Psytrance fans, get ready to be captivated by the latest offering from two innovative and pioneering artists, Neelix and Z-Cat. Their new collaborative track, “1984,” is set to make an impact with its pulsating rhythm and thought-provoking lyrics, out now on Spin Twist Records.
“1984” takes listeners on a simultaneously dark yet melodic sonic journey. It not only electrifies with its high energy, but also packs an ominous yet important message to humanity.
The track opens up with a robotic-like voice that tells us, “THIS IS YOUR OWNER SPEAKING. WE ARE NOW TAKING OVER. YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE […] IF YOU HAVE ANY ROMANTIC VISIONS LEFT, JUST LET THEM GO AND STOP FIGHTING. THIS IS THE FUTURE WE HAVE CHOSEN FOR YOU.“
As the track progresses, a series of hallmark psytrance triplets, synth leads, and glitch effects take the center stage and carry the listener away through four different mindblowing buildups, drops and breakdowns. The song ends with a beautiful piano and guitar instrumental, accompanied by the indistinct sound of a woman either laughing or weeping in the background—it’s hard to tell.
At the end of the Youtube video for the “1984” track, a message written in German shows on the screen that translates as follows:
“The book 1984 is unfortunately proof that we have to live through these experiences again and again, because we are not aware of our past and cannot remember it. However, this world of ours will still change for the good. The new good has been here for a long time. The old just makes an incredible noise when it dies […]”
The lyrics and written text in the video serve as an unambiguous warning from the producers of the track, and are an ominous homage to George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984. Published in 1949, the novel presents a chilling vision of a future where personal freedoms are obliterated by a repressive regime, making it a seminal work on the devastating impacts of totalitarianism and surveillance technology.
The government in Orwell’s 1984 novel seeks to eradicate individual creativity and intellectual freedom, which are seen as threats to its control. Art and creative expression are reduced to mere tools of propaganda. This raises the question – what if AI-generated art, music, text, and videos are used to control the masses? Even if AI is not co-opted by malicious organizations, could it still lead us into creative atrophy?
Modern discussions about AI often raise concerns about privacy and the use of advanced technologies by corporations and governments for pervasive monitoring and data control, echoing the fears of omnipresent oversight and loss of personal freedom portrayed in Orwell’s work.
On their Instagram and Facebook posts, Neelix and Z-Cat elaborate more on the inspiration, collaboration, and themes behind the track:
We met after 16 years in the same scene for the first time and it was an instant friendship. So we decided “Let do a song together”. That was almost three years ago but finally here is the song.
Ten years ago a song was released, one of the best songs ever made in our scene, it was “Ticon 1987”. You have no idea how it felt to listen to this tune for the first time. This release now is a homage to Ticon’s wonderful art and at the same time a critical view through the eyes of George Orwell like he showed us in his book “1984” which was released in 1949.
Art is not only there to enjoy, often it has a mission as well, in this case it wants to show some possible risks that are hiding underneath the colorful high gloss surface of Ai and self thinking, self driving machines. Surely it makes some things more comfortable for us but for what cost. Are we really aware of what this trend and this technology can take away from us? What if art at some point is no longer made by humans but made by computers?! Music, movies, paintings, just everything is now made by machines and algorithms.
People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.
Everything you don’t want will become worse, so better think about the good!“
Psytrance can be so many things—psychedelic, mysterious, otherworldly, extraterrestrial, futuristic, cybernetic, anti-establishment, and even mystical. Neelix & Z-Cat’s “1984” masterfully blends many of these aspects, invoking critical thinking while simultaneously making you want to get up and dance. It truly is a brilliant track and reminds us why psytrance is so cherished by countercultures around the world.
“1984” is available now across all platforms.
About Neelix
There’s only one obvious thing in the sound of Neelix: Relentless forward boost. Exactly how this boost is generated is not obvious at all – which makes it catchy in the most subliminal way possible. The German artist playfully incorporates elements of Psytrance, Progressive Trance, Progressive House and Electro. However, the actual magic of Neelix happens somewhere in between those genres. For 10 years already this unique formula made him a crowd-pleaser at a great variety of dance events on all 5 continents, including monumental festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival, Tomorrowland or Boom.
It’s 2005 when Neelix stirs a revolution. His album ‘No Way To Leave’ fulfills all the expectations of the dance floor – but it does so in the most unexpected way. Within no time, party goers refer to his highly dynamic hybrid style simply as ‘Neelix sound’. It’s the beginning of a stellar career that keeps building and building – just like a typical Neelix track itself. During the last decade, the music of Neelix has inspired a whole generation of producers, it can be found in the collections of countless DJ, in film productions, and in the catalogues of prestigious labels like for instance SpinTwist Records or Paul Oakenfold’s legendary Perfecto imprint.
Follow Neelix:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeelixMusic
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neelixmusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/neelixmusic
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNeelixmusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/neelix
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5X3rdmEE2Mif6kFQkb2PxB
- Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/neelix/134229098
About Z-Cat
Yana, from Moscow, Russia, began her psytrance journey in 2003, and from 2005 until 2007 she was a resident of one of the biggest Russian promotion groups – Synthetic Dreams. In the autumn of 2007 she joined leading psytrance organization TLN Promotion. After acquiring plenty of experience and skills, Yana decided to start her own solo project – Z-Cat. She was engaged in writing innovative music that told a story.
In 2009 she released her EP “Awaken Stories” on Portuguese label Ultravision Records, and she started traveling and performing. She released many of her tracks on different compilations and labels. In 2009 she was also awarded for her contribution to the development of electronic music in Russia, as the best psytrance DJ in the country.
After years of traveling around the world, Z-Cat released her debut album “Reflected” on South African label M.M.D. Records in June of 2013. After already having taken the psytrance scene by storm for many years now, Z-Cat joins the Solar Tech family in 2019. Her unique and powerful take on psytrance will surely continue to impress crowds across the world, and we can’t wait to be part of the journey.
Follow Z-Cat:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/z.cat.music
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yana_z_cat/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Z-Cat
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/z-cat
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4yPtzDlGb1Hr1ZdBeQk9PS
- Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/z-cat/410153250
