Dystopian depth of a crisp and colourful euphoria – an intoxicating electronic cyberbass album, from a producer whose style and process seamlessly intertwine humanity and artificial intelligence. PANOPTICON is the immense new project from KOBRA, and it storms into view with the intense bass, beat, and distorted melodies of the mighty 404//REAL.
Designed and defined by the artist behind the music, KOBRA builds tracks from the ground up, letting preferences and emotions guide a process that’s ultimately immersive and hypnotic at volume. His multi-layered audio tapestries deliver a cinematic, often sci-fi-like dose of distorted, haunting but energising escapism, both chaotic and rhythmically grounded; unpredictable, but comforting in its knowledge and sonic embrace. All of this is true of 404//REAL, and continues to capture affection, through the eighties synths and ambient to heavy dynamic of a powerful, playful GLASS VOID.
Where timeless sound-design meets neon lights and imaginative implied scenes and stories, KOBRA doubles down on the intentions and ideas of PANOPTICON. His journey was largely inspired by asking – how can an artist use AI within music, without sacrificing their authenticity? The answer is simple – AI is a tool, like any other in music, and not the underlying author.
From cinematic soundscapes to outright alternative floor-fillers, the skill of the production is matched by the creativity at its core, meaning all of these PANOPTICON tracks can be listened to at volume, and the experience simply gets better. Witness the sweeping synths, sounds, keys, echoes and details, alongside the relentless weight of the bass, within CODEWITCH. Here KOBRA pairs haunting implications with a confronting, addictive groove, and the result is either calming or awakening, depending on what you need from it.
Conceptually there’s plenty to unpack within the walls of PANOPTICON. The story is that of “total surveillance, corporate control, and the paranoia of living under an all-seeing system—the “god’s eye” that never blinks.” Consider these roots amidst the current global shifts, and the music is all the more immersive and provocative.
MEATDRIVER in example needs only its title and the depth and darkness of its dirty bass-line and beat, the distorted and warped melodies, the unforgiving tempo, to reinforce the unsettling truths and risks we currently all face.
Versatility always matters, and BLACK MIRROR is a sublime highlight for these reasons – a suddenly seductive, enchanting voice from KOMPUTRESS leading us into an alluring poetic realm of whispered melodies and images that naturally hold you captive. The hook is alternative but unforgettable, exotic and dark, something like nostalgic trip hop but with a massive underlying bassline and beat to counter the delicacy of the voice.
SLEEP MODE follows on beautifully, the same familiar storyteller, whispering these images and ideas, feelings and thoughts, into a space boldly loaded with rhythmic electronic layers of sonic escapism. KOMPUTRESS holds us captive further still as CYBERNETIK raises the pulse and dark conceptual intrigue all at once, an unabated force of futuristic listing and fragments cascading through the airwaves. The structure is movie-like, the dynamic ever-changing, the rising anticipation inescapable.
Sixteen original tracks make up the completed album of PANOPTICON. Exotic Eastern melodies and robotic chants and pulsations all carefully intertwined from one chapter to the next. SHADOWLINE is a fine encapsulation of that fusion of opposing qualities, almost rap-like at its peak.
This energy carefully evolves for the subsequent SYSCRASH, something like old-school raver techno, impassioned and powerful, followed perfectly by the computerised sweeping soundscape and pace of an again provocative PROXY WAR. Despite the absence of lyrics, the political and topical implications are undeniable, and the sheer tempo and build to the drop is fiercely intense. The production balance is impressive, the compression and haze, the crisp, clean countering elements, the melodies and riffs, the changing atmospheric intricacy – a mighty new section for PANOPTICON.
Later we find ourselves submerged in the likes of a tribal and tumultuous CORRUPTION, and the subsequent darkness and mind games of NEURODRIP seem to fit this ambient mood shift perfectly well. Again it’s the balancing of detail and depth, the sweeping familiar layers, and the smaller, less predictable, evocative and impromptu ones, all working in unison.
Heavy-metal electronica sees the tempo and weight skyrocket for EXFIL, the style unmistakable as KOBRA long-since – a series of calling cards not easy to master, but mastered faultlessly here. Then for GHOST PROTOCOL, something calming but eerie takes hold, and permits us a moment to breathe, as we prepare for the addictive, catchy and consuming appeal of KOMPUTRESS’ return. DEEPFAKE LOVE is easily one of the most mainstream and poignant, memorable tracks from PANOPTICON. Its topic, tone, songwriting and substance all feel piercingly relevant right now.
To finish, PANOPTICON weaves a blissful tapestry of exotic notes, tones, and growing energy, as we rise and implode amidst the subtle ferocity and enchantment of END OF SIGNAL. It’s a lingering closer, the conclusive themes and emotions, the sounds and euphoria, the darkness and implications, all cascading for one last conceptual boom that wraps things up well. PANOPTICON works its magic consistently, and as far as audio cinematic cyberbass ever has, the album hits with sensational impact.
Stream the unparalleled cyberbass album PANOPTICON on Apple & All Platforms. Find KOBRA DJ sessions on Mixcloud.
