Star Burts is the first song Atlas wrote and it took a long time to became something.The song is how Valencia makes Atlas feel a place he chooses to call home. It was Valencia that brought out the music from within him and as place it has an amazing vibe.
The intro was written first based on block chords commonly used in reggateon though the tempo is much higer at 130BPM. It must have been a year before the other elements started to take shape. At that time Atlas did not know enough about music simply draft out a song but he kept listening to that intro. With enough relaxation he could eventually hear the other parts in his mind.
For My Dad (and All Dad's Everywhere) was the first orchestral piece Atlas wrote simply playing around with articulation ideas for each group of instruments in an orchestra. It was finished a week prior to his father moving onto the next dimension of life and happened to be the last thing they talked about.
"I had a dream the night my father crossed over and in that dream he told me he was happy and ready for his next adventure. I have never felt overly sad about my father passing on because I know exactly where he is and that place where he is, is only boundless joy and boundless bliss. I am happy music was the last thing we shared because by this point I was doing something musical everyday."
Euphoria was the first attempt at writing uplfiting trance and it is and remains a personal favourite. Atlas really explored the music and there are a few versions of this composition and they all sound good. The synth that characterises the song is based on whale song and so the auditory experience is designed to be immersive as though you are fully enveloped by the deep ocean.
Call Her Duty is inspired by Francesca Kirby who is one Atlas's favourite footballers. It turns out she is a gamer too. Her image was always there in his mind's eye as he was writing the buildup and climax section in this piece; so for this song, Fran is one bad-ass super heroine much like Emily Blunt's "Full Metal Bitch" character in Edge of Tomorrow.
Rise began as a study in poly-rhythms but rather than using a plugin to generate such rhythyms, Atlas wrote them himself. Rise has a darker tone than Atlas' other songs.
A Sky full of Stars originally by Coldplay is the second orchestral piece Atlas has arranged and was a real musical challenge. The image opposite was provided by Coldplay's fan management team when Atlas wrote to thank them for writing their song because without it, he would never have learned so much about music generally and orchestration particularly.
“This track takes Coldplay’s original and gives it a whole new vibe with an orchestra. What’s cool about this version is how it transforms the song into something epic.
The orchestral arrangement adds this grand, cinematic feel that just sweeps you off your feet. It’s like being transported to another world where everything is larger than life.
I love how the instruments build and swell throughout the song, creating these beautiful, dynamic moments that just give you chills. And even though there aren’t any lyrics, you can still feel the emotion and energy behind the music.
It’s the kind of track that speaks to your soul without saying a word."
RON MURX
Trancefigurations is based on a song called Transgender by Crystal Castles which Atlas heard through YouTube Music. It started playing through autoplay leaving Atlas so impressed especially by the vocals. He just knew the melody and harmony would make a perfect trance song. It came together quickly being written at the same time as A Sky Full of Stars was prepared for mastering. Atlas contacted Universal Music Publishing Group for release however the original artist(s) respectly declined.
Charlotte Scored a Worldie is an orchestral piece written in the key of F Major in common time at a nice relaxing tempo of 60bpm, for a special footballer who inspires the composer. It was fun to take what would be a simple fan chant and develop it into an orchestral piece. Woodwinds dominate and are supported by strings and brass. The piano version is slightly different with triplets for the left hand.
Fantasy is written for day-time festival scene taking inspiration from the classic song 'Little Britain' by Dreadzone and live instrumentals by Gomez; Atlas has seen both acts live in the day-time. A solid beat, a deep bass, dreamy pads and uplifting chords to take you to a place elsewhere.