Argy blends classical and modern musical elements to create a melodic techno album on Afterlife that tells the story of a New World being born.
The nature of melodic techno, typically moody, slow-burning, and meticulously composed and designed, pairs well with equally well-crafted visuals, creating one of the most unforgettable live show experiences that dance music offers. Tale of Us-fronted record label Afterlife has championed some incredible releases from many of the genre’s best, but has been very picky about the full length albums they’ve let grace the label. Enter Argyris Theofilis, better known as Argy.
The veteran producer has been praised for years now, and rightfully so. Since he was 20 years old, Argy has played worldwide in some of the most renowned clubs from Berlin to Ibiza. After his second solo album, The Interior Journey, on the acclaimed Renaissance Records, had 2021’s smash hit “Ketuvim,” he started releasing anthem after anthem on Afterlife, becoming a label staple and standing tall.
Argy’s recent accolades include multiple Beatport chart-topping tracks and a BBC Radio 1 Essential mix. In the coming weeks, he will also perform in the Swiss Alps for Cercle and appear at Ultra Music Festival and EDC Las Vegas. But after years of refining his sound even more, he has a sonic treat up his sleeve, his latest studio album out now on Afterlife: New World. Give it a spin on Spotify or your preferred platform, and read on for a deeper dive into its tracks.
Stream Argy – New World on Spotify:
Take your seats because the New World opera is about to start.
For as long as recorded history has remembered, there’s always been an explanation in various faiths of their gods’ labor in creating Earth. Many creation myths become engrained into cultures as plays, epics, and operas. New World sees Argy, alongside his chosen pantheon of fellow producers and companions, act as gods to shape his world meticulously, with nothing left to chance in this melodic techno opera.
The curtain rises, and the opening act begins as Argy stretches out his arms and molds New World in his hands.
First, Argy enlists the help of Son of Son on the opening track, “Faust.” It’s a suitable title for the legend of the beginning of a new world. The opera Faust is based on the German legend of the same name, about a scholar making a deal with the devil for unlimited knowledge in exchange for his soul. The operatic chanting in the chant really adds to the drama of this introduction, which also comes through in the rest of the album.
Argy breathes deeply and exhales as the world takes shape, giving air and sound to the planet with another appropriately named anthem alongside Omnya, “Aria.” While this was more than capable of breathing life into festival sets and crowds last year as a sought-after ID on the album, it feels like the first sign of life forming in Argy’s New World.
Next, one must ask: “If gods cannot be perceived, can they be real?”
On “Higher Power,” Argy brings sun and light into his New World. Teaming up with arguably an artist as big as the sun in Anyma, whose debut solo album on Afterlife was one of the highlights of melodic techno last year, and a rising bright light in the scene, MAGNUS, the trinity dazzles here. An uplifting and anthemic collaboration perfectly encapsulates the range melodic techno has at its best, the trio answers that question decisively: “Even if gods are not seen, they are felt. They shine like the sun in a dark world.”
Clouds form, thunder breaks, and the sky opens with life-giving rain as the opera enters its next act.
Argy enlists Avtook label heads Goom Gum on “Pantheon,” a track that evolves from a gentle rain to a raging storm, finally turning into a flood emphatic enough to fill the rivers, lakes, and oceans of New World. While Argy has his fellow gods to embark on this undertaking, he’s more than capable of delivering on his own. We now have water, sunlight, and air, the growth of flora.
“Wilderness” sees Argy grow lushness on New World, it begins slow and steady, with the robotic chant “Reclaim. All. The Wilderness” seemingly ordering the plant life to grow. Yet, this isn’t a garden of Eden: these are untamed wilds. The 303 synths that appear near the middle of this solo outing showcase the duality of nature at its rawest; both can be gently beautiful and single-minded enough to be aggressive if not mindful.
One of the biggest tracks of Argy’s career brings New World to completion.
With the monstrous “Tibet,” alongside ARTBAT and Zafrir, we finally see the humans of New World emerging from the fires of creation to reach the summit of Argy’s world, beautifully shaped in their god’s image, ritually chanting to their creator. While two years old at this point, this track doesn’t feel anywhere near as old as it should, especially in the context of the album.
The album’s end is named after the home of the tallest peak in the world, representing a place humans have believed they can meet their gods should they ascend it, thus ascending to godhood themselves and completing the journey to divinity. With this, the curtain closes for the finale, with a track that already seems to stand the test of time in melodic techno.
As the opera ends and flowers are thrown, we look toward the future of this New World.
Argy has done with New World what many in dance music aspire to do with their albums: craft a cohesive vision that demonstrates the range of their production capabilities yet feels like one composed piece. It feels classical in how it comes together, with each track acting as a movement in the larger body of work, stories in a larger tapestry.
While most of Argy’s catalog post-The Interior Journey is included in this album, they act as different aspects of life for the story told, giving each some familiarity and a sense of renewal mixed in amongst the new offerings as the mythology of New World is woven.
For a scene shifting from albums to one centered on singles and ID chasing, New World demonstrates that the long-form album won’t die with this.
It is possible to balance classical album composition with modern dance music trends, and when executed properly, a new realm of possibilities can be born. Yes, Argy’s New World is just that: the mythology of a new world of dance music: one where the individual movements of an album can be peak-time festival moments over the course of years yet still sound fresh and new when put together as part of a bigger picture.
While the star-studded pantheon of artists adds to the lore of New World, this is all a creation from the mind of one of melodic techno’s brightest over the years, the god of New World, Argy. With this, there is a multiverse just waiting to be created and mythology to be written both from the Greek producer and in the realm of dance music going forward.
Argy – New World – Tracklist:
- Faust (with Son of Son)
- No One’s Coming (with Weekend Heroes)
- Aria (with Omnya)
- All Day Long
- Collision
- Dreamstates
- Higher Power (with Anyma and MAGNUS)
- GURU
- Pantheon (with Goom Gum)
- Wilderness
- Talk To Me (with Weekend Heroes)
- Mental Powers
- Tataki
- Tibet (with ARTBAT and Zafrir)
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