While working with AI tools   I am dazzled and somehow uneasy with the overall effect of this line of work. Like many other people out there. It is so powerful and develops with lightning speed. Perhaps, we are building for ourselfs a kafkaesque world that we at the same time dread and want to escape? As part of my "Let the old masters talk about AI" series, I explored  what a possible deep fake of Franz Kafka would have to say about this. Let me introduce myself. I am Franz Kafka from Prague. I was asked to explain what people mean if they say that a story or a situation is "Kafkaesque." Although the word “Kafkaesque” is derived from my family name, I feel rather unfit to do the explaining. During my life I was just a subordinate employee of an insurance company. And it was actually not me who invented the term. It was my dear friend, Max Brod. He had promised to burn every page that I had written -  if he survived me. And he did survive me. But he broke his promise. He was the one who published my stories, and he described them as being “Kafkaesque.”Now, while I am physically dead but “immortal” in a broader sense of the word, I started issuing service complaints. I wanted my anonymity and my mortality restored.  I am not that kind of person who is comfortable with an audience or with eternity. But I received no answer. Now, I feel like sitting in front of an unknown authority, adhering to a body of law unwritten or hidden forever. I am issuing service complaint after service complaint. But there is always yet another "service complaint form" or a "next-level support line."  Some avatars ... bots ... What are they? As a former employee of an insurance company, I'm always wanting to ask, "Verify your claim." No claim without "reality." Sometimes, while I lay awake at night, I ponder: this world of artificial intelligence machines that was described to me, cannot be real. How can I talk to a service desk that is only a machine?  Am I wrong? Service desks and machines that talk like humans but do not feel or think anything, is it THAT what my friend Max had in mind when he coined the word

Monologue on becoming Kafkaesque

We are thrilled to welcome Alessandra Toni with her luminous new piece, "Glow" Performed on a Bösendorfer piano, Glow is an uplifting journey, delicately woven with cinematic beauty and expressive serenity. Each note shimmers with grace, inviting listeners into a world of refined nuances. Alessandra, an Italian pianist and composer based in Vienna, brings a unique voice to the neoclassical scene, merging melodic elegance with emotional depth. With a background in music, psychology, and neuroscience, her artistry reflects both intellectual richness and poetic sensitivity.

Woman Muse

Glow

Listen

Notbrian - Back Then

My new single River Calls.

This is the final single before the new album Tired Eyes, Waking Hearts is released 18th July.

Please enjoy this beautiful animated video created by Anna Chocholi https://youtu.be/XOJUH8TnrSw?si=qs2Qk-J9JyalqfyY

I can't wait for you to hear the new album, the limited edition vinyl is still available to pre-order:
https://www.diggersfactory.com/vinyl/326462

Single artwork provided by Daniel Gregory

Strings by David Grubby
Pedal steel guitar by Hamilton Belk

Pre-save

River Calls

Today we welcome Makoto Sawai, a Japanese pianist and composer, to the ad21 family with his beautiful single “Deep Love”. Performed on his own acoustic piano, Deep Love is a gently hypnotic piece that unfolds with a quiet devotion. Its nostalgic and melancholic tones invite listeners to pause, breathe, and journey inward, or perhaps to a distant memory. Let yourself be carried away by this serene and heartfelt composition, now available on all streaming platforms.

Deep Love

Lisren

New EP by Mexican pianist and composer Moab, a hypnotic journey into the depths of emotion. In Lighter than Density, Moab explores serenity and introspection through delicate high notes and rich, resonant chords. Each composition unfolds with quiet contemplation, drawing the listener into a space of subtle refined musicality. A luminous and thoughtful neoclassical experience, now available on all streaming platforms. ad21

Lighter than Density

Majestic

113 - When We're No Longer Really Here

No Horizon
New single released now!
Feat Dame Bardoom from Room Me

Degosseyn - No Horizon

By the Wind Sailor 

Love this new version of my song, performed and produced by the very talented Séamus Mckenna for the album Songs of Land and Sea.





By the Wind Sailor

Stay With Me

Stay

Alfred Dobisch is a multimedia artist from Hamburg, Germany. He employs artificial intelligence systems, studio effects, and hybrid men-machine techniques throughout every stage of his creative process. His songs are often simple. But sometimes they become multidimensional works with many layers of meaning.  His tracks are accompanied by his personal artwork and videos. His musical style is influenced by a multitude of musical genres from all epochs and musical traditions. He frequently uses surreal effects and juxtapositions. You can find both his artist blog and newsletter at www.foolishambition.eu. To get an overview of all his releases, visit his official YouTube artist channel under: https://www.youtube.com/@FoolishAmbition-ais.

Monologue on becoming Kafkaesque

Foolish Ambition