Synthwaver painting the town neon
Who?
Sci-fi ambience. Chunky synthlines. Synthwave sensibilities. Meet Norwich’s Edward Knights, aka The Naked Flame, who since 2013 has been releasing all manner of electronically charged frequencies, spurred on by his time studying Music and Technology at the University of East Anglia.
Why The Naked Flame?
Knights’ first showing was the expansive ‘Fresh Start’, a terrific EP of instrumentals. It was then followed in 2014 by the ‘Sparks’ EP, which bagged him a spot as one of DJ Mag’s up-and-coming artists, as well as airtime on BBC Introducing. Released in February, his latest album ‘Aurora’ is another step forward. It’s awash with echoing electronic textures and punchy bass rhythms, and at times is redolent of Vangelis’ ‘Blade Runner’ soundtrack. There’s lots to like. Take ‘Keplar’, with its sky-high electro stabs which spiral into a triumphant melody. Counter that with ‘Endless Love’, which takes a slightly more sombre approach to electropop. And then there’s ‘Procon4’, with its thick slabs of synth and computerised rhythmic glitches. It’s straight out of the top drawer.
Tell Us More…
Since 2018, Knights’ output has been pretty impressive, releasing an album every year. “I started listening to more synthwave artists after seeing the film ‘Drive’ in 2011,” he says, and it comes as no surprise that Kavinsky’s ‘Nightcall’ and Electric Youth’s ‘A Real Hero’ are the tunes that “really grabbed him”. But he’s also influenced by the likes of Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Air, Massive Attack and Röyksopp. Roll on The Naked Flame’s 2024 album then, because judging by ‘Aurora’, Knights is going from strength to strength.
‘Aurora’ is out via Bandcamp
