10/31/2023
Dancetron is out NOW on all platforms!
This song feels so typically me. A mesh of musical styles, rhythmic interplay, and a cheeky not-so-subtle nod to one of my favorite video games. The first phrase you hear is the first phrase that I wrote; it’s quick, syncopated and somewhat of a leading musical statement. One that asks, in a cheeky, Phillip K. Dick-ian sci-fi sort of way: “Do androids dream of dance?”
I absolutely adore this tune. It’s one of my favorites to perform live, and feels like it has its own lore connected to it.
The song was originally called “Dancetron (1999 - Present).” It was my own personal nod to two artists who inspire me daily: Prince and Nobuo Uematsu.
Prince’s insatiable appetite for groove and ingenuity are, for spiritual reasons I guess, always in my process. Not necessarily the songs from 1999, but the man pretty much owns that year for the rest of time as far I’m concerned.
As for Nobuo’s connection to that date: Final Fantasy VIII released that year. While it wasn’t the direct inspiration for this song, it was inspiration for the animated scene within Disassembly’s theatrical presentation.
Parts of Dancetron also borrowed HEAVILY from the Theme of Love used in Final Fantasy IV, one of the first Japanese RPG games I ever played (on the Game Boy Advance though - I was too young when the original came out). Uematsu’s score, while originally made on 16-bit technology, has since been performed around the world with full orchestral arrangements. That trajectory always got me excited about the possibilities within my own compositional career. I also use these orchestral versions of Uematsu’s songs in order to focus and work, like most people use lofi chill beats.
🎨🖼️ by Madison Schubert
