TuneLab
Afterlife Voyage 026 by Chris Avantgarde
An Afterlife Voyage mix by Chris Avantgarde is not for the faint of heart; it's a descent into a dystopian soundscape where melody is a weapon and basslines are tectonic plates shifting. We put this on when we want to feel the weight of the world, or perhaps just the weight of the sub-bass. The vibe is cinematic and severe, all smoky rooms and laser grids, perfect for when your living room needs to feel like a Berlin bunker at 5am. Technically, it's a tour de force of modern melodic techno, averaging 129 BPM and dominated by the dramatic, open sound of key 12A.
The energy is overwhelmingly concentrated in the low end (0.85), creating a physical, chest-caving pressure that's punctuated by stark mid-range melodies (0.12) and occasional high-end stabs. Avantgarde's programming is narrative-driven, building tension with industrial textures and releasing it with soaring leads. For the devotees of dark electronics, the opener 'Ox1' by Tommy Four Seven sets a brutal, mechanical tone. Tzafu's 'Resurrection' is a haunting, atmospheric piece, while Boston 168's 'Cybernetics' is pure synth-wave indebted techno funk.
His own remix of Dense & Pika's 'Delta System' is a snarling beast, and including KAS:ST's iconic 'Nepal' is a guaranteed emotional gut-punch. HVOB's 'Butter' adds a moment of eerie beauty, and the PAX & Rui Da Silva version of 'Touch Me' brings a classic, driving energy. The journey kicks off with the industrial clang of Tommy Four Seven, reaches a cerebral peak with the melancholic grandeur of 'Nepal', and closes with the 11-minute ambient drift of Belief Defect's 'Disembarking Horizons', leaving us in a state of eerie, post-apocalyptic calm.