Akkiles82 builds gripping cyberpunk world on debut album ‘CyberNation Part 1’: Listen

Electronic music has long been drawn to digital worlds and imagined futures, with artists crafting soundtracks for landscapes that exist somewhere between reality and speculation. With his debut album CyberNation Part 1, Akkiles82 steps firmly into this space, delivering a pulsing, forward-looking body of work that carves out its own identity.

Akkiles82 is the alias of Glasgow-based electronic music producer Nick Thomson. Drawing inspiration from cyberpunk and retrowave aesthetics, the album sits between the optimism of past visions of the future and the uncertainty of one that has yet to arrive. Let’s take an in-depth look at the album.

kaminari-sama.exe

Subtle and short at just 32 seconds, Akkiles82 sets a haunting tone for his debut release. Amidst a backdrop of thunderstorms and distant sirens, he welcomes listeners into the world of CyberNation Part 1 while keeping most of what’s to come tightly under wraps.

Streets of Neo-Yokohama

Following the subtle and intriguing introduction, Akkiles82 unleashes his arsenal of talents on the second track, allowing a plethora of driving synths and leads to draw listeners deeper into the chaos and energy of the landscape. With a contrast of racing vehicles and musical interplay, the Scottish producer transports listeners into the future, landing in the city of Neo-Yokohama in the year 2182. While not an unfamiliar landscape, one of neon lights, raging storms, and shady characters, producer Nick Thomson is setting up for a much larger story arc.

Sakura Sunset Drive

The tension builds as the pulsing lead directs listeners through the streets of Neo-Yokohama. What’s at play here is not yet fully in the scope, but the atmosphere is keeping the audience at full attention, monitoring all the moving elements of this futuristic landscape, looking to gain a footing while hoping not to get lost down the wrong alleyway. With his passion for 90s/2000s trance music, Thomson’s productions have familiar attributes, but pivot and evolve in fresh and exciting ways.

High Tech, Low Life

A quarter through CyberNation Part 1, and the depth and dregs of this futuristic landscape really start to reveal themselves. High Tech, Low Life opens with a haunting montage, allowing listeners to grab their breath and dive deeper into the themes of destruction and downfall that haunt this futuristic city. Against a layer of bright yet curious synths, a collection of vocals drifts in and out, beginning to reveal the underbelly of the current situation, before a shift in station returns to the high-paced action of the moment.

Three Storms

It is not just the deteriorating elements of the city that are a cause for concern, but there is also an oncoming array of storms set to descend upon Neo-Yokohama. In 2182, three powerful storms are approaching at once, creating a moment of concern and panic unforeseen in human history. The news reports that litter the track perfectly play into the fear and concern of a city already in turmoil, and the bright synths capture the potential attempts from leaders and news organizations to dampen the panic before the oncoming storms.

Shadows

A subtle lull hits the region. Despite the racing percussion and lead, this is a call to action, a montage of preparation as this CyberNation searches for a guiding light to pull it through the current turmoil. The vocals add to this cinematic turn, building up the protagonist to prepare for the battles yet to come. The panic has currently given way to hope, but the story is far from over, and Shadows is clearly no resolution.

Long Night Of Solace

By now, the dangers that are lurking both within and outside of Neo-Yokohama are clear. The population, already on edge from years of uncertainty, is trying to rally together while a sense of panic and desperation filters throughout the masses. Hope and dismay ebb and flow, sometimes just seconds apart as the literal storms appear on the horizon. This is a moment of reflection, a true calm before the storm, and the edge and desperation are baked into every measure of the music.

Empty Metropolis

The hour is now near, Akkiles82 has built the drama and tension to a boiling point, and now the anticipation is as daunting as the inevitable confrontation and potential destruction to come. With a soft female vocal hovering just above a simple chord structure, goodbyes are being said, the warriors preparing for battle, while those tasked with rebuilding are making their own preparations. This is the emotional peak, the final moment of humanity, and Nick Thomson bares it all across this nearly four-minute epic.

Escape (The City)

So much has happened so far, but now the moment is finally upon the listeners and the inhabitants of this futuristic cyber destination. Those at the precipice are reaching out for their loved ones in ways they never imagined they would have to. No matter what era of human history, feelings of fear, love, loss, hope, and uncertainty have played roles in relationships and crafted some of the most intriguing and powerful imagery from history’s darkest confrontations.

North Ramp Overpass

The moment for loved ones and painful goodbyes has ended. The night is dark, the city under an uncertain hush, but the energy is palpable. An array of forces is at work here, some looking to prevent certain destruction while others are looking to the cover of chaos for their own selfish ends. Those brave enough to patrol the streets know that beyond every corner lurks uncertainty and possible destruction. The oncoming storms add an additional element of chaos and confusion, seemingly giving an advantage to the most nefarious of individuals, but so much is still unknown.

Darkness Before The Dawn

Despite just releasing this stunning debut collection, Akkiles82 has a lot more to say. He has already promised that part 2 is in the works. For now, the tension is at full tilt. Surges of individuals and natural storms stalk this futuristic city. A haunting and dramatic percussion underlines the mood as synths and leads keep heads on a pivot, unsure what to expect from moment to moment.

iNTERMiSSiON

This is but part 1. The battle has barely begun, and Akkiles82 is content to leave listeners wanting more. It has been an incredible ride so far. The stage is set, and there is so much more to come. Despite already feeling very full from the powerful production and racing landscape, CyberNation Part 1 is but an appetizer for what is yet to come for this city from the future.

Dive into the world of Scottish producer Nick Thomson, aka Akkiles82, and prepare for what’s to come in this intriguing cyberpunk environment with Part 2 set to drop in 2026.