The Leicester artist’s decision to concentrate on lush synthlines and not succumb to the pressures of bpm is what has garnered Smith such praise.
Emile Strunz, aka Neil James Smith, comes from a very specific side of electronics. There are few other artists exploring the style of slo-fi Electro Disco, but this Leicester man is one of them; on the other side of England is another in the form of Kid Machine. Beats are thick and steady, but speed is not the focus; instead it is the warm and melting synthlines that draw the listener’s attention to. It has been this unique style that has seen this Briton playing in a variety of venues across Europe and being picked up by labels like Vivod and Porn Wax. Now, armed with his analogue arsenal, Strunz is returning to Newcastle Flight Recorder for a second instalment of North Sea Body Music.
Murmurings and mutterings give way to a stern and sturdy snare. “Merck 274350” pulls you in, tight knit loops closing around pulsing percussion. Melodies dip and rise, chords broadening into expansive vistas. Vincent Koreman aka Ra-X pulls down his Drvg Cvltvre hood to pour some poi-son. The seasoned Dutchman adheres to the original, rhythm patterns just tipping over the 100bpm mark. But with Koreman the fangs are never far away. Venom is injected with the clamping bite of a 303. “Merck 274350” is held in vice-like jaws, Dutch toxins transforming. The flip is occupied by the ten plus minute epic “One Step Closer to Heaven.” Patiently beats and bars and laid down. Layers are built up as a subtle complexity takes hold. Sharpened points puncture curving harmonies, samples sliding in and out as crescendos build.
The vinyl may end, but the music goes on with a free download available via Flight Recorder’s bandcamp site. Label boss Iron Blu takes up a similar mantle to Drvg Cvltvre, the remixes aim to peel back the innocent vestiges of “Merck 274350.” Cruel rumbling Techno loops are given added score by slicing snares and sinister synths. Vocoders are kept, but little else in this bruising interpretation.
Emile Strunz adopts a number of styles to arrive at his own unique sound. Cosmic and Electro Disco are undeniably present, but as are echoes of Electro and Synth. The Leicester artist’s decision to concentrate on lush synthlines and not succumb to the pressures of bpm is what has garnered Smith such praise. His latest builds on that desire to reimagine Disco tinted electronics and bring a new way of thinking to that analogue rich sound.
North Sea Body Music is available on Flight Recorder. Free download remix here.
