ENIMATIK: TERMINAL LUCIDITY

Those of you who have followed Enimatik for a long time know very well that he has always been open to collaborations with other artists, either with singers, remixing songs by other musicians, or integrating photographs into the covers and promotional campaigns of the songs. Now Enimatik goes one step further and presents you with a new song made from the beginning with another musician, a new creature with two parents. Do you want to know everything about this song?

The idea

A couple of months ago, a profile on IG that followed Enimatik caught my attention, and which I also followed. A mysterious boy who couldn't be more gothic and alternative, who reminded me of myself a long, long time ago...

Kris turned out to be an active Enimatik fan, and before long we started chatting. We realized that we both spoke Spanish apart from English, so communication was very fluid. It turned out that Kris had worked with other artists, made music and had a special talent, which caught my attention. The idea of making a song together was born almost unintentionally, and as soon as he proposed it, he happily accepted. After establishing some generic guidelines, Kris sent me several songs and their corresponding files, with which we got to work. I couldn't imagine what I would find...

The project we selected had a dark, alternative atmosphere that I liked from the beginning. I started working on it hard, selecting the parts, sounds and rhythms we would keep, and creating and adding parts, tracks and melodies. Kris and I made a total of 9 demos, on which we were shaping the song. In the process, Kris never stopped surprising me with his talent, skills and knowledge, both of songwriting and mixing. I think adding our creativity and potential was a magnificent idea, you just have to listen to the vocal tracks mostly performed by him, full of character and expressiveness.

The production and mixing of Terminal Lucidity has been complex, but it couldn't be any other way, given the degree of detail and quality we wanted to achieve. For example, I raised the original tempo of the song to 120 bpm, giving it a more danceable character, and on demo 3 Kris recorded his vocals without having originally intended to do it that way. I recorded some additional vocal tracks, trying to fit in well with Kris. Fitting the two of us onto a track with drastically faster timing, new arrangements different from the originals, was challenging and satisfying in the end. For my part, I tried to preserve Kris's original idea, maintaining the mysterious and dark atmosphere, which I loved from the beginning, but adapting it to the idea I had in mind.

As you can see when listening to the song, Terminal Lucidity is a song with a lot of character, expressiveness and care in the details. I believe that our creative union has combined our skills and ideas with a result that I am very proud of. Now it's time for you to meet Kristen Kadence...

Kris by himself

"I am a techie from San Diego, California. I majored in music and computer programming with some enthusiasm in ballet and contemporary dance. My hobbies are learning history, DIY techniques, horror films and video games, unplugging from the matrix to aim for vintage places or appreciating flora and fauna in forest and beach strolls, collecting herbs and marine shells or minerals along the way.

I am mythical and into the lore of cultures, I studied some depth of world religions and for that, I identify as an open minded ambivert, but often prefer being in my own little world.

My musical views is bringing back the 90s! The level of experimentation! You had all kinds of rock, rhythm and blues, techno and metal genres that those labels alone were just umbrella terms, Rather than being focused solely on progenitors, artists and engineers in that era truly were creative and made some magical avant garde productions. Though the early 2000s had some good releases up until a musical dark age spanning by 2012 (up to this day), we owe to the 80's being the spark that ignited the flame.

Kristen Kadence is my identity that really developed from me. I tend to favor androgyny over binary, black and white safety nets, hence why I chose Kristen. Kadence comes from my keen understanding of the langauge of chord progressios, harmony and syllables that form their unique rhythmic patterns or teams known as words.

My father was a music journalist once for newspapers and magazines in Tijuana, Mexico, back when those were major mediums of subcultural communication, in particular, hair and heavy metal was where he documented tales, interpreted stories from DJs broadcasting via radio and interpreting american tabloids.

Being well versed in music from my father's editorial pursuits and record collection, I developed a soft spot for alternative rock: The Cranberries, The Smiths, Pink Floyd etc. I enjoy all kinds of metal but gothic symphonic metal groups like Theatre of Tragedy, The Sins of Thy beloved, Tristania is where I truly get the feels. I got introduced into electronic music from listening to David Bowie from the movie Labyrinth (1986) featuring David Bowie himself as the villain and Jennifer Connelly as protagonist. Listening to songs like Dance Magic Dance and As The World Falls Down in that film as a kid aided me in in the discovery of how a syntheziser was the epicenter of experimentation and otherworldly sounds, it was a match made in heaven for me as it became my main instrument for years, first starting with Yamaha DX-7 that was expensive for my father, but told me he always fascinated by these devices and desired one to have.

I discovered Enimatik following Jane Demonroads (Vamp Beauty Zone) on Instagram for her striking makeup tutorials and enchanting visage. I was captivated how the music had a sort of new age style of sound like that of Era, Delerium, Rhys Fulber type of music but with soothing, romantic touch coming with a breath of darkness via static-like electronic beats and ethereal soundscapes. I gladly took the chance at collaborating with him when prompted."

Photos from the dark

Many of you already know my dear Tanya, an adorable and charming girl from Eastern Europe with a special talent for photography. She has previously collaborated on several projects with Enimatik, giving me the opportunity to use her magnificent photographs for song covers and promotional campaigns. As soon as I started collaborating with Kris, I immediately thought of her. Given the theme and character of Terminal Lucidity, who better than her to contribute to the visual side of the project?

I reached out to her with the proposal, and she accepted immediately, always so kind, charming, and pleasant. I feel very lucky to be able to count on her talent so selflessly, simply for the sake of creating something together. Somehow, despite the distance, we connect through our artistic vision and creative sensibility.

The set of photographs she provided is simply amazing. As you can see in this post, her talent for capturing the mystery, darkness, and magic of enigmatic places is immense. I highly recommend that you follow her on @anddarksky so you can enjoy and appreciate her artistic gift.

Terminal Lucidity

Creating Terminal Lucidity with Kris has been a fascinating experience for Enimatik. Until now, I haven't had the opportunity to collaborate so deeply with another artist, and the process has been a continuous journey of mutual learning. Kris is a kind, polite, and humble person, which made the entire experience much smoother.

From the initial project in my DAW with the files Kris sent me, to the final mastering, I believe that Terminal Lucidity has enriched Enimatik both musically and personally. Kris is younger than me, and as I mentioned before, in some ways he reminds me of myself at different stages of my life. That freshness, energy, and enthusiasm have been incredibly welcome.

I believe Terminal Lucidity is a profound song, with a very interesting story in its lyrics, a polished sound, and great potential to resonate on the dancefloors of gothic and alternative scenes. We both poured a lot of effort into it, and although the process didn't span many months, it was very intense, with constant communication and even phone conversations in both Spanish and English.

I want to deeply thank Kris for giving me the opportunity to collaborate with him, and for being so appreciative and kind. I believe that Enimatik will also help many of you discover a talented artist who, without a doubt, will collaborate with me again.