releasedate: 2024, October 19

tracks:

ordering: Groove Unlimited
more info

Played, recorded, mixed and mastered by Gert Emmens in August 2023 in his studio in Ede, Netherlands, with the exception of track 6.

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 composed in 1998. Track 5 (the original 6:18 version) composed in 1996. Track 6 composed, recorded, mixed and mastered in April 2024.
Photo’s taken in August 2022 by Gert Emmens. Coverdesign and photo editing by Gert Emmens.

Many thanks: Ron Boots, Ruud Heij, Laila Quraishi and Mark Cox from Cox Electronics for fixing and servicing the old analogs.

"August 2023. Finished the new solo album ‘All That Is Left Behind’ a month ago (to be released in 2025) and the collaboration with Ruud Heij is on a summer break. So, to have something to do on making music I decided to listen to the old 1999 album Elektra with the aim to play and record the track Elektra - part one. Just for fun. I found out that there were no kept DAW audio-files or projects from Elektra anymore, so it was a matter of listening to the music, trying to find out what was exactly played and then try to play it on synths again. Since I found out it was a lot of fun to do, I went on with the next Elektra track, which was a bit harder to do, since it is more than half an hour of music. Within a month, the entire album was finished, recorded and mixed. Next thing I tried to do was making a new piece of music in the Elektra style. Over the years, my style has become more symphonic and melancholic, Elektra being more dynamic and rhythmic, so it was quite a challenge. Why Elektra? Elektra was my first attempt to make electronic music (after an EM break for 15 years, focusing more on fusion and progrock). I was looking for a style of music that was a kind of retro electronic music, close to Berlin School. I didn’t find it with Elektra, but two albums later, with Wanderer of Time. My set-up at that time was very limited, with the instruments I had then I couldn’t exactly produce what I wanted. Which resulted in the fact not to be satisfied with the outcome and after the release I’ve never listened to the music anymore. So the idea was actually: how would Elektra sound if I had played and recorded it now (2023 that is). At some point I started to realize that in 2024 it would be 25 years ago since Elektra was released, which led to the idea of releasing this version as a 25th anniversary edition. The original Elektra was never released on cd, but on cdr. So in a way you have the chance to have it on cd now. Hope you’ll enjoy it!! Gert Emmens, April 2024"