Our entire human existence changed with the realization that, in 2008, more than half of the world’s population could be found living in cities, as opposed to rural areas. Our urban islands, however densely populated, are separated by great lengths of time and distance. Scientists predict one day that humans will be able to travel by high-speed bullet trains over oceans and continents in a matter of hours. These trains will travel through miles of tubes and tunnels, reaching up to several hundred miles per hour along the way, rushing to their destination. Connecting cities with rapid transit brings city dwellers closer together, reinforcing the urban dynamic: the bustling commute, the feeling of isolation among masses of people, and the beauty found in the ordinary, everyday life of others.

E-KO’s full-length album, Urbanism, revisits these ideas while providing hopeful visions of the city of the future. The stories relayed vary in subject matter and focus; Urbanism traverses metropolitan settings, from the hectic morning commute to late night chill out lounges. He accomplishes this by using field recordings from train platforms, re-examining the mundane and portraying it in a new light. His original compositions unite the pulse of M83 with the tension of rush hour on “Shinkansen Part II”. He traverses ambient-techno, IDM, and contemporary classical, balancing melody with melancholy in the same manner as Deru.

While his music wanders into bedroom listening territory, Urbanism is devoid of the clichés of lounge music. Stylistically, the music is grounded mostly in dark shades of IDM not too far from the depths of the n5MD roster. While not as ambitious or progressive as current works, Urbanism dares to summon soulful longing from the ether. Urbanism as an album, and as an idea, may not be revolutionary or original, but E-KO refreshes that dream of skyscrapers and cityscapes, without sounding tired or as though he’s going through the motions. Urbanism evokes metro riders — the ones listening to their headphones on the bus — as much as it serves as the salve to their disenchantment and their loneliness and urges them to keep dreaming.

Tracklist:

1 Everyday Gone (Background) - The Flashbulb
2 Arched Maid Via Rdj - AFX
3 Aeroplanes (Background) - dDamage
4 Shinkansen Part II - E-KO
5 2nd Movement, Pt. 1 (Background) - Krazy Baldhead
6 Azure - Paul Kalkbrenner
7 Pantone (Background) - To Rococo Rot & I-Sound
8 Doorstep - EPO
9 [Untitled Track] (Background) - Benge
10 Deadland midget orchestra featuring matala - Joseph Nothing
11 Our Light Remix (Background) - Stars As Eyes vs. Casino Versus Japan
12 Huncher - Xploding Plastix
13 Fallll (Background) - OTOGRAPH
14 Spillover - Cing
15 Z Twig (Background) - Aphex Twin
16 Atmosphere - Dead J
17 Mainstreaming (Background) - KAADA
18 No Man’s Land - COM.A remix - KAADA
19 Flows (Background) - Takagi Masakatsu
20 Sweet - Alec Empire

Thx to Sulumi for the support!

If you prefer buying tracks in another currency (EUR/JPY/GBP/CAD/AUD), go to the Komusik Digital Store and get ‘m while they’re hot

Or if you prefer a real copy of E-KO’s debut album (highly recommended!), check out the Komusik Online Store and pay safely through Paypal. You don’t need a Paypal account, we accept VISA, Mastercard and American Express. Your order will be delivered to your doorstep, all prices include worldwide shipping!

These are some really crazy projections on a huge wall near Mont des Arts, in the city centre.

Make sure to watch until the end where it gets really freaky…

AntiVJ & Crea Composite: Nuit Blanche Bruxelles from AntiVJ on Vimeo.

You can check out a small selection of the Urbanism photos on www.komusik.com/urbanism
Some of them are also featured in the album booklet. Enjoy!

Here’s a tracklist:

01 Dawn
02 Outskirts
03 Early Departure
04 City
05 Strolling
06 Shinkansen Part I
07 Will We Ever
08 Living Dots
09 Shinkansen Part II
10 Slumbering
11 At This Late Hour
12 Suburbs
13 Here We Are
14 Metro
15 Rhythmical Love
16 Quiet At Last