In 2020, confined to his home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Oniric Cat began experimenting with modular synthesis and artificial intelligence.
The result of months of research, experimentation and hard work is ‘Imaginary Love Story’, a 3-track EP that goes far beyond the simple release of a musical piece.
The music: modular synthesizers, chance and spontaneity
The first song on ‘Imaginary Love Story’ is titled Aftertouch. It’s a one-minute introduction with just four elements: two pad synthesizers, one FM synthesizer, and an extremely time-strectched drum loop. It’s the beginning of a musical journey.
The creative process for ‘I Lay My Head on Your Shoulder’ and ‘Red Thread’ was different. Starting with semi-random sequences generated in VCV Rack (modular synthesis emulation software), live recordings were created, unrepeatable due to their random nature. The remaining layers of the songs were then built upon these recordings, adapting to the half-improvised, half-random structure.
Music videos: artificial intelligence, digital dreams of landscapes and art
Once the music was finished, the process of creating the music videos began. These were created using an AI neural network called Artbreeder.
The music video for the first track is a sequence of surreal objects that combine organic shapes with inanimate objects.
The second one features fictional landscapes in various styles of photography and drawing.
The third is a gallery of art pieces in a wide variety of styles.
Dance: to evoke a fantasy, to tell a story without words
For this project, Oniric Cat collaborated with McFlyart and Lyath, two urban/contemporary dancers from Barcelona. Starting with an autobiographical story (of imagined love) intentionally told with little details, they managed to convey the emotions the music aimed to express. The result is a duet choreography in which their bodies converse while music videos are projected onto their white clothing, creating a deeper background with the interplay of their shadows.
Presentation: communicating all facets of the production
On the day of the EP's release, there was a launch party at Planta Uno in Hospitalet de Llobregat. The event included a talk about the creative and technical process, a video mapping installation based on the visuals created for the music videos, a performance by dancers, and a DJ set featuring unreleased tracks by Oniric Cat.
This video explains it in more detail:
Release date: November 12th, 2021
Production: Oniric Cat
Mastering: Ultimae Studio
Illustration: Oniric Cat
Copyright Oniric Cat, 2021 ©℗