Lawrence Lek

Aidol

Lawrence Lek - Aidol

AIDOL is a CGI fantasy that tells the story of a fading superstar, Diva, who enlists an aspiring AI songwriter to mount a comeback performance at the 2065 eSports Olympic finale. AIDOL revolves around the long and evolving struggle between humanity and Artificial Intelligence. Fame – in all its allure and emptiness – is set against the contradictions of a post-AI world, where originality is just an algorithmic trick and machines have the capacity for love and suffering.

Lawrence’s accompanying soundtrack is a delicate lattice; complex, opaque and entirely synthetic. Diva’s yearning vocals, sung in English and Mandarin, cast classical melodies over billowing, intricately arranged songs. Her voice is created with a Vocaloid voice synthesiser, giving it an uncanny feeling. Her confessional lyrics draw empathy from the listener, as she reveals her fears of becoming an irrelevant influencer, obsolete in a machine-driven age. The instrumental tracks of the album, produced together with composer Seth Scott, are elegiac and beautiful, hybridising the classic film score, folding in patterns from game soundtracks, vaporwave, and ambient fourth world music.

Electronix Soundtrack
LP Hyperdub: HDBLP054