A Moon Colony
Covered in Space Dust

01 Limits of Imagination / Experience - 6:04
02 Outset - 4:00
03 Boarding Sequence - 4:06
04 Anticipation (Interlude) - 0:52
05 Hyperspeed - 4:46
06 Continuum (Remaster 2024) - 4:22
07 Catharsis (Remaster 2024) - 5:17
08 Biome - 3:18
09 Life Form - 4:49
10 A Moon Colony - 4:04
11 Covered in Space Dust - 4:20
12 Kanterino (Memoire) - 13:25

My second big album release features twelve tracks as individual as you can imagine. Dive into an epic sonic adventure, a tale that tells the story of a young traveller setting out onto a journey into the unknown.

ALBUM / Cinematic / Storytelling / Art

A Moon Colony Covered in Space Dust is a milestone for me. It is both my most sophisticated and my most experimental album yet, blurring the boundaries between genres more than I ever did before. The songs are arranged in a way that seemed fitting in both a musical and a logical sense. This album tells a story. Let me explain both the images I had in my head when arranging the songs, and some of the production techniques I used for them.

Limits of Imagination / Experience

“Have you ever thought about the widths of the universe? Have you ever thought whether ideas in our heads are confined by anything? Isn’t your head a universe on its own, with limits only given by your physical ability to remember and process? If you think far enough into one direction, will you ever reach an end? Will you reach the Limit of Imagination?

I want you to think big. Did you have any goals in your life you have always wanted to pursue but didn’t, believing in boundaries others had set you? You could dream. In your dream, you could fly. But where do you want to fly?”

This atmospherical song starts off with field recordings of various elements of my daily life, using inversion and other tricks to create otherworldly sound scapes. After a while it transforms into a choral, telling the one true story true for everyone’s personal journey: “If you want to become wise, you’ll need to make experiences. Some are great, some hideous.”

Outset

“So you’ve found your idea. You’ve dreamt big. You’ve been obsessed with following that one call, knowing it can get you to your next part of your life. So you set out. You begin your journey, together with so many other travellers, all looking for their destination. Board the train. We’re off.”

My hometown Karlsruhe’s main train station features the soundscape that opens this song. Advanced reverb techniques like convolution mimic the station’s main hall, with my own whistling starting the repetitive motive of this song. Once the middle section with great analog synth sounds gives the motive energy, the song starts truly picking up its pace.

Boarding Sequence

“You knew your destination. Once the train came to a stop, you left it, feeling mildly unsure about whether what you are doing right now genuinely is a good idea. You are standing right in front of a tall grey building, sheets of glass interchanging with blocks of grey, brushed concrete. A modern style you are not totally in love with, but still you appreciate the effort the architects took. ‘Kanterino’, your key card in your pocket reads. Everyone is given one, only few dare actually using it ever. It means commitment. You only get one, and you are the one to decide which doors it will open up for you.

At the modernist building’s entrance, you check in using the thin sheet of plastic. Walking through the entrance hall, you are impressed by the amount of screens on the wall, giving detailed information about many travellers, all with their separate destinations and - your heart jumps - expedition rockets. The launching pad is closer than ever.

[…]

You are in the lift. It goes upward, at speeds not imaginable to you. There is no going back. The Boarding Sequence has started. As the doors open, bright sunlight reflects off the brushed metal railings of the launching pad’s ramp. You squint your eyes. Nervously following the path thousands have treaded before you, you cross the metal bridge and set foot onto the piece of tech that will be your trusted companion into outer space.”

Anticipation (Interlude)

“It’s all quiet now. Your noise cancelling headphones have stayed in your backpack, stowed away in the luggage area, safely secured for the unearthly forces the inbound rocket launch will inevitable bring along. Metallic clicks announce the doors locking. The cabin pressure will change. Your heart is beating. Your shoulders have been tense for over an hour, your jaw feels locked. A nasty crack echoes in your head as you move your lower jaw. Stressed out.”

Hyperspeed

“You’re all set for reaching your destination."

(to be continued)

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