Enzo Kreft – Shelter (Album – EKM)
Genre/Influences: Cold-Wave, EBM.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Belgian solo-project Enzo Kreft strikes back with a new album which again appears to be a conceptual work or at least driven by one, central, topic. “Shelter” is a reflection about war which is clearly inspired by the war in Ukraine. After having released a few productions on Wool-E-Discs Eric Vandamme (real name of the artist) self-released this opus in the purest D.I.Y. way.
Content: If you’re familiar with the artist’s work “Shelter” will have less surprises. The sound remains driven by good-old 80s elements and sounds into Electro-Wave with some extra, harder, EBM, influences on top. From EBM bass lines to string parts reminding me of the magic of Gary Numan the songs are one by one reflecting atrocities of war now with explicit lyrics and then with cynicism.
Listen to “Duck And Cover”:
+ + + : If you already liked previous works of Enzo Kreft you are definitely going to like “Shelter” as well. I prefer the most ‘danceable’ cuts with this noticeable 80s touch on top while carried by simple, but carrying choruses. I’m referring to “Duck And Cover”, “No To These Atrocities”, “A Refugee Song” and “Blood Diamonds”. The particular way of singing -somewhere in between narration and singing, remains another typical trademark of this artist. Last but not least I salute the professional artwork and global D.I.Y. attitude of the artist.
– – – : A few ‘softer’ cuts are injecting diversity and/or a little break but definitely aren’t the best exponents from this artist.
Conclusion: Enzo Kreft stands for ‘refreshing-retro’ electronics’ and remains an artist to discover.
Best songs: “Duck And Cover”, “No To These Atrocities”, “A Refugee Song”, “Blood Diamonds”, “On The Run Looking For Shelter”.
Rate: 8.
Artist & Label: www.facebook.com/enzo.kreft
About Enzo Kreft
Enzo Kreft is the solo project of Belgian artist Eric Vandamme. He started composing electronic music in the 1980s, with his most prolific period beginning a few years ago; each album is built around a single central theme. Earlier work appeared on Wool-E-Discs before Vandamme moved to self-releasing his albums in a D.I.Y. process that covers writing, recording, mixing, mastering, and artwork. The 2023 album “Shelter” centers on war, a theme Vandamme has described as “my protest album where I could actively speak out against war and violence”, drawing on Electro-Wave, EBM and Minimal-Electro influences.
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