Milio is back on Atomnation with his third full-length Invisible Lands in September 2024. It is the glorious result of an artistic journey in which the Dutchman has discovered new production skills and techniques so he can translate the rich fantasy world of his childhood into a musical form using only analogue sound.
Milio has always been a synth magician who paints with sound. His house music has always been steeped in colour, emotion and great craft, and is often created on-the-fly using analog hardware. In recent times he has impressed with his immersive live show, launched his own label VIAVIA and joined a new group A# with French II, Alberta Balsam and Bastian Benjamin in order to further explore improvised live experiments.
Says the artist, "This album is spatial and points to a certain place, or places, inside. Not all feelings are equally clear to me so music, and where I make it, is vital for investigation and discovery. Some people are very verbal in their emotional expression; I need music. It’s my ultimate safe space where I can tell myself 'here I am, this is me.' It’s an embrace of myself, and I think many people need to embrace themselves more, in whatever way suits them. Once there, I can become part of the people and the places around me. I’m free to connect again. This album is an attempt to instigate the voice that I am currently experiencing emotionally."
The wonderfully tactile Invisible Lands blurs the lines between the surreal and the real. It's a perfect world of gorgeously innocent melody and vibrant colours that conjure up warm feelings and vivid emotions. The gorgeous 'Day in Night' opens with thronging bell hits and glassy melodies that shimmer brightly. 'Confuse Me' has a turbulent undercurrent and thudding kicks. Warped bass and psychedelic sounds wash over you while 'Shaker' is a journeying blend of tribal trance-techno sounds and 'Just Want' brings blissfully innocent keys and chords over a supple broken beat.
'Dimensions in Rhythm' slows to a heavyweight dub crawl with menacing bass and warped, gooey synth leads. 'Sleeping' is a hazy dream world of half-heard vocals and melancholic memories while 'Oase' layers up mellifluous keys and pulsing synths into a world of deep space escapism. The punchy, mind-melting cosmic techno of 'Look Up' is a thrilling tapestry of different textures and energies before closer 'Is This Real' layers up mournful moods and a sense of longing to return to the thrilling adventures that came before.
Invisible Lands comes with original artwork from Koen Taselaar, an accomplished multi-media artist who has held solo exhibitions at Boijmans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam and incorporates puns, wit and psychedelia into his abstract yet colourful work across canvas, ceramics and print.