In Warsaw during the autumn of 2021, American ex-pat Ekko the Strange recorded a macabre number called “Reanimate.” The eerie track is a coldwave, goth anthem complete with a matching video that evokes several versions of Dracula and an Edison butterfly dancer. The resonant and jolting chamber-march is about escaping, “getting back to that special moment or place. All moments in time are unique and impossible to imitate or perfectly recreate. But this song speaks of the desire to do so.” Its nuanced swagger evokes the hauntology of desire, the deep-ache longing to return eternally.
Ekko the Strange deep dreams, creatively designs, and seductively delineates a luxurious musical psycho-geography unfurling a crepuscular landscape of electronic rhythms and alien keyboards, layered to beckon nocturnal bliss and pleasure. The artist’s name is “a reflection upon the curiosities in life,” he says. “I have thought about changing the name to simply Ekko, because I feel that I echo my life experience … and you could say this project is a reflection of the strange or curious moments.”
Ekko originates from the dusky high desert plains of Les Bois, ID, but is currently stationed in “Warszawa,” Poland.
“Living in Warsaw has inspired this record and my first record as well,” he says. “The city was destroyed during World War II. Since then, it has been rebuilt ashes of the past. I have great respect for the Polish people and the people of Central and Eastern Europe. I’ve developed some great friendships and have been inspired by different aspects of cultures outside of America. People, places, and life experiences have directly inspired this record.”
Watch the video for “Reanimate” below:
The new LP “Mystique” is now available on Vinyl & Digitally via streaming services internationally.
You can listen to the album below and order it here:
Ekko The Strange had previously released one LP, Haunting Me, on April 1, 2020, but like most artists, in this era, imminent plans for shows and tours had been delayed. “I feel like Mystique has a few more layers than the first record,” he says. It carries the debut’s deep moods but heightens the vibrancy with dark velvet guitar expressions and nasty, pulsating synth throbs. Mystique seems programmed as a soundtrack for a life-altering experience, the perfect accompaniment to a bacchanalia within nightfall.
Mystique is available on vinyl & streaming services internationally.
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