A journey into the patterns of electronic music

INTO THE PATTERN ZONE

Hidden hard-coded routines guarding the system.

BOOT SECTOR PROTECTION

“The track sits right at the crossroads of electronica, EDM, and synthwave, with a vibe that calls to mind late-night journeys and shifting digital landscapes.

The rhythm is built on a tight, pulsing grid, with patterns that evolve slowly, keeping a steady and purposeful tension. The kicks are dry and sharp, while the secondary percussion adds depth and energy without weighing down the structure. The synth takes center stage: layered, modulated, and rich in texture, it paints a soundscape that swings between analog nostalgia and futuristic momentum. Synthetic harmonies weave together with minimal melodic lines, crafting a suspended, cinematic atmosphere” [PARKETTCHANNEL.IT 🇮🇹]

“Great sound, the creative elements are really interesting and create an exciting combination and dynamic! We also really like the uplifting vibes!” [LILA Playlists 🇨🇭]

“Everything sounds rhythmic, well mixed and the artist is imaginative.” [Melodik Records 🇧🇪]

“really liking the snappy and punchy vibe to the song, the instrument selection is cool. particularly liking the lead!” [Rogue VHS 🇬🇧]

“The track definitely has a lot of power” [Midnight Dance Music 🇦🇷]

AUTONOMOUS CODE

INTERRUPT VECTOR

A quantum algorithm shifting formants into expanding waves of sound

DECOMPRESSION ALGORITHM

The gateway track. Opening the path to the electronic maze.

Commands that rewrite the screen while the beam is still drawing it...

MOVE, SKIP, WAIT

Pulsing like a dot-matrix beat, dancing straight out of the '80s.

PRINT TO MEMORY

Is Paula truly gone? Perhaps SID's intervention will bring her back.

PAULA IS DEAD

I was born in Ferrara on September 7, 1973. I’ve always been instinctively drawn to electronic music, but in the ‘80s, musical instruments and keyboards weren’t easily accessible to me due to my humble origins. However, with significant sacrifices, my parents gifted me a Commodore 64 as a reward for moving up to middle school. At that time, I didn’t yet realize it housed what was likely the most advanced lowcost sound chip of the era. But I discovered it soon enough through three unforgettable moments in my childhood.

The first was the music from the game Penetrator, created by Andrian Pertout. For various reasons, that music has stuck with me for 40 years; in fact, you can find a modern version of it on my SoundCloud. The second was the music of International Karate by Rob Hubbard; saying it impressed me doesn’t fully capture a moment that has stayed with me ever since. The third was an interview in Zzap! magazine in September 1986, featuring Ben Daglish (RIP), Rob Hubbard, David Whittaker, and Anthony Crowther. That interview gave me the drive and inspiration to start programming music on the C64. It took about three years before I could produce something listenable, and that demo became a sample I sent to Simulmondo, a software house in Bologna, which contacted me to start a collaboration. This was the beginning of my dream to create music for video games on the Commodore 64.

Over the years, I also collaborated with Ubisoft and Playstos Entertainment. I was known in the PC demo scene by the nickname DustBin, especially as part of the independent, non profit label Charlie Brown Records. With simple searches, you can find almost all my music from that period on Modarchive and similar sites. The demo scene allowed me to form connections and friendships that last to this day, over 20 years later.

From 2009 to 2014, I was the lead singer of one of the most representative bands of the Italian metal scene, Crying Steel, and from 2015 to 2017, I was the frontman of Blindrage, a Power Metal band with a self-titled album that was very well received by critics and fans.

Recently, I’ve decided to revive my SoundCloud page, which had been inactive for several years. I’ll aim to publish everything I’ve composed but never released over the past five years, along with remastered versions from my archive of .XM modules—a popular music format in the demoscene of the ’90s and 2000s.

About the creative process behind Into the Pattern Zone and more:

https://dulaxi.com/exclusive-interview-stefano-palmonari-unveils-edm-album-into-the-pattern-zone/

INTO THE PATTERN ZONE

Stefano Palmonari a.k.a. DustBin