From the song “Memory of the Future” comes the album title Future Memories – the view of the future from the past. I’ve always been fascinated by this concept. The vision of the future is always distorted by the situation of the present. Of course, events unfold in unpredictable ways making any notion of the future inevitably inaccurate, although often charming in retrospect.

MUSIC

There’s a stylistic connection between “Memory of the Future” and the opening track “Forever”, making the album circular. Both songs could potentially sit within the Synthwave genre, although I don’t know of any other artists making this type of Synthwave, so maybe not (?) The first and last songs on the album are also driven by the synth lead melodies with minimal vocals – another Synthwave similarity.

The production of “Memory of the Future” is perhaps more 80s than any other track on the album. I tried to keep the synths and drum samples as authentically 80s as possible. For example, on many other album tracks, I mixed an 80s kick drum sample from the Emulator II with a more modern, deeper sounding kick, but on this track, I just used the 80s kick. There’s something nice and clean about using this sort of kick, which really opens up your mix. This is more inline with the clean, spacious, 80s sounding mix I’m cultivating for my 2019 Space March album – more on this soon…

LISTEN

LYRICS

The lyrics are based around the notion of looking backwards looking forwards. “A memory of the future, how it could have been in the future” – I suppose is a similar concept to H.G. Wells The Time Machine from 1895, where the inventor of the time machine is taunted by the two words “what if?”. The album theme of the circular nature of time is also revealed in this song – “a slither of time in an endless loop” describing the act of replaying a pivotal moment in time through your memories – like it can be changed, when of course it can’t.

A memory of the future
How it could’ve been in the future
Man, machine and computer
A slither of time
In an endless loop

A memory of the future
There were no mistakes in the future
Utopia and a cure
A slither of time
In an endless loop…

TECHNOLOGY

“Memory of the Future” features sounds primarily from vintage synths, samplers and drum machines, along with a few modern synth sounds.

• Korg Polysix – bass
• Akai AX80 – bass
• Rhodes Chroma – bass
• DK Synergy – lead
• Korg PS-3200 – lead

• Yamaha CS-70m – polysynth
• Elka Synthex – polysynth
• Emulator II – drums
• Korg DDD1 – drums
• UVI Falcon – drums, bass, leads

ALBUM: FUTURE MEMORIES

TRACK 10: MEMORY OF THE FUTURE