Afterlight Atlas

Album concept: An interplanetary coalition of misfits and post-enlightened space travelers unite to form a book of maps. Each map is a mental, astral, or cosmic location that comes with a song as the soundtrack. The song reveals the energy of the realm as a hint of what you might encounter there.

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The story

So much has grown out of this project inspired by the creativity of others. I (Nes) never imagined Beat DJ would become such a collaborative hub. But artists such as <fnfn and the perambulator encouraged me to continue hosting multiplayer sessions on Discord.

We started having 2 sessions per week. At first we were just messing around. Making around 2-3 songs per session. But it became clear after a few sessions that this was something big. As tahy|er expressed "this feels like how Beat DJ is supposed to be used."

After recording tracks like Tertiary Moodz and Blue Star which are highlights for me on this album I felt like wow all the effort I put into creating Beat DJ these past 2 years is starting to show.

This music is built different than anything else in the scene right now. The entire foundation is built from the ground up from 2 years of research and development. There are subtle yet noticeable adjustments to harmony and rhythm you won't find in any other music. And the impromptu jam sessions add an extra bit of magic energy into the mix.

A Journey Through Realms

Tertiary Moodz
At 9:20 in length this is a high-energy dance track and theme song for The Moodshift Continent. This song gets straight to the point inviting us to tune into the wholeness and harmony within ourselves. To forget our limitations and embrace the creative flow.

Voice From The Depths
The track starts with a glass-like harmonic wind chime setting the stage for the heavy hypnotic bassline to drop at 0:15. Underwater text-to-speech voices echo from the Whisperift. Telling secrets like "I got whales they're multiplying" which hints at the humorous approach to multiplayer sessions. Ultimately this track is very pleasant and a bit slower than the previous.

Blue Star
As we approach the glittery Blue Star the BPM kicks up a notch. We hear shimmering melodies of synths and a sampled sitar. Energy has no chance of slowing down. We are full on in the psychedelic trip. A melodic soulful voice kicks in with no words only rhythmic chants. The robotic voice hints at the complexity of society and legacy of such an advanced realm. This is what life is all about.

Acid Dichotomy
I really love how Blue Star fades into the intro of Acid Dichotomy giving us the much-needed chill time after some high beats per minute. Just enough time till the dichotomy of Chromabase reveals its true nature and acid bass lines rip out from a crevice in the surface of the realm. A cowboy-like voice shouts out "Hyeah!" time to dance while we still have the chance. I imagine this song like a rotating planet with acid techno on one side and ambient chill on the other.

Planet Plasma
After a nights rest we are moving onward to Planet Plasma. A society plagued by massive wealth inequality. Due to a lack of imagination by the elite the poor must donate plasma in exchange for their daily meals because there is nothing left they can offer other than their very life force. Hence the nickname. The track starts off ambient and ominous dragging us onto the dance floor almost as if we don't have a choice. And suddenly the psychedelic bass lines are rolling up our spine and we dance grimly into the night.

Birds of Disguise
The Aviark Isles is a moon of Planet Plasma. Giant dinosaur-like birds fly overhead reading your thoughts to judge your character. As guardians of the realm they will eat anyone who is not of sound mind. Ambient synths swell. Electro-acoustic buzzes drift in and out. And the looming presence of the birds is always overhead. Created as a soundtrack for a potential video game by Cyber Café.

Ambient Realm
After weeks of exploration on the Isles we find the portal to the Ambient Realm. A place of spiritual healing. We are greeted by angel-like beings who lead us through a series of transformational rituals. Cleansing our hearts and souls. A collab by <fnfn and Nes Croft.

Hive Mind
On this track we can hear the influence of glass tokyo. Dissonant chord stabs and a driving techno pattern bring us back to the basics. Back to the machines that started it all. The busy worker bees of The Hive that make everything operate. We cultivate an appreciation for the minimal repetitions and groundwork that makes all else possible.

Abelian Sandpile
Another video game inspired song for Cyber Café made the same day as Birds of Disguise. In the realm of the Cascade Complex we hear uplifting arpeggios and see the emergent phenomenon of the Abelian Sandpile and other cellular automaton. Here we learn that the repetitions of The Hive allow the emergence of all higher order systems.

Eyes
Before we come back to earth we are shuttled to The Observatory of the Many to reflect on our experience and share our insights with the observatory. They offer decompression services and ensure our full integration with the new information we have gathered. This song is a perfect uplifting ending to any big journey. A collab by the perambulator and Nes Croft.

Credits
Shout out to all the artists who are part of Soniare Collective and to Cyber-Café for designing the album cover. The background, dancers, and spheres were inspired by Beat DJ which is just so cool to see the functional design come to life as album art.

Join our next compilation!

All are welcome! Come say hi on our discord and stop by our twice-weekly sessions to be part of our next compilation. No experience required.

Join our discord here