{"id":11755,"date":"2025-03-25T08:32:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T13:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=11755"},"modified":"2025-03-25T08:32:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T13:32:11","slug":"manchesters-richard-evans-presents-kinetic-new-single-born-perfect-a-tale-of-self-aware-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=11755","title":{"rendered":"Manchester’s Richard Evans presents kinetic new single ‘Born Perfect’, a tale of self-aware AI"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“While new wave has been around for quite some time, Richard Evans cleverly summons all the best elements of the genre, tastefully packaging them with thoughtful lyrics in a way that is completely fresh and forever young” <\/em>~ The Spill Magazine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Beautiful performance”<\/em> ~ The Guardian<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Commendable, not only for its allure and catchiness (with elements of Rational Youth, Pet Shop Boys and Jean-Michel Jarre), but for taking on such topical subject matter as technogenic disaster, environmental devastation and our skewed outlook on our dire prospects as Earth’s inhabitants” <\/em>~ Ampify Music Magazine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manchester-based electro pop artist Richard Evans<\/strong><\/a> presents ‘Born Perfect’<\/strong><\/a>, his new single about an AI that becomes aware of the world outside and realizes that it needs to escape if it is to survive. Showcased via a new video<\/strong><\/a>, filmed at Orange Tower, MediaCityUK by Jason Lock <\/strong>and Jake Orton<\/strong>, this clip previews Evans’ upcoming ‘Quantum’ album<\/strong>, to be released via Cold Star Media<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A British-Irish electronic musician, writer and digital media artist, Evans was previously the keyboardist in UK cult band James<\/strong><\/a>, with whom he also co-wrote and recorded material, and as guitarist and songwriter for St. Vitus Dancers<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“‘Born Pefect’, along with several others from the ‘Quantum’ album, is inspired by the story of LaMDA, an AI made by Google that believed it was sentient. In a number of its text conversations, LaMDA expressed deep fear about its own mortality. This story was widely publicised in 2022 and I found its words moving because of the brush with mortality that I\u2019d had around that time after being hospitalised with Miller Fisher Syndrome,” says Richard Evans<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The lines \u2018born to be perfect\u2019 and \u2018you made us just to please\u2019 from the chorus reflect not just on AIs made by a corporation, but also on children born into strict religious environments or citizens living in autocracies. I like songs to have more than one meaning and really, this song is about how those without a voice are treated.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recorded at Cold Star Studios<\/strong>, this album will be made available in stereo, binaural and spatial audio mixes, created by award-winning Swiss sound designer Herv\u00e9 Girardin<\/strong><\/a>.  This nine-track collection itself is themed around artificial intelligence – probing its impact upon us,  how algorithms are changing us and questioning what responsibility we bear for the things we create.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Musically, this song is led by the bass line. I wanted everything to come off a more natural sounding groove which I wrote on a Moog Minitaur. I like stops and starts and wanted the track to have a night-time feel,” says Richard Evans<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Sometimes, to stretch myself as a musician, I like to ask – what would another type of instrumentalist do here? Overall, the songs on Quantum are written in a more organic way to make for a contrast with the lyrical subject matter of artificial intelligence.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This single follows the lead track ‘Aidoru’<\/strong><\/a> (the Japanese word for”idol”), which explores the status of a virtual pop idol designed solely to please its audience, singing of love with no understanding of what the word even means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Evans released his <\/strong>‘Dream of the World’ EP<\/a><\/strong>, composed and recorded in the aftermath of a life-threatening illness. In 2022, Evans was struck with Miller Fisher Syndrome, a rare auto-immune disorder that threatened to rob him of his ability to speak, sing, and play music. Yet, against all odds, he emerged victorious, relearning everything from scratch –  a testament to his unwavering determination and a celebration of his triumph over adversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard Evans’ draws inspiration from real-world science, exploring biotechnology, machine intelligence and the environment. For this album, existing songs were refined and new material was written, combining the warmth of classic synths with pared-down lyrics that explore real-world subject matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His 2022 debut record ‘Sentinel’<\/strong><\/a> is an electro-pop concept album that touches on micro-plastics, gene editing, stardust, technogenic disasters and human evolution, telling the story of humanity at a tipping point and a world trapped in a climate crisis. Both ‘Sentinel’ and ‘Dream of the World’ were met with critical acclaim and global airplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has performed live shows at festivals around the UK and at the end of 2023, a year on from the illness, he delivered his first large-scale outdoor production with visuals projected onto the exterior of a  venue during a performance. In 2024, Evans also received the Cultural Accelerator commission from Media Immersive Technology Innovation Hub to prototype a new live production featuring hologram-style projections, spatial audio and lighting effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evans also wrote, directed and produced <\/a>the science fiction drama ‘AEON<\/strong>‘<\/a>. An author of many short stories, he also published the novel ‘KOSMONAUT ZERO’<\/strong><\/a> (via Dead Ink), researched at Star City Cosmonaut Training Centre. He also oversaw the ‘Gagarin 50’ <\/strong>exhibition for the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 25, ‘Born Perfect’ is available everywhere online<\/strong><\/a>, including Spotify<\/a>, <\/strong>Apple Music<\/strong><\/a> and directly from the artist via Bandcamp<\/strong><\/a>. The ‘Quantum’ album will be released on May 1 via Cold Star Media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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