Cinema NDN: Dash Berlin Channels "The Matrix" for Colossal Remix of Steve Aoki's "Closer To God" [Premiere]

Friday, May 22, 2020

Dash Berlin Channels "The Matrix" for Colossal Remix of Steve Aoki's "Closer To God" [Premiere]

Go deeper into the world of the neon future.

When two of the top producers in the industry come together on a track, you know magic is in the works. This was the case when Steve Aoki passed the production baton to Dash Berlin to remix the opening track of his Neon Future IV album, titled "Closer to God." The new rework is featured in Aoki's huge remix package for the album, which dropped today.

"Closer to God" serves as the prologue to the journey Aoki launches us on, welcoming us back into his futuristic world. It starts with the opening monologue, delivered in haunting, mechanical fashion, explaining that in the neon future, "we are searching into the unknown, exploring an ever-expanding frontier, trying to find answers to understand hope." Dash Berlin then adds in a bright, rapidly-building piano chord progression, opening up the soundscape, as he does best. As the monologue concludes, the pumping synths engulf the senses, preparing us for the epic, heart-racing drop.

“Honored to have remixed ‘Closer To God’ that features actual Neon Future captain Steve Aoki vocals, explaining a Neon Future most of us can relate to," said Dash Berlin in an exclusive quote provided to EDM.com "Funny story during the making of the remix is that I was re-watching the whole 'Matrix' trilogy which absolutely helped me to get into the right mindset. Happy with the powerful and banging beat structure combined with soaring layers of sweeping captivating synths perfectly matching Steve’s prophetic vocals. I can’t wait to play it!”

Steve Aoki also provided an exclusive quote to EDM.com in which he rhapsodized about the original track and remix. "Closer to God is a very special song to Neon Future IV. It sets the tone for the entire series of Neon Future in the voice of Kita Sovee, a cyborg from the future," said Aoki. "He explains where we are going, and as a species, we will not stop until we open every door of every mystery laying in front of us. In essence, I thought Dash Berlin was a perfect producer to tackle this because of his incredible melodies and sound that defines his music. He really amped up the drops and sunk this one deep in the amygdala of our brains."

Aoki is sailing off the high of the overwhelming praise he received from the Neon Future IV project. The collaboration-heavy album featured a spectrum of artists ranging from Travis Barker to Matthew Koma across its scintillating 27 tracks. Last month he got a group of these collaborators together for a dinner party live stream, which is part of a series, sharing memories, swapping stories, and discussing current events. He also recently announced he was working on new music under an entirely new alias. Stay tuned for further updates as Aoki's forthcoming plans continue to unfold.

Check out the full Neon Future IV remix package here.