1.
Où Sont Les Femmes?
30'18
 
2.
All Together
22'32
3.
Ended Traditions
14'29
4.
The Missing Part
8'27
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
 
RELEASE
27.09.2003 • CD • AKH Records • AKH 09032-2
 
CREDITS

All music composed, jammed and produced by Remy Stroomer.
Co-produced by Ewout Koek.

- The Missing Part edited by Ewout and Remy.

Recorded by Remy @ AKH Studios, Haarlem, 22 - 30 December 2002.

 
REVIEWS

Remy Stroomer aus den Niederlanden gehört zu der noch jungen Generation an Musikern , deren Musik an die von Klaus Schulze erinnert. Diese aus dem Jahre 2003 gefällt mir am besten . Bei dieser Musik stelle ich mir eine weite , einsame Landschaft vor , die allmählich mit Musik ausgefüllt wird .... ruhig , in einer ergreifenden Atmosphäre ...
Wirklich eine schöne CD.

February 2007. Uwe Saße
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Remy returns to these virtual pages with an offering thematically connected
to his recent Disconnected, in title at least. The music is similarly influenced by Klaus Schulze, circa 1975-78 and fans of Schulze's recordings of that era are almost sure to enjoy this one. Remy composes very ably in this style, and while the stylistic innovations may be few, he is able to use and twist the style to respond to his personal expressions. As far as I can tell, Remy plays all the instruments and/or instrumental lines on this recording, (the featured sounds are synth sounds) and while that is becoming more the norm in this field, listeners should be reminded that it is quite an accomplishment. Moreover, Remy is careful to make sure that the lines he plays are idiomatic - that a bass line, even if it is played on a synth, sounds like a bass line and that drum parts make good sense as drum parts. This facilitates the mode of expression used in this recording tremendously and sets it apart from some of the other recordings of this type. The recording opens with "Ou Sont Les Femmes", a very long, slowly undulating sad, mysterious, minor key track. The primary sounds at the beginning of the piece are any number of whooshes and other gradations of white noise mixed in with a heavily phased string-organ sound playing sparse minor chords with a very slow harmonic rhythm. Gradually a steady but relatively subdued drum pulse is introduced and an interesting quasi-melodic bass line plays. Solo synth tones, sounding eerily like Schulze's trademark solo sounds, float over the ambient haze. The piece is dripping with relaxed and nostalgic expression. The sheer length of the piece induces a drifty trance in the attentive or casual listener. I found the piece very relaxing and evocative. "All Together" begins with a vigorous and rhythmically ambitious "Berlin" sequence built on an eastern sounding scale.This sequence quickly interlocks with some short, supporting motives and the piece begins to bounce along. Remy uses a calm string sound underneath the sequence and a few tasteful effects sounds to propel the piece. Rhythmic accents are also used to keep the listener off balance. Drums are again present but do not dominate. "Ended Traditions" uses a fretless bass sound quite effectively and is the most unique sounding piece of the set. While the Berlin lineage is manifest, the piece also manages to sound new and singular. Although the harmony could be lifted from the first piece, the rhythm is much more
syncopated and stop-and-go rather than rolling or building like the more rhythmically static Berlin style. While this is not entirely successful, lending the piece a bit of a choppy sound that is, to these ears, not-quite-intended, Remy is to be commended for attempting to express things out of the comfort mode. The final piece "Missing Part" is a fun, mid-tempo exploration of fast timbre changes and filter resonance highlights. Some light funkiness is introduced with the cycling groove that develops and the
chords in the background, again based on the relatively un expanded harmony, ably assist this funky mood. Remy is to be applauded for providing listeners with quality music in this style. His understanding of the elements necessary to make a successful piece in this style and his emphasis on evocative expression make this a rewarding listen for Berlin School disciples worldwide.

Mark Morton / Wind And Wire
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De Nederlanders Ewout Koek en Remy Stroomer zijn de partners in crime. De eerste liep met het idee rond muziek uit te brengen, de tweede zag als geluidskunstenaar graag zijn werk gereleasd. De twee ontmoeten elkaar op de hogeschool en van het een kwam het ander. In 1999 bracht het Akh label van Koek de eerste twee cd-r's van Remy uit.

En nu luisteren we naar de nummers drie en vier uit de Akh catalogus en tevens uit de Remy discografie. 'Disconnect' bevat nummers die Stroomer de afgelopen drie jaar componeerde en 'Connect' is gevuld met recent werk. De twee schijfjes staan vol lang uitgesponnen geluidsexploraties. Remy creëert met ambient en voorzichtige aanzetten tot elektronische ritmes een klanktapijt opgetrokken uit pastel tinten met hier een daar een kloddertje kleur. Maar pasteltinten zijn zo saai, het is allemaal te vlak, te veel muzak, of zijn we gewoon niet onderlegd genoeg om zijn muziek te begrijpen? In een goedgemutste bui houden we het op een uitgeklede, minimalistische ambient versie van Pink Floyd.

Tom / L'entrepôt
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Eerst was er DisConnected, en later gelukkig Connected. Dat klinkt als een gelukkig verhaal en komt mooi overeen met de etherische, kristalheldere en onversneden gelukkige klanken van de 25-jarige producer Remy Stroomer uit Haarlem. Niet verwonderlijk dat zijn muziek nogal eens in new-age lijsten te vinden is. Remy heeft zich omringd met een batterij aan keyboards zoals het grote voorbeeld Klaus Schulze en doet gewoon zijn eigen ding: de eigen dromen, gevoelens, gedachten en ervaringen aan de luisteraar overbrengen. Dat gebeurt in tracks die gemiddeld een kwartier duren, met gelukzalig repeterende synthesizergolven waar dan nog een warme saus van dartele synthriedeltjes overheen smelt. Het verschil tussen de twee platen is me overigens nog steeds niet duidelijk.

Arjan van Sorge / NPI
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Hopefully you'll all remember the excellent track that Remy Stroomer & Ewout Koek (AKA Remy) contributed to one of the "Sequences" CD's back in 2001, shortly after the release of their album on Groove "The Art Of Imagination" which showed a talent at work that still had a way to go to fulfill it's promise.

These two albums come separately but, in their nigh-on identical gatefold sleeves are obviously meant to be seen as an entity in themselves. The only problem with that is that while "Disconnected" is a pretty fine album "Connected" seems lackluster, plodding &, just to compound matters, each track is far too long for it's own good with the opening "Ou Sont Les Femmes?" being the first offender. It initially seems quite promising as Remy's approach to sound is similar to that of 80s/90s Klaus Schulze but he also makes the mistake of making this gently rhythmic track as dull & as repetitious as many of Schulze's later works were, clocking in at just over the half hour mark.
It's a shame as some of the old-school analogue leads are well used & it's obvious that Remy has a way of working that, if used to it's full potential could well make his music easily recognizable in the current EM market.
It's a problem which crops up throughout as all the tracks show promise, including a nice atmospheric feel to "All Together" (that actually resembles Schulze's "Dreams" from 1987) but the unchanging nature of this sequenced track mean that this promise is never fulfilled.
The latter rhythmic elements add a touch of impetus but it's too little too late while much the same can be said of "Ended Traditions".
The closing "The Missing Part" is, at 8 minutes far more manageable & the fact that "Disconnected" is made up of these shorter tracks is one of the reasons why this is the more enjoyable offering of the two.
Not only that but the promise that "Connected" showed is realized far more in this case with tracks such as "Ego-Trip" & "Mystral", where the rhythms gradually gain the ascendancy in tandem with cutting synth leads, prove themselves far more action-packed offerings which allows the music to really shine while the cosmic "Stars" proves that this method of working also works well for more serene pieces. Even the 17 minute "Ages" gets it spot on as, again, everything just gels so perfectly with the cutting synth leads being backed up by Curly Quazar's hot guitar licks.

It's odd that twin albums by one artist could be so different in terms of quality & whilst it's almost inevitable that anyone who buys one album will probably but both the best bet is to listen to "Disconnected" first & then "Connected".

2004. Carl Jenkinson
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Remy Stroomer is a synthesist whose music recovers the romantic spirit of pioneerings space music in the 1970's, yet accompanying it with new ideas. "Connected" is characterized by long themes of a slow development, rich in dense atmospheres, melodies that range from the mysterious to the romantic, and powerful sequencers sometimes sustained by percussion. Remy admits that Klaus Schulze has been one of his major influences, a trait that can be perceived in the album, yet it is also true that he has already developed his own elements of artistic identity.

Edgar Kogler / Amazing Sounds
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If you loved Klaus circa his PICTURE MUSIC and TIMEWIND period then Remy is for you. While certainly NOT a copy of Klaus, he certainly is inspired by the long flowing sequences and cosmic wall of sound ethos that Master K pioneered way back when. CONNECTED is filled with spacey twinklie vibes.

Archie Patterson / Eurock
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'Space is the place' is het devies van Remy. 'Connected' en 'Disconnected' zijn twee verschillende cd's vol met spacy synthi klanken, zoals eigenlijk alleen Klaus Schulze dat kan. Remy (overigens niet te verwarren met zijn techno naamgenoot) klinkt warm, melancholiek en melodieus en weet met z'n composities te imponeren. De muziek wordt vaker vergeleken met Schulze, maar dat vind hij vast niet erg. Wij ook niet.

Bob Rusche / Boudisque
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Remy is a relatively new name in electronic music. It all started in 1999 when this former student sonology released the double CD-R "Exhibition Of Dreams" which received a lot of positive reactions. The interesting thing about his music was that it followed the footsteps of Klaus Schulze but not necessarily the "old" Schulze but the more recent. It also led to contact with Groove Unlimited and in 2000 he released the album "The Art Of Imagination" on that label. This record became a success, winning the third price in the category "Best newcomer electronic music" at the German "Schwingungen-Festival" in 2001.

The two twin-albums "DisConnected" and "Connected" shows us a Remy who has matured in his music and who has developed a style of his own. And an impressive style it is. Using both classic instruments like the VCS3 (I and II) and the Memorymoog as well as modern equipment, he brings us music that will appeal to a lot of electronic music fans.
He combines excellent sequences, great atmospheres, well-constructed rhythms and nice solos. A great example of this is the track "Ages" from "DisConnected" which shows Curly Quazar on electric guitar. Remy is a master of the sequence: "The Missing Part" from "Connected" clearly indicates this.

Remy, a relatively new name in electronic music but it's a rising force.

2003. Press information
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