Description

Remy - Different Shades of Dust

Reviews

For all Klaus Schulze fans Remy Stroomer is a name to recall and investigate, particularly if you enjoy the 1990 to 2000 area. Different Shades of Dust is a musical monument inspires by the groovy rhythms and ambient moves of Schulze, with an incandescent madness that we don’t find on any works of Remy’s inspiration.
Contrary to Schulze, Remy doesn’t waste time and initiates a superb sequence with exiguous chords, forming an out of time echo. A fine bass line is moulding to this movement which takes volume on a light shimmering synth. Cleverly, the Dutch synthesist plays with his structure, modifying its curve by beautiful modular nuances which are harmonized on changes of tonalities and chords, in the shade of a discrete synth which is establish more and more. Percussions are coming, modifying the rhythmical sensuality by strikes dry and heavy, on staccato arpeggios which coil up on striking and resounding percussions. A superb piece, beyond the good moments of Klaus Schulze. Quite simply divine.

The intro of Shades in Darkness forms a hard techno movement on flexible synths, with crystalline breaths. The solos are sinuous and roll up around a sequential movement harnessed by sharp percussions. Around the10th minute, the tempo modifies its race on a linear movement, guided by a bass structure and percussions with hypnotic scales. The bass tipples on percussions, clapper’s style, where dark a mellotron covers a flood dense universe of fine solos. The last portion is sublime with its strings layers, on a hypnotic techno beat, which strikes with force and resonance, under a tinted magnetic storm of daring solos.

A slow synthetic walk, with hesitant step, opens Moving through Dust, a title between the opening track and Shades in Darkness. The mellotron choirs cover this soft procession which progresses on a bass sequence to tortuous chords with keys that stretch on unctuous synth, semi groovy semi ambient. An intro full with atmosphere where the tempo is activated and gained in power on a sinuous synth, with gimlet solos, and dry hammering percussions. These solos are penetrating, violent on insane strikes whereas the movement is activated and overflowed on an infernal rhythm. A mad synthetic trip joined by unexpected bitter cello cords. Shades in Darkness calms down on synthetic dust, before spreading an infernal tempo, to join again with the smoothness of a synth to astral sonorities which dies without really wanting to know its end. Klaus Schulze re-examined and corrected? This is what Remy Stroomer seems to offers to us. Different Shades of Dust is more than one copy of Schulze. It is an incredible work which the German Master never dared to offer. Violent rhythms overwhelm on highly corrosive solos which notch our tympanums with a force. A purely electronic album of an incredible vitality which leaves us gaps in front of an irrational musical tornado where the melody is replaced by the audacity. An album to absolutely possess.

April 2007. Sylvain Lupari / Guts Of Darkness

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Different Shades of Dust is a superb effort, featuring three strong Electronic Music tracks, brimming with sequences, intricate structures and wonderful screaming solos. The first track, "Following Differences" throws away the tradition of atmospheric intros by getting straight into business with one of the best sequences I've ever heard. It's urgent and dramatic - very effective, indeed. After a while it is joined by additional tones, making up a complex rhythmic tapestry of sound that really calls those best moments of late 80's / early 90's Klaus Schulze to mind. Very tasty! Great key changes as well. Really, if Schulze from the said period is your thing, you will enjoy this one. In the second part some Mellotron choir is applied to great effect as well as dramatic string / pad chords. This is one epic track. The second track, called "Shades In Darkness", starts with VCS3 effects, as well as broken rhythms and distant mysterious Mellotron choirs. Then a resonating bass line introduces itself which is joined by another one and we really start to motor along. This track, as well as the last one features great analog solos. Although Remy doesn't use the mighty Mini, he's got a Memorymoog, which is essentially six Minimoogs stacked together, so the solos sound smooth and at the same time biting - great timbre. This might be different synth of course, but the sound is very Moog-like any ways. Mellotron choir returns after the 9-minute mark. New sequences are introduced that are soon joined by drums, bass lines and cosmic solos that this time somehow remind me on the ones played by Klaus Schulze in the 70's on his ARP Odyssey. Excellent sound, I could listen to this for ages. Dramatic string arrangements are another focus of this track (including the well-structured pizzicato string runs). Most of the time there's really a lot going on, Remy's music is very intense! Intense is also the word that could be applied to the appropriately titled and very evocative "Moving Through Dust", with its Arabic moves, Mellotron choirs, great sequences and absolutely over-the-top, screaming' n 'roaring Moog solos. Yeah, twist that filter! Different Shades of Dust is an excellent album of edgy, progressive (and decidedly un-commercial) Electronic Music that I enjoyed immensely. Remy is certainly a musician to look out for, and being that he is till very young, I guess we can expect a lot of great music from him in the future.

January 2005. Artemi Pugachov / Encyclopedia of Electronic Music