that i released on Renaissance Infinity Recordings.  it was basically a white label but i wrote a poem on it that started off with the phrase "i had a heart wrapped in plastic..." i can't remember the rest of poem  [update: i found a copy of the record] but it was a personal message to an EX of mine. when i finally ran into her 9 years later, she told me she never saw it.

Hollis P Monroe - Heart Wrapped in Plastic

I dropped quite a few of my personal favorite jams during my 3rd DJ set from the Sonar Kollektiv Label Night at Paloma in Berlin, Germany that took place on October 28th, 2023 along side Philippa and Marian Tone.

Hollis P Monroe - live from the Sonar Kollektiv Night @ Paloma Bar | 10-28-2023 (3rd DJ Set)

Y'all know I used make hip hop way back in my younger days, right?
 
    Recently, someone was amused and entertained enough to blog about the rap i wrote for my “About Me” section on Facebook. (Shout out to spacejace and his blog, "clash, confute, carry on…")  In light of that, I figured it was about time to let this old cat out of the bag...
  
    Even though I stopped writing rhymes back in the late 80s, i wrote and produced one last hip hop track with an old rhyming partner, Destiny, while in college.  It was supposed to be for a local studio's compilation/demo that never materialized.  Being all "retro" as usual, I wanted to pay homage to the classic RUN DMC vibe on songs like "Rock Box", "King of Rock", and "Raising Hell" as well as add a touch of the techno/rave sound I had recently discovered.  

    As it turned out, the comp never happened and this never got properly mixed but I still think it's a fun little song and i hope you get a kick out of it.


    Recorded by Rich Gavalis (who also did the very cool guitar solo) at Dome Sound in Royersford, Pa.

MC Hollie Holl - A Date With Destiny

As it wasn't recorded at the party, I recreated my set from The Sound Room's Kingsnight event that went down at *Now&Wow* (Rotterdam, Netherlands) on April 25th, 2025.

Hollis P Monroe - Live set RE-CREATION from The Sound Room's Kingsnight event @ Now&Wow | 04-25-2025

Hollis P Monroe discuses his collaboration project The Black 80s on the 6th episode of The Maggy Thump Show...

The full episode from this always intriguing and unique broadcast can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/themaggythumpshow/episode-6

Hollis P Monroe Interview exerpt from The Maggy Thump Show Ep 6

i finally had a chance to go through some promos and i made this for you.

Tracklist

i finally went through those promos

Yesterday, while Josh Wink was rocking it at Piknic Electronik, he played some very dope deep acid tracks.  It made me think about this old track of mine that I made back around '97 or so.

I lost the original session due to a computer crash but i managed to salvage this version from a cassette.

Message To Myself (Love Is Coming) feat. DJ Decent

I was just following a friend's facebook post about his current encounters with what appears to be a stalker and it reminded me of this little remix demo that i pitched quite a few years back under my breakbeat moniker, DJ Decent.  It didn't make the cut but I think it's still worth a listen...

Ananda Project - Stalk You (Unreleased DJ Decent Remix Demo)

I found this (amongst some other goodies) on a unlabeled CD-R that i must have transferred from DAT at some point in the past and forgotten.  It's an unreleased Deep-ish House-ish version of an Acid/Breaks track I did under my DJ Decent moniker for Stickman Records back in 1998. I think I might have doomed this track with the cheap calypso feel via the corny guitar part but it was what it was....

unfortunately, this is the only picture i could find of the otherwise very cool artwork from the released 12-inch. ( update: i found a better scan today!)

DJ Decent - Where You At, G? (Unreleased Hollis P Monroe Mix)

The Heat

The Heat (South 15th Dub) [feat. Christa]

The Heat (Tigerhook Corporate Mix) [feat. Christa]

The Heat (Passion Mix) [feat. Christa]

The Heat (Sean Diaz Meltdown Mix) [feat. Christa]

For DJ Booking, please email: booking@best-works.com

For Production, Remixing, Licensing information, please email: info@pmonroe.com and you will be directed to the appropriate parties.

1/2 of The Black 80s (@theblack80s):

Representing his hometown of Philadelphia to the fullest but currently based in Berlin, Hollis is a music producer/supervisor/composer responsible for classic songs in both the Deep House and Funky Breaks genres. Since 1994, Hollis has made significant musical contributions on highly respected labels including Ovum, Keinemusik, Noir Music, Suol, Compost Black Label, Worship, West End, Soul Candi, Citybeat/XL, Jive Electro, and Bargrooves/Defected.

hollispmonroe

Popular tracks