Between Code & Consciousness: Spryk's New EP Imagines A World Where Machines Can Dream

An exploration of the hazy space between human emotion and artificial intelligence forms the premise of Spryk's new EP — 'Afterglow'.Spryk

Published on:

28 Oct 2024, 4:54 am

3 min read

Machines and their intelligence, albeit artificial, has come so far that they almost appear to be arriving at some form of consciousness. If they did, do you think they'd contemplate us in the same way we do about our creator? Would we become a projection of their encoded hopes and fears as they have in our countlesss films about AI and its future?

I don't really know what machine learning is but I bet they could understand who we are and why we do what we do if we gave them some time and a boatload of data — in the form of interactive social media perhaps. Just as we've humanized them with the ability to feel in our fictional imaginings, could they also see an algorithmic pattern; a code in our behaviours? If this line dividing man and machine was to really blur one day, what thoughts would occupy the techno-mind? What would the machines dream about?

An exploration of this hazy space between human emotion and artificial intelligence forms the premise of Spryk's new EP — 'Afterglow'. Released through his label Skip-A-Beat, the EP makes portable his electrifying live sound that he has showcased across India’s festival circuit. It is a sonic echo of that mind-bending experience straight from the festival stage into your headphones.

Known for his immersive audio-visual performances, Spryk brings a a traditional yet forward-thinking approach to electronic exploration, utilizing available technology while respecting the legacy that precedes it. His work in digital art installations, video game design, and dance music puts him at the intersection of technology and culture. Now with this EP, the artist dives deeper into narrative storytelling through his music.

Afterglow opens the door to a sonic landscape where glitchy beats morph into an investigation of wonder, and technological self-discovery. The artist imagines his EP as a dreamlike realm where robots explore the essence of human existence. The lead single, 'Enigma', which dropped last week, sets the tone with its broken rhythms and atmospheric sweeps, showing off Spryk’s knack for surprise and sophisticated layers. In the six-track EP, the artist beautifully manoeuvres between electronica, dubstep, and high-energy club sounds, marrying experimental textures with dancefloor-ready intensity. The intricate vocal chops drift through expansive soundscapes, mirroring the ethereal yet mechanical themes that are central to the record.

Each track in the EP also features custom visuals created for the artist's live A/V show, that are now available as visualizers on his YouTube channel. In the video for 'Synbio', Spryk collaborates with visual artist and designer Psynodent, delving into the intriguing themes of synthetic biology.

With fractured beats and cinematic atmospheres, Afterglow reflects a refreshing fusion of organic and artificial elements enforcing the theme of the EP. It becomes an embodiment of a world where machines dream of human history and our shared stories. Spryk defines it as "a sonic interpretation of how our evolving relationship with technology shapes the way we feel, think, and create.” These tech is increasingly something we're becoming acustomed to treating with a healthy amount of skepticism, but the EP, with its soulful and nurturing soundscapes paints a different picture. Maybe the Machines see us with much kinder eyes than we see them. The warmth and zeal of Afterglow feels like in their dreams, we're the good guys.

Follow Spryk here and listen to the EP below.