Atlas Franklin Alexander is a Newcastle-based electronic artist who has just revealed his debut EP ‘Enter Echo’.
With Enter Echo, Newcastle-based electronic artist Atlas Franklin Alexander has well and truly earned his place on your playlist for the summer.
Comprising six tracks of diverse, ethereal electronica, his debut EP, produced by the artist himself, sees captivating vocals teamed with swirling mind-altering melodies and palliative synthesisers which have you swaying around the room until the beat drops and a whole other feeling is evoked.
Featuring previous singles ‘Ancient Choreography’, ‘Valis 五百四’ and ‘Sonder’ – co-written with William J Coleman – the EP draws inspiration from relationships and everyday observances, garnering a terrarium of kaleidoscopic notions, flaunting an array of devices and techniques to encapsulate Atlas’ artistic visions and abilities.
A mesmerising collection of upbeat, chill ambient-electronic tracks filled to the brim with expansive soundscapes, Enter Echo showcases Atlas’ bold vision and fine attention to detail, with intricate production and adventurous arrangements underpinning thoughtful musings on identity, growth, and understanding. Check it out below.
To celebrate the release of Enter Echo, Atlas has shared five of his favourite things to come from the 90s.
How on earth can a person narrow down only 5 things about the 90’s, when this list could be filled with a plethora of endless incredible examples. Below are the first that came to mind.
#1 – Stoner Desert
Stoner rock was and still is a vibe; in particular Kyuss. Even though they did form in the late 80’s, the early 90’s for Kyuss and the stoner desert movement in general was when it was kicking off. My favourite line-up of Kyuss consisted of vocalist John Garcia, guitarist Josh Homme, bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Brant Bjork. In my opinion, these guys started stoner desert rock. Not to mention all the projects that stemmed from Kyuss after, to name a few: Mondo Generator, Queens Of The Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Unida, Hermano, Vista Chino, Brant Bjork’s solo stuff, Slo Burn, Fu Manchu, The Desert Sessions, Them Crooked Vultures. Below is a live version of one of my favourite Kyuss tracks ‘Green Machine’.
#2 – Boy Bands
Love them or hate them, boy bands played an integral role in the mid to late 90s. Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Take That, 98 Degrees, 5ive. The list goes on and on. A lot of these groups kept on killing it on the pop charts into the 2000’s and launched a bunch of solo careers. Justin Timberlake, who was one of them, would probably have to be my secret favourite. JT’s 2006 release of ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’, took it to a whole new level. Below is the Backstreet Boys’ first single ‘We’ve Got It Going On’. Of course, these guys also have some massive 2000’s hits that every single person on earth knows the words to ‘Everybody’ and ‘I Want It That Way’. Apparently, their name came from an outdoor flea market in Orlando called ‘Backstreet Market’.
#3 Sony Discman/Rollerblades
How could the 90’s have functioned without discmans and rollerblades! Like seriously. I never actually owned my own Discman, but my older cousins did. I’d borrow a Discman from one of my cousins at family bbq’s or birthdays and listen to whatever they were listening to. Nirvana, Biggie, Madonna it didn’t matter, all that mattered was that I had one for a short time. Can we also talk about rollerblades? Blades are coming back now, or did they even go anywhere? The same cousins who lent me their Discman’s gave me hand-me-down Blades. blading listening to discman, 1990’s heaven. Below is an old ad on telly for Sony Discmans, I never witnessed this ad in the ’90s but it’s a gem.
# 4 Daft Punk
Daft Punk appeared in reality. Seriously, Daft Punk are pretty much everything. French electronic music duo, they got together in 1993. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, these guys in my opinion are one of the most influential acts in dance music history. They broke up in February 2021 and saw millions of music lovers devastated. I did hear somewhere that their music sales skyrocketed again after this news. Their 1997 record ‘Homework’ had bloody massive bangers ‘Da Funk’ and ‘Around The World’. Into the 2000’s Daft Punk released so so so many amazing jams. I’ve spent a very large amount of time dancing my brains out to these guys. Below is the video for ‘Da Funk’. It’s almost like a short film as opposed to a music video, but I love it!
# 5 Ricky Martin
Okay okay okay, Ricky Martin. What a massive Puerto Rican Sex pop icon! Am I right here or am I right? Ricky actually started in a boy band in the 80’s called ‘Menudo’. But in the 90’s is when Ricky grew his wings and traversed the landscapes of international stardom. The very first song of his I heard was probably ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’ in 1999. The best worst pop music ever! Also, Ricky smashed it in the 2000’s with so many bloody bangers. Below is a video of Ricky singing in Menudo when he was like 14 years old. On ya Ricky Martin!
Nyyyyeah the 90’s!
‘Enter Echo’ is available worldwide now.
