Track By Tracks: Opus Arise - The Network (2022)

Album explained as a whole:

A CyberPunk-inspired world:

Plot:

- Research involving chord progressions that manipulate space and time.

- He does research involving the Progressive Frequency Phenomenon. He has never found proof it existed, but his studies involved finding this evidence, as well as aiming to gain control of it.

- Many years into his research, he comes across the inner skepticism progression, and this is where his journey begins.

Track by track explained:

1. Inner Skepticism:

The inner skepticism chord progression is DMi7(b5), G7(b9/#5), CMa9, DMi. The combination of frequencies opens a wormhole into a future setting that blindsides the character. In this place, people have unseen technology and seem indifferent to his presence.

7/8, 9/8 section: He is looking for clues that will help him return home. Amongst all of the people wearing VR goggles and hologram-producing gadgets, he finally finds someone that notices his presence, engaging him in conversation. From his conversation with Character 1, he learns of a state-of-the-art device that evolved from the current day internet. It conjoins the concept of hardware and software, allowing the input of physical matter into software and the materialization of electronic data. This electronic realm is called the Network. Only the top 0.1% of society has control over it. It is basically a monopoly of everything from basic living needs to the most expensive items. Almost everything imaginable is accessible from the network, and anything can be materialized for the right price by the richest 0.1%, or by the best hackers.

After their conversation, the Protagonist is given an advanced hologram wristwatch, which is thousands of times for powerful than any computer today and can access the network through a network substation, with the correct polyphonic frequency code of course. The protagonist shows the inner skepticism progression to character 1 (through the functions in his wristwatch) and realizes it only allows entry to this space-time. The only way to return home is to find the right corresponding progression of frequencies to re-open a wormhole to the exact time and date he came from.

2. Electronic Jungle:

Protagonist then learns that character 1 is also from a different space-time, and the electric jungle opening progression was the one he used in one of his compositions back in his time. When he played it for the first time after composing it in 1976, a wormhole brought him here as well. He didn’t know what had happened, so he eventually accepted this as his fate and had given up hope of returning. He called it the electric jungle because of the scenery in the place they are in; there is lots of advanced circuitry, electronic billboards, holograms, etc. Now he has faith in the protagonist’s research, it is their only hope of returning to their time- space.

After finding a network substation and stalking around, they notice several network users with their FOB-type holograms that immediately grant them access. The protagonist’s knowledge of computer science has allowed him to steal the encoded digital lock from unsuspecting users. All he has to do is turn the electronic data into combinations of frequencies and play it back in front of the substation.

3. Antimatter:

After numerous calculations, the protagonist approaches the substation and plays the Antimatter progression. They are immediately scanned and digitized. The moment the song drops into the metal section signifies their entry into the network. The rest of the song follows them individually as they lead their own paths through the network, discovering its capabilities. However, after a bunch of fun and games exploring, they both eventually become curious about their past lives in 2017 and 1976.

4. Digital Soundscape:

This track conveys the feeling of what the digital realm of the network is like. Both characters focus on the details of their lives, listening to the ambient, distorted, pulsing sounds of the digital realm.

The rest of the album follows them through the (Reminiscence) of their past lives. To a certain extent, they are both filled with a great deal of heartbreak and regret, which is symbolized in the song (Change). As they continue on, the Protagonist’s mastery of his research is demonstrated in his (Timeshift) progression, which will return him home to his time when he plays it. The song timeshift is also about the search that the Protagonist does for his friend, Character 1. He wants to reveal his discovery and return them both home. Unfortunately, after searching for a while, he realizes Character 1 has been doomed to the network. He has been lost in the reminiscence of his past life and has lost touch with reality. There is nothing that can save him, so the Protagonist uses his progression to return home (The Unanswered Question).