I want you to imagine a city.
It is a city set between the endless blue ocean and pastel skies. It is walkways and platforms and highrises, a labyrinth fashioned from bright, smooth steel and glass. Super-fast speed bikes travel the narrow lanes that connect the districts on the various levels that make up this futuristic metropolis. There are space cruisers moving past, elegant and luxurious, and warships as intimidating as they are majestic. This city is one of technological elegance and its heartbeat a mix of “analog and digital synths, arpeggiators and sound design”.

Welcome to Superstrings, critically acclaimed debut of Code Elektro.

This is one album I could listen to all day long. I have been brought up on classical music, no lyrics necessary. I have taught myself to appreciate following the baseline, then the strings, violins first, violas next. One thrombone’s song, then the other. I love discovering each instrument and its role. In short, I truly admire intricately and cleverly spun compositions.  It always seems to me they hide fascinating little stories just waiting to be discovered.

Code Elektro is just that. The Danish band says they make music for cyperpunks, and if you’re a fan of Neuromancer, Blade Runner or Deus Ex, I daresay you’ll love their style. Listen to Cyber Dreams, Binary Prophecy, X Cipher or the titular Superstrings – my favorites – and you’ll know what I mean.

Superstrings debuted in 2015 and Code Elektro wasted no time coming up with their next album, Wolf, which was released on June 3rd 2016.

Staying with the analogy of the city I mentioned in the beginning of this post, Wolf represents the dark side of it, shadows underneath a cold neon light. I love the Ouverture (Welcome to the Wolf Den), the album’s first piece, which sets the mood for this soundtrack to a trip into the underground of the future. It is an invitation to follow the titular predator into a world where nothing is quite what it seems. The album’s got swagger, memorable hooks and a very distinct sound that I, personally, find absolutely compelling. You can hear the Wolf‘s digital howl in almost every track. I love the entire album, but my faves – apart from the Ouverture – are the three tracks Voyager, Impactor and N3On.

Looking forward to hearing more from Code Elektro. Until them, I’ll enjoy my stay here in synth heaven.