Code Elektro - Superstrings

To say the least, citing soundtracks of films such as "Bladerunner" and "TRON: Legacy" is a little bit stale and normal within the whole cyberpunk/science fiction side of things. Suffice to say, I didn't really find much to go gaga over when it came to Code Elektro, a Danish solo project from a self-proclaimed nerd. But, you know, I'm always willing to bite the bullet when it comes to listening to new music; it's not like my time is really worth much as it currently stands.

So, that's when I actually gave the guy a chance. And, well, I went from feeling mediocre about this project to actually having interest within it. Code Elektro's album, "Superstrings" is a testament of love from one cyberpunk fan's musical vision and tastes to all other avid geeks of all things mechanical and cyborg. 

I always find album art to be important in any case, but more so for any act within the cyberpunk genre. And, within this album art, I can't help but feel as if it's a mix between the cover art for "The Great Gatsby" novel and anything related to TRON. Simple, but effective, with a sort of late seventies/early eighties aesthetic attached to it. I liked it. 

The album itself is entirely instrumental from the start to the end. Very few samples are scattered about here and there, but each one just adds a certain feel to each and every single song. Now, mind you, that this album has been described by the artist as a soundtrack for a Bladerunner movie that has never been written, so keep that in mind. 

Where I find genius in this man's work is that each one of his songs could easily go hand-in-hand with, well, as he has said, any sort of well thought out cyberpunk movie based in a daring metropolis. A very retro sounding, synthwave style song kicks off the album with 'Cyber Dreams', which easily translates all the artist's intentions in one swift kick. 'Digitron' gives off a more exploratory feel, while 'Her Desher' showed promise but never really capitalized on its movements. The song remained at one beat for much of the four minute duration and was kind of boring.

 'Her Desher' transformed from a very dreamy song into a solid digital beat with a good beat. 'Superstring' kept the rhythm muffled, or at least that's the way it sounded, but allowed other, more random effects to shine. An interesting choice that opposes most other renders on similar songs, but it worked. 

'X Cipher' showed a good taste of ambiance mixed in with the electronics, while 'Death Star' continued that trend on a much darker tone. Mix in some symphonic and epic elements near the final minute of the track, and 'Death Star' turned out to be pretty badass. 'A New World' calmed down and went back to the whole space ambient style, and 'Syndicate' went for a more electrorock style. Not the constant trend of hard beats and dubstep mixed with electronic guitar work, but this was much more different. Lastly, 'Steel Sky' ended off the album, and it was a glorious work, and kind of reminded me of a song that would come on as the credits rolled on a good science fiction film. 

Now, Code Elektro has been involved in the music industry for quite some time, which means that his production is tight and his sound is pretty crisp and clear. There are no faults there, and there are certainly hardly any bugs that can be found within his music. Mixing the ideas of soundtracks that have been forged in the minds of many some time ago, with his own style and cyberpunk dreams, Code Elektro has given out an album that most any sci-fi nerd can relax to. 
May 27 2015