Emika Flashbacks EP [EMKEP01] 04.03.2016

 

Following on from successfully funding her How To Make A Symphony Kickstarter project, Emika returns with a new four-track EP that sees her chart yet more new territory.

Lead track Flashbacks is a typically haunting affair whose deeply personal lyrics are a heartening example of how art can turn feelings of trauma into something beautiful. “It’s about the flashbacks I suffer with” she explains, “ strong unique moments in time that refuse to release me. I am always being pulled back in time from my present awareness into a parallel world of trapped memories. It’s often terrifying and very disorientating. These experiences are a world of inspiration for my work.” Her velvety voice belies the deep subject matter while the sounds gracefully tread the line between
the brooding and the ethereal, with pulsing, filtered synth delays, low register piano bass octaves and a stuttering slo-mo beat produced with The Exaltics, building an engrossing atmosphere.
Restless Wings goes into more experimental territory – both in terms of composition and concept. “It's about creating a new personality which lives in the internet – something we all know. Only the
online life wants to be free and grow, but it's trapped inside the programmers’code language with no real escape.” She creates this sense of tension through her own interpretation of the sound of wings in flight – something she has been attempting to create for many years, and has finally reached in stunning fashion by passing
voltage and feedback through analog rhythm processors. Her many years of sound design experience and training are made clear for all to see on the track, the stuttering patter of the trapped wings punctuating synth sequences and slowly filtering strings.

Total features the silver-toned soprano star of How To Make A Symphony, Michaela Srumova, and tackles the complicated relationship between a mother and her daughter. “I feel I will only be able to fully understand my mother when I have my own children and then the 'total' cycle will be complete” says Emika of the subject matter, which she woozily addresses over stacks of bright, gently quavering synth chords before Srumova’s voice arrives to create a stark juxtaposition. French musician Franck Vigroux provides a stark, shuddering remix of Flashbacks to complete the EP, driven by gnarled blasts of wildly distorted synths and bass grunts, rising to an intense, mesmeric crescendo.

A video for Flashbacks was shot in Iceland by Emika’s live show team, using nothing but two iPhone 6s to capture the footage. Her AV show visual artist Tving edited the video, creating a fittingly jarring
monochrome experience that perfectly encapsulates the mood and intent of the track and its lyrics.

Total, and Restless Wings also have music videos which abstract the song narratives and transport the audience into the deep worlds of music. This EP brings together the classical and electronic extremes of the Emika sound, proving that her signature is like no other and continues to evolve


TRACKLIST:

1) Flashbacks (Radio Edit)

2) Restless Wings

3) Total ( Feat Michaela Srumova)

4) Flashbacks (Frank Vigroux Remix)

5) Flashbacks (Bonus Mix)