The London-based producer discusses Final Fantasy, unbreakable bonds, and his high-concept debut album
Dark0‘s debut album Eternity is a direct reflection of his youth. Growing up in London and playing pirated Japanese RPGs on a chipped PS1, the producer’s creative outlook was shaped by media that some of his friends didn’t even know existed. This uniquely personal experience made Dark0 feel like the games were made just for him — as if he was destined to have them. He escaped into the worlds of Chrono Cross and Thrill Kill, until he came across the Final Fantasy franchise and seemingly never left. Years later, his love of fantasy gaming is evident on Eternity, an album that exists within its own universe.
“Everything about these games — the music, the fucking visuals — that stuck with me,” Dark0 explains, citing Final Fantasy as the sole narrative inspiration behind his debut album. Outlining the project’s inception with illustrator Conor Chignoli, he recalls, “We were talking a lot about Final Fantasy 9, and how that story essentially used all the character archetypes from all the previous games and made something that felt completely original even though all of it was very stereotypical.” Originally envisioned as a Bandcamp-exclusive mixtape, it would sprawl into a staggering self-contained universe, as both Dark0 and Chignoli exchanged demos and sketches that steadily evolved through artistic reciprocation.
Detailing how he envisioned the lore behind Eternity, Dark0 shares, “I wanted to make a story about bonds and kinship and allies. I think that whole theme of kinship really came to light over the last year when we were relying more and more on the support of our friends virtually.” Dark0 believes that fantasy characters are perfect at depicting that kind of friendship because it’s just them “against the fucking world.” So, Dark0 and Chignoli collaborated to create some characters of their own. Rather than assigning the characters traditional traits like names and quantifiable assets, he instead wants “whoever’s listening to the album to see themselves and their friends in these characters, and relate that way.” Dark0 also hopes that listeners connect with the visual beauty of the characters. Chignoli’s sketches are meticulously crafted portraits overflowing with life, from a gun-toting heroine to a sword-wielding hero, each conveying unique personalities through their expressions and overall builds.
As the visual concept for Eternity progressed, Dark0 contacted previous collaborator and prolific animator Sybil Montet to further flesh out the project. Dark0 remembers, “She just got it straight away — this is exactly how I want the world to look — and she has just become so incredible at her craft.” The synergy between Dark0, Montet, and Chignoli was immediately felt as he explains, “We had this triangle going where we were just feeding each other all these ideas — music, images, videos — and just building out this thing together.” The results are palpable as Montet’s Cinema 4D-generated music video for Dark0’s lead single, “Shining Star,” is an exercise in cinematic worldbuilding. Here, Eternity’s sketched protagonists come to life and battle a menacing foe that’s eventually conquered in an overwhelming rush of strobes and lightning flashes. Influenced by the chaos of the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, which Dark0 describes as “overwhelming” and “viscerally a lot,” the video is a cathartic showing that crystalizes the emotional weight of Eternity as a whole.
Beyond music and lyric videos, the visuals for Eternity will also be represented by physical CDs enclosed in faux-PS1 jewel cases. Dark0 is passionate about the nostalgic potency of tangible objects as he explains, “If you closed your eyes and someone gave you a PS1 game case, you’d just know exactly what it was and it’d take you to a place of comfort … It’s such an incredible object besides it being a fucking CD case, right? There’s nothing like it.” He also touts early console-case booklets and their story-telling enhancements, which include everything from the official heights of characters to their last names — all facts that would never appear in the video game itself. With that in mind, Eternity includes a visual accompaniment that fleshes out its story of kinship and bonds while providing a deeper glimpse into its world. These images weave a poetic narrative through compelling landscape paintings, weapon layouts, and various stages of its characters’ creation.
Shifting toward Eternity’s sound, it exists on a dynamic scale, ranging from harsh club propulsions to etheric ambiance — sometimes even on the same track like in the self-titled opener. Dark0 feels it makes “the perfect intro song because it’s a balance of both themes in the album, where it’s, like, brutal and vicious and also forgiving and transcendent.” The track is further enhanced by vocals from YEAR0001 labelmate Merely who brings inherent electronic sensibilities from her work with trance trio Chariot. Surprisingly, though, the artists source references in unexpected places, such as metalcore heavyweights Killswitch Engage. While Dark0’s work is usually pinned within the electronic space, he reflects on the formative years of his eclectic music taste. “I had friends who were MySpace scene kids putting me onto shit like Killswitch and From First To Last type shit, and also had friends who were deep into grime and UK garage.” He traces the evolution from his childhood favorites to his music today, specifically highlighting the “themes in a lot of it. You can probably hear that in my music as well. It’s just like repetition. I’ll find one idea I really like and just build it out and make it an earworm.”
As for how Japanese RPGs potentially influence his material, he notes, “I have these inflections of stuff that sounds like JRPG type shit in my music, but really my main focus … is melody … That’s how I always wanna drive forward my songs and explore ideas.” All of his self-assessments ring true throughout Eternity as its most impactful moments are repeated with progressive intent, whether it’s the coarse rave synths of “Storm_Earth” or the sweet, Malibu-assisted melodies of album closer “Promise.”
As for where he’s headed beyond Eternity, Dark0 concludes, “This is just the first chapter. I want to build this whole story out … build out visually what my music represents … This is the introduction, and I want to be able to close out all these characters’ stories as well in one way or another.” Thus, there are many levels left to explore in the world Dark0 has created.
Stream Eternity via YEAR0001 below.