The Next Cycle

I pictured Egypt, sand and the thrill of setting off into the unknown. Synths set the scene and electric guitar drives the adventure forward.

I wanted the track to feel like a basketball game: fast moves, competition and the urge to win. A TB-303 line gives that energy its acid edge.

The title plays on VirtualDub and a memory from the DVD era. The melody feels like the opening theme of a crime series. I picture a detective making his way through a city out of Blade Runner.

Lynvy composed the first half and I composed the second, with a bridge joining them. An excerpt from Pimpernel Smith sounds the warning. By the time the voice in the second half casts its spell, the witch is already here.

I pictured a Gundam towering over a futuristic Tokyo. Trumpets give the scene its scale, while 16-bit-style synths bring in the sound of video games and the world of manga.

I visited Suma Beach in Kobe with my wife and fell in love with the place. I imagined two people meeting there and wanting to stay forever. The track blends city pop, synthwave and vocals sung in Japanese.

Losing someone can leave you suspended between the past and the future. Life goes on around you, and moving forward takes time. I wanted to capture what it feels like when grief fills the present.

I set violin and piano against a stutter house rhythm. Japanese station announcement samples bring Shibuya and the Shinkansen to mind as the track weighs the decision to move forward.

I closed the EP with a synthwave track that feels like looking back over the day. It takes in the small challenges of everyday life and the relief of finally taking a breath.

I imagined a colonized Mars where familiar powers follow us to a new frontier. Sharp synths and driving drums keep that tension moving.

At 136 BPM, the track looks back to the early web and its promise of open connection. Early 2000s trance and cyberpunk shape the sound as that promise gives way to questions about control.

A triplet bassline and bright synths push through a night that will not cool down. I imagined cities adapting to extreme heat and shelter becoming a privilege.

Trumpets rise and the rhythm fractures. I wanted to leave the question open: do we repeat the cycle, preserve it, or break it?