Welcome to the world of Rob Astor! I lead a double life. On one hand, I write science fiction. On the other, I compose and record New Age/Electronica music. Currently, you can find two of my stories up on the Internet. The first is a story about transformation and self-discovery. It's entitled "The Mirror Crack'd" and can be found at TwistedShift.com. Heres the link: http://twistedshift.com/twistedshopping/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=13 Or simply visit TwistedShift.com and select Just Plain Twisted on the left. From there, scroll down to find the story. For only $1.99, its a good read. The second story is called "Separation" featuring a character based upon and inspired by my sister Maryann. It appears in the May 2006 issue of Silver Moon Magazine located here: http://www.silvermoonmag.com As a musician, I'm a solo artist working with keyboards and computer technology, and an occasional collaboration. I sound like a cross between Tangerine Dream, Spencer Nilsen, Spyro Gyra, Cusco, Mars Lasar, Zach Davids, Vangelis, Biosphere, James Horner, Ken Davis, David Arkenstone, Wendy Carlos, Norm Orenstein, and Liquid Mind. More recently, I can also include John Williams, Heart, and Lana Lane to those sound influences. I have recorded and released two CDs, MARSTROPOLIS and QUADRANGULAR OSCILLATIONS. Currently, Im recording music for the SimMars video game (of SimCity popularity). So far, ten of my tracks have been chosen for inclusion. I've also contributed music to films and one documentary. There's also three musical projects in my near future; BEYOND MARSTROPOLIS which features some of the video game music, XENOPHOBIA which is my third CD, and RAHU which will include a number of unreleased tracks and outtakes from previous recording sessions. Look for all three later this year. Check my webpage often. http://www.myspace.com/soloartistrobastor I update my blogs with news about once a week and I occasionally switch out my tracks to preview brand new ones. I'm always open to suggestion, so, let me know what you think! * * * MARSTROPOLIS CD Liner Notes This double CD came about in a highly unusual way. I was browsing the Internet one night looking for video game cheat codes and ran across a site where a group of people are making another version of this game. Soon, I discovered they were looking for people to work on it; everyone from graphics to sound, design to testing, and music. At that moment in time, the Muses sprinkled their magic gold dust over me. This is the only way I know how to describe it. I was instantly inspired and began writing and recording. The result of this massive infusion of inspiration is the album MARSTROPOLIS, which took one month to the day for me to complete. The CDs are packed full of tunes ranging through a wide variety of styles. You will find New Age, Trance, Dance, Techno, World, Jazz Fusion, Rock & Roll, and combinations of all the mentioned styles. Even though the music is instrumental, there's something here for everyone. Below is a fictional look at a story of Mars, set in the future, with each track representing a part of the story. While you listen to the tracks, immerse yourself in this virtual, future world. Take in the sights and the sounds. Be sure to visit often. Once will never be enough. Welcome To MARSTROPOLIS You have stepped into the future, a future where the planet Mars has not only been colonized, but has become an independent society. As you step off the landing platform of your transport shuttle, you find yourself inside a busy spaceport connected to cities under protective domes. The surface of Mars is spotted with many a sprawling megalopolis, thriving and flourishing. Gleaming buildings a kilometer tall stretch into the sky. Lanes of traffic float over streets. Even though this isn't Earth, or it's moon, the feel is the same. People hurry off to jobs, they shop, eat, visit parks and beaches, or head home to houses constructed of geodesic domes; everything people normally do, simply set on another planet. The music you will find in this collection was inspired by an idea for a video game. Allow yourself to be transported to a world much like home and feel your way through many styles and rhythms. Use your imagination to unlock the many awaiting pleasures. Enjoy your stay in MARSTROPOLIS. Rob Astor MARSTROPOLIS © 2005 By Rob Astor All tracks composed, arranged, performed, recorded, and produced by Rob Astor. CD Number 1 Red City Beat Your journey within MARSTROPOLIS begins here. After leaving the spaceport, you will find yourself in a bustling city, sometimes larger than New York City, Los Angeles, and Tokyo combined. All around you, there is routine activity; passing hovercars, delivery trucks, pedestrians with jetpacks, launching and landing transport ships. You will find commercial districts, tall buildings, superhighways, hotels, restaurants, parks, beaches; anything you can possibly imagine or need. Mars enjoys prosperous times, having been independent from Earth for several decades. Much like any major city on Earth, it's a busy place! Quasi-Satellites Sometimes, a comet or an asteroid strays to close to a larger body, causing it to take up an interacting orbit. The object will waltz around the larger body for a period of time before returning to its path around the sun. Years later, the object will draw near once again and stay for just a little while, repeating this process. Earth has one known such quasi-satellite, a part of an Apollo mission, man-made space debris wrenched into an orbit around the sun, returning every twenty-one years or so to interact with Earth. With travel from Earth between Mars and Jupiter commonplace, there are many stray pieces of machinery trapped in interacting orbits. Jupiter has also captured a number of small asteroids, some of them caught in these wildly tumbling circuits. Techno Industry Mars is home to a powerful and growing industry. The electronics boom has reached into every facet of daily life. From helmet-like headsets used to browse the Hypernet and view programming from the Holo-Entertainment Network, to portable music players and computers, to the robots manufactured to tend to homes, to the navigational devices used in all forms of transportation. Mars is to civilization what Silicon Valley once was to the computer industry. 5 Radons Please No, no, no. Gibberish isn't the second language on Mars. A Radon, the standard form of currency on the red planet, is the equivalent of the Japanese Yen, the Russian Ruble, the European Union's Euro, and the American Dollar. The cost of catching an Air Bus, taking a Hover-Ferry, or parking your vehicle is often five Radons in MARSTROPOLIS. So, the first time you hear someone say, "Five Radons, please," you'll know they aren't speaking nonsense. A Clear Night In Star City Star City is home to Mars' publishing industry. Easily, this gem of Martian society is one of the best places to advance your education. Romance and creativity breed ideas for a prosperous future. A brand new genre of superhero stories was born here. One such story, recently made into a Holo-Entertainment flick, features a flight sequence through a quiet city night, high over the buildings while the pair of lovers remark of the beauty of the city, and its peacefulness, at this altitude. Take a ride in a hovercar and swoon through majestically glowing hyperscrapers, illuminating Star City in a wash of crystal light. Head out over the harbor and catch the stars reflecting off the water, mixed with the glowing reflection of the city's structures on gently rippling water. Gemini Delta The Gemini Delta was first settled when the Valles Marineris Terraforming Project was launched. Twin deltas at the head of the valley allow the passage of the Mariner River, making this a prime spot for shipping. Old-fashioned riverboats paddle at leisurely speeds, transporting goods to other newly formed settlements. Positioned just south of Rigel Center, Gemini Delta boasts of an ethnic culture similar to New Orleans on Earth. Jazz Fusion is the popular form of music, and Martian Coniac flows as easy as the water in summertime. Many people fondly remember the days when a club called The Monkey Down was the city's hotspot and where a little know Jazz singer named Janet Jetson got her start. Falling Up The world of sleep and dreams has always been a part of human kind. There have always been dreams more common than others. For example, dreaming of flying, or being nude in public are dreams everyone has had at some point in their lives. On Mars, a new class of dreams is emerging, a phenomena accredited to human exploration and expansion into the farther reaches of the solar system. Basically, the dream is of falling up into the sky. Dreamers find themselves laying on their backs looking at stars, or going about daily business only to find themselves drifting upward, floating between the giant hyperscrapers of the cities, until they are far above the planet and flying between stars. Psychologists attribute this to the human desire to continue pushing their limits and to develop distant worlds, and literally reach for the stars as it becomes more and more possible, and likely, mankind will one day touch them. Copernicus Museum Nicolaus Copernicus, long considered the father of modern astronomy, is best remembered for his Copernican Theory, placing the Sun at the center of the known universe, as opposed to the Earth. The vast majority of his contemporaries considered Copernicus' Heliostatic Cosmology implausible, however, his most notable defenders included Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei. Isaac Newton's Theory Of Universal Gravitation provided strong theoretical underpinning for the Copernican Theory. Without a Sun-centered solar system, travel in space would have been impossible as known in modern times. Dedicated to the history of astronomy and space exploration in general, MARSTROPOLIS is home to the complex aviary-like structures that make up the Copernicus Museum. There are giant telescopes on display, and in use, as well as replicas of various space probes and launch vehicles. There is also a haunting tribute to the victims of the Epsilon Queen disaster, created from debris recovered from the asteroid belts. A monolithic metal slab bears the names and faces of those passengers and crew who perished decades ago. Rigel Center This is one of MARSTROPOLIS' major melting pot ethnic centers. You will find people of every nationality and decent, creating a cultural tapestry invaluable to Mars' future heritage. Canopusopolis Carina Welcome to the finest, most posh and luxurious resort getaway destination in MARSTOPOLIS. From its spacious suites, to its glittering pools, casino, and the absolute most delicious food found anywhere in the inhabited solar system, the Canopusopolis Carina will make your visit the most memorable experience imaginable. The staff is ready to serve you any time of the day or night. New Pompeii New Pompeii is a lovely settlement constructed with an Old World Italian flavoring imported from Earth. Sun-bleached buildings and columns surround spacious green parks, grape vineyards and delicate shorelines. Within its dome, citizens of New Pompeii lead simpler lives and lead them in quieter times, by choice and by seclusion from the more massive metropolises. This small city rests at the base of Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano known in the solar system. The view is spectacularly breath taking from within the city limits. There are also daily expeditions to the mountain's summit, as well as specialized mountain climbing groups. New Pompeii is becoming a popular getaway destination where Martian vacationers come to relax and unwind. Tragedy Of The Epsilon Queen In MARSTROPOLIS, the name Epsilon Queen is synonymous with the name Titanic. When space tourism was brand new, lanes opened between Mars and the Jupiter Colonies, to promote the expansion of civilization. Travel companies invested in a new breed of luxury starships, not unlike ocean liners back on Earth, and began offering cruises to Jupiter. The Epsilon Queen was the first large vessel to use sub-light pulse-fusion engines, a newer technology allowing ships to reach Jupiter in a fraction of the time it took previous crossings. While making one of it transits, the Epsilon Queen experienced navigational difficulties crossing the main asteroid belt nearest Jupiter. Complicating matters, the pulse-fusion engines were pushed to maximum thrust, compromising the ship's structural integrity, something that had been a calculated risk when building these large craft. The sub-light thrusters broke free and blasted their way through the interior, disintegrating the Epsilon Queen. When rescuers reached the ship's last point of contact, all that remained were shredded and pummeled debris. Much like the Titanic, the Epsilon Queen created a demand for higher safety standards, being the single worst space accident in the history of mankind. In the wake of the massive tragedy, hundreds of tests were conducted before sub-light engines were again used to take tourists to the Jupiter Colonies. And, much like the century after the Titanic, a number of highly popular stories were written and produced about the Epsilon Queen. The most enduring of these productions is what can best be described as an Avant Garde Opera continuing to enjoy success in MARSTROPOLIS, playing eight shows in six days at the Grand Metropolitan Opera Theatre. It is a Martial cultural staple every tourist plans for in his or her itinerary. Walking Winds Even though Mars' atmosphere is tenuous compared to Earth's, there are many weather patterns to contend with, often in the form of sandstorms. Some periodically envelop the entire planet. However, if you take an excursion beyond the cities on a warm clear day, you may find an abundance of Martian Dust Devils. Pharaoh's Garden A few of Mars' smaller cities were once under the rule of royalty before democracy became the leading form of government. Styling a kingdom like the ancient Egyptians of Earth, one ruler, a Pharaoh, created a sprawling garden next to a popular tourist beach under the constant vigil of a pyramid. The gardens contain the most rare plants bread on Mars, as well as cultivated in the Jupiter Colonies. The Pharaoh also recreated the fabulous hanging gardens of Ancient Babylon. Over one hundred years after its creation, Pharaoh's Garden remains one of the most visited tourist destinations on Mars. Dome'ville "Good morning MARSTROPOLIS! It's another beautiful day in the city. Plenty of sunshine with temperatures expected to top out in the mid-seventies. There's a little congestion from the morning rush hour commute out on the Pathfinder Super Expressway heading to Dome'ville, but nothing to worry about. Grab a cup of hot Martian Java and keep it tuned right here on KSIM Radio for the best music to get your busy day underway. Here's the latest from Janet Jetson." This is what you might hear listening to the airwaves during a busy workweek some morning as the sun glitters through the city's protective dome. The first major colonies were often called "Dome'ville". The archaic slang term is now used to identify some of the more affluent shopping plazas and busy industrial parks, some of which reside in separate, smaller domes placed around the perimeter of the larger city center. Once inside them, you actually feel the heartbeat of Mars' thriving civilization and seemingly never ending development. Cyberflix Much like Hollywood, California on Earth, MARSTROPOLIS has a booming entertainment industry. The Holo-Entertainment Network is one of the single largest corporations in the solar system, offering domestic programming, music, games, and movies, all in three-dimensional holograms. Earth produces a large share while Mars is easily surpassing with their output. Newest to the entertainment scene are the Jupiter Colonies. With technology making the process of creating quality material simple and much more inexpensive to produce than in decades past, the single largest share of the industry is now ruled by independent filmmakers. It's easy to see your favorite actor or actress in a Hollywood style flick, and then catch them in a popular flick produced by someone relatively unknown to the industry proper. The same is true for music. Where once unknowns had no chance of exposure and success, now there is an outlet available to everyone. Galaxy Groove The newest dance craze to sweep through Martian nightclubs is as easy to learn as "The Twist" was a few hundred years ago on Earth. Spin around with your arms placed like the spiral arms of a galaxy and, at the right time, thrust your hips from side-to-side. See, wasn't that easy? It's the latest rave. All the young people are doing it! Holographic Nightclub (Dance Of The Boytaurs) Put on your finest neon, as in lights, and visit one of the most popular nightspots MARSTROPOLIS has to offer, the Holographic Nightclub. Here you will find people dancing to percussion heavy music all night long. Some patrons take the extra expense to have holographic projections added to their bodies, to transform them in some unique way. You might find yourself dancing or drinking with a small dinosaur, or someone with an extra set of arms or legs. At first, the experience is completely bizarre. Once you get used to it, and once you realize the imagination is limitless, all of the strangeness around you will ease into second nature. (There is a private joke that goes with this track I want to share with you. I was writing a science fiction short story at the time I was recording MARSTROPOLIS where there is such a place as the Holographic Nightclub existing in the world of dreams. In one scene, there's a male character with an extra set of legs; a "Boytaur", like a Centaur from Greek Mythology; who does a dance. After I finished this track, and every time I listened to it, I kept thinking of the scene in this story. It would crack me up. Adding "Dance Of The Boytaurs" to the title felt natural, and quirky. Chalk it up to good imagination.) Trans Polaris Trade between Earth, the Jupiter Colonies, and MARSTROPOLIS wouldn't be possible to a large extent without the enormous contributions of Mars' premier delivery company, Trans Polaris. Whether it's food, textiles, or building materials, Trans Polaris lives up to its slogan to, "Take your world to the stars." In fact, a long running commercial on domestic channels of the Holo-Entertainment Network contains one of those advertising jingles almost impossible to get out of your head once you've heard it. "Waiting for my love, oh where can she be? She left home yesterday to come be with me. Waiting for my love, oh where can she be? I'm counting on Trans Polaris to make a delivery." At the end of the commercial, a young lady pops up out of a box with a dozen fresh red roses and wraps her arms around her man, who smiles and gives a thumbs-up to the Trans Polaris delivery person. You've seen it? Now that you've been reminded, you'll probably have that song stuck in your head all day long! Race To Northpoint Station At the height of the Martian summer, there is an exciting race born of Mars. Beginning in MARSTROPOLIS, competitors fly electromagnetically charged hyperpulsion hover vehicles across open plains, through rift valleys and craters, and across the frozen carbon dioxide northern polar cap to Northpoint Station, an isolated military outpost and target destination of the event. Fans who flock from all across civilized space are as rabid as Earth-based NASCAR fans in their loyal following. Merchandisers make a decade's wages during this weeklong gathering. However, the race isn't for the faint of heart or the inexperienced. Situations get dicey real quick when you run out of space and face crashing into a jagged canyon wall. It's a dangerous competition where many brave men and women have lost their lives for the thrill. The most seasoned of veteran racers have nothing but the utmost respect for fellow racers. This year's circuit has been extended to include a leg through Valles Marineris, adding five thousand kilometers and two days to the statistical tally. Sponsors are eagerly making preparations for a similar race across the icy crust of Jupiter's Galilean Satellite, Europa. As a special treat and added bonus this year, the Martian National Anthem will be performed by none other than Miss Janet Jetson. CD Number 2 Janet Jetson Meet the leading musical superstar of the 2250s, Janet Jetson. Often, Miss Jetson emulates the music of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century pop star Janet Jackson. Selling out arenas with her catchy songs and flashy entourage of dancers, Janet is Mars' top concert industry attraction. Her popularity has grown to the point where she draws in devoted fans from both Earth and the Jupiter Colonies. There is a staying power in her style you will instantly notice when you tune into the Holo-Entertainment Network. No matter what century it is, people like fun, feel-good music. Janet Jetson delivers. According to her publicist, after recording a new album this winter, Miss Jetson plans to do her first world tour of Earth next year with follow-up dates on the moon, a world tour of Mars, and make one stop in the Jupiter Colonies. Whew! She'll complete the first ever tour of the civilized solar system! Millennium 3.5 Artificial Intelligence abounds on Mars. Many of the structures and technologies couldn't have been built and developed without their contributions. Like humans, A.I.s like to unwind after stressful workweeks. Some have taken up musical composition as a hobby or even as a second profession. In fact, A.I. music has become a popular nightclub staple and was recently given its own place within the Interplanetary Electronic Arts Celebration held every summer in MARSTROPOLIS. Technical Dyslexia Because there are so many opportunities for employment in the field of electronics on Mars, medical science has identified a new pre-existing condition in people who are exposed to too much new technology too quickly. Without the proper training, anyone will feel intimidated by the complex holographic computer systems commonplace in modern society. When someone is brand new to certain computer functions, or is unable to comprehend what they're doing with the equipment, they are said to have Technical Dyslexia. Not to worry; in most people, Technical Dyslexia is temporary and passes once they understand their gadgets. We find it laughable now, however, on Earth in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, there were people who couldn't program a computerized clock on their entertainment devices. Obviously, Technical Dyslexia is a condition born of the electronics age. Take The X Train Becoming an industrial super power, Mars leads the way in innovative technologies. Mining at the northern and southern polar caps feeds raw materials to the equatorial settlements. Using electromagnetic rail guns and vacuum tubes, the X Train can reach a speed fifty times faster than the Bullet Train back on twenty-first century Earth. It's possible for Martian residents to live in the warmer climate of the equator and commute to lucrative jobs located in the far reaches of Mars' northern and southern hemispheres. Comparatively, the X Train on Earth would enable someone to live in Los Angeles and work in New York City. Commute time? A mere matter of minutes. Next Stop, Europa Second only to MARSTROPOLIS, the fastest growing population centers in the solar system are the Jupiter Colonies. Often, people seeking challenge will leave the cradle of the red planet and take up residence in the colder regions of civilized space. The work available is grueling, however, the money to be made is astronomical. Once shielding strong enough to deflect Jupiter's deadly magnetic fields was developed in conjunction with the MARSTROPOLIS University, the first settlements at Jupiter were constructed on the icy surface of Europa. Mining operations proved valuable with the excavation of ice and raw materials deposited within Europa's deep glaciers by meteorites. Ice was transported to Mars, where it remains a leading trade commodity. Establishments were soon constructed on two of Jupiter's other Galilean moons, Callisto and Ganymede. These small collections of cities are growing rapidly, developing their own unique technologies for survival, and weaving the fabric of their own individual cultures. Currently, MARSTROPOLIS enjoys being recognized as the hub of human civilization and the prime place to live in the solar system. It's estimated that in as little as two hundred and fifty years, the Jupiter Colonies will hold this coveted title. The dependency of such growth here in this part of space will ultimately depend on humanity's next established outpost, the colonization of frigid Titan, Saturn's largest satellite. Tholos Restored In ancient Greece, Tholos was home of the temple of Athena Pronaia, Goddess Of Wisdom. A replicated version has been constructed on Mars, in honor of mankind's achievements, and to remind everyone civilizations can exist in peace and prosper through mutual cooperation, something Athena would applaud. As you walk through the marble structure flanked with towering columns and gaze up at the magnificent statue clad in gold overlay, you might hear distant sounds, almost musical in nature, awakening and heightening your mind. Ambient Wonder Something truly wonderful has been discovered on Mars. No one knows yet how to classify it. A mammoth crystal, glowing softly from some inner and unknown source, was recently excavated and taken to the MARSTROPOLIS Research Center. Rumor has it scientists studying this treasure have discovered sound waves emanating from within. What's more, the patterns are repetitive and intelligent. Flooding Valles Marineris Terraforming has worked on a local level. Scientists set up a massive dome over parts of Valles Marineris, enclosing it from the carbon dioxide atmosphere. Bio-engineered algae brought oxygen to the local atmosphere. After decades of work, a brand new ecosystem is born. In Valles Marineris, rain falls for the first time in perhaps millions of years on Mars, bringing life giving nitrates to the planet's red soil. Temple Of Red Spirituality is an important part of the lives of those who live in MARSTROPOLIS. They have much to be thankful for in these prosperous times. Seated at the edge of the MARSTROPOLIS Botanical Gardens, a mammoth temple, carved from granite and marble, welcomes every religion and every denomination thereof. The temple's doors are always open. Services are held every day of the week to accommodate the busy schedules of temple members. Community activities on the temple grounds are year round celebrations and include ethnic festivals, carnivals, and family picnics. Ideally located near many nearby parks and recreation centers, congregation members also plan for activities within the greater society. Legend Of Neith In Earth's ancient past, one of the most incredible legends was handed down by Plato; the enigmatic story of Atlantis. Plato heard the story from a Priest in Solon, Egypt, where he was told the Greeks no longer remembered their own distant past. The story of Atlantis was related to Plato, as inscribed on a column. Here, an interesting cross between the religions of the Greeks and the Egyptians was also relayed to Plato. The same goddess who founded the city of Solon was also the same goddess who founded Athens. In Egypt, she was known as Neith. In Greece, she was known as Athena. The story of Atlantis remains shrouded in mystery and mythology, right into modern times. The Philosophy Department at MARSTROPOLIS University often speculates on how Martian civilization will be remembered in the millennia to come. Will mankind be given credit for the founding of civilization on another world, or will the story grow over hundreds of generations to the point where, much like the Ancient Greeks, memory will be lost? Instead of gods and goddesses, it's often thought by the Philosophy Department that the colonization of the solar system will be accredited to some extraterrestrial culture, because every era has popular mythologies and this era is filled with stories of flying saucers and secret alien contact. Arcology City Within the last five decades, the population of Mars has almost doubled. In an attempt to house the population, massive self-contained cities called Arcologies were developed and built within the densest heart of MARSTROPOLIS. They benefit society in every way by supplying services to the city, such as power, water purification, and help curb a growing trash problem through a recycling program with a ninety percent success rate. Arcologies provide MARSTROPOLIS with a larger tax base, making it possible to fund the many civic centers and annually held events as well as cover operating costs. They also bring revenue to commerce and provide jobs to residents throughout the region. The dense bulk of an Arcology often gleams like stainless steel, their round towers capped with transparent domes housing parks and lakes. Some even have a doughnut-like glass ring enclosing forests, providing valuable oxygen to the environment. Stately and majestic, Arcologies, when they were first introduced, were dark and foreboding structures. People feared them and the residents they housed. Period fiction often reflected those fears with stories of mutated inhabitants, sometimes kidnapping children, or killing otherwise unsuspecting people. An old school yard rhyme from those early times happily chanted the line, "All the mutants live in Dark Arco City". In modern times, no one gives a second thought to such silly notions. In fact, the next generation of Arcology is being developed to house small civilizations in space. It's strongly hinted this variation will be the first form of interstellar travel for human kind. Plans seem to be in motion to launch the first of these behemoths toward Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our Sun at 4.3 light-years, within the next 150 years. The next step of human expansion has begun. Rock & Red As cultures divide and expand, small parts begin to evolve into brand new cultural shoots. Music is no exception. Every variety has found its way into Martian culture where it is reshaped and takes on new life. Rock & Roll has transformed in the hands of Martians, giving birth to what is commonly referred to as Rock & Red; Rock & Roll Martian style, as evidenced in this track. Video Man No matter where you travel on Mars, you're sure to be bombarded with some form of video advertising. Giant holographic billboards awash with neon stand high over the entertainment districts and casinos. Every shop and restaurant has some form of news kiosk. In MARSTROPOLIS, one young man can be found with his ever-present helmet-like headset over ebony hair. He often dances along the sidewalks, watching something on viewscreens of transparent yellow material shielding his eyes. Be sure to ask him for information on any of the latest music, movies or domestic programming. Whatever you want to know, he can tell you. He knows everything about Janet Jetson! Orbital Arcade (Video Game Carnival Version) Mars is host to one of the most spectacular attractions in civilized space aimed at a teenage audience, the Orbital Arcade. Here, there is a perpetual carnival atmosphere. Every single holo-game known to exist can be found in this gigantic tritanium sphere. Be sure to see the Mid-Way Circus, sample good old-fashioned county fair food, and try the latest sport, Hyperpulsion Skating. Also, there's an array of extreme roller coasters, a massive water park, and a zero-g auditorium where the wildest concerts have taken place. Janet Jetson is scheduled to appear this summer! 2230 (Techno Beat) Fun and infectious, another popular groove found in nightclubs. The music of Mars tends to lean on synthesizer heavy compositions, making it possible for nearly anyone with a keyboard, or a computer with music software, to become a minor player on the Martian music scene. Rob Astor, who this piece is credited to, is one such musician, having many loyal friends and a small following. We Are All Optical Delusions Have you ever wondered if life is just one great big computer game controlled by someone outside of our existence? Sounds like a religious belief for the electronics age. It's also a common thought in the minds of people who live in MARSTROPOLIS. Secretly, they hope whoever is steering their destinies is benevolent. No one wants to think whoever is at the controls will wish them harm or cause major disruptions to their lives. They also hope their existence has meaning and the things they accomplish, individually and collectively, will be remembered. No one wants to know they are a waste of precious computer space. There is some comfort in this line of thought, however. Should things go spinning far out of control, the game can be paused and restarted from a point when things were glorious, never allowing for any conflict or catastrophe. The bad is over written and simply never exists. Everything will always be perfect and stable. Everyone will always lead good and productive lives. Trappings Of Time Mars has always had time. Time to witness catastrophic bombardments in the solar system's distant past. Time for microscopic life to develop. Time for its life giving oceans to evaporate. Time for life to leave its footprint in the planet's fossil record. Time for giving serious thought to splitting in half. Time to wait an eternity for life to return to its barren surface. In modern times, the spirit of Mars has been reawakened with human intervention. For Mars, now there is time to live. Time to breathe. Time to grow. Time to flourish. Time to thrive. Time to dream of a future once lost to oblivion. Blue Sunset On Earth, the nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere scatters blue rays from sunlight, making the sky blue. At sunset, red rays make the sun appear orange-red as the planet rotates, causing light to filter through thicker layers of air before reaching the surface. Except within Mars' domed cities, the red planet's atmosphere is carbon dioxide, which scatters red rays from sunlight, giving the Martian sky a rusty tint. This makes for a truly unique and beautiful sunset of blue. There are many parks and viewing platforms in Mars' cities where you will find young lovers at sunset, bathed in the haunting blue light. Bonus Track Echoes Of Raindrops (Xack's Theme) (Rain Forest Effects) The original version of this track is on my first CD, QUADRANGULAR OSCILLATIONS. It is still one of my very favorite compositions, even six years after first being written. I also recorded several variations. One of them is an extended version, also on the QUADRANGULAR OSCILLATIONS CD. However, I often thought of how nice the music would be set against rain. While taking a break in the MARSTROPOLIS sessions, I finally took this piece of music and remixed it with rain and forest sounds, to add the effect I was originally going for, although the music itself sounds like a spring rain coming to an end, I think my efforts paid off. The track, as peaceful and relaxing as ever, is even more so with the sounds of nature added. •••••Special Links••••• If you like my music, here are some links to other CDBaby artists you might also enjoy. Some of them have similar sounds or styles, or are friends whose music I admire. Take the time to check them out! Inquisitor Betrayer's SPACE ELEVATOR http://cdbaby.com/cd/inquisitorbetrayer