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"The seeds of Wrecluse were planted in 1995 on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Serge Schneider (Serge Boogie) and Eric Montesano (Eraq) met through the college radio station WKSR and bonded over their appreciation for the hip-hop of the time. Immediately they began a radio show that would serve as a showcase for the deep cuts and unheralded favorites of the early 90’s. Eraq would bring the crates and he & Serge would wax poetic, speak on things and enjoy the boom bap stylings of Gangstarr, De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, Aceyalone, Del, The Beatnuts, Nas, Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde along with the underrated cuts of Pete Nice, Saafir, Group Home, Lord Finesse, Ultramagnetic, Kurious, Main Source, KMD, and Diamond D."
From Daily Kent Stater, Volume 76, Number 42, 5 April 1995 - Courtesy of Serge Boogie
"The show was dubbed “Beneath the Surface” and created a loyal following of listeners who. Around this time Serge was developing his natural skills as an MC. It all started with a chance meeting with a producer in his dormitory and out of this initial session came an amazing track called “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. Over a slow rolling, murky beat Serge Boogie was beginning to take shape. Eraq heard the tape and was blown away by the natural flow, voice and presence of Serge on the track. The Russian-born Ohio-based MC had a knack for poetry and an effortless, confident flow which dominated the track. On a whim, the tape was sent off to Bobbito Garcia of the world famous “Stretch & Bobbito Show”. During this time period Serge, also ran into an oddball German industrial producer by the name of Squibcakes. Through his encounter with Squibcakes he was able to use an EPS-16 to develop his one-of-a-kind production style. Fusing off-kilter samples with bumping, original and inventive drum sounds is the style Serge Boogie
The dusted, warm sound of the keyboard along with the mad sampling style of Serge Boogie spawned a series of off-the-cuff, banging, and brilliant songs crafted in a whirlwind session by Serge in 1997. These songs were collected on the “Eye Contact” LP. An underground phenom which traveled around the world switching hands through countless dubs, “Eye Contact” gave the world its first listen of the mysterious MC named Serge Boogie. Eye Contact brought forth “The Soak” where a sleep deprived, over caffeinated Serge Boogie compares the human brain to a sponge over a lunch table kick, lunch box snare driven track, the brash and undeniably witty “Gimpology 101”, the vintage funk loop of “Hollywood”, the bugged-out, chopped-up madness and lyrical free-for-all of “Lawnmower Man” to the somber, cymbal crashing “Dog Dayz”. The EP caused waves which came to a head in 1998.
1998 was the year Serge Boogie snuck in the door. A Midwestern MC with no gimmick, no deal, no contacts, no distribution and no promotion gets shine from his originality, uniqueness and fresh songs. Self-produced and put together in a one-day session in the hills of Pennsylvania, “Eye Contact” created a buzz from the ground up. A chance appearance in the February ’98 issue of VIBE magazine sends the wolves coming to Serge’s door. VIBE Editor Blackspot heard the “Eye Contact” tapes and spent weeks trying to track down the elusive Serge Boogie. He was captivated by the brashness and confidence found in the flow of an unknown and hungry MC from the middle of Ohio. Around this time period hip-hop had not yet branched out to the untapped artists of the Midwest, Ohio specifically. The VIBE article which praised Serge Boogie for his ability to “confidently mold paragraphs into complicated weapons of crass destruction” caused a barrage of calls from people all over the globe wanting a copy of the infamous “Eye Contact” tape."... Biography courtesy of IndieMusicPeople
From Vibe Magazine - March 1998
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