n-Somnia
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The Story so Far
Part 1: The Origins (1993 to 2000)
In the dawn of his music career, Jared Rowbotham took up guitar lessons at high school in 1995 at the age of 14. Heavily inspired by such music acts as Roxette. With his new skills, Jared started writing his own material soon afterwards. Initially it would be just lyrics and song titles, but music composition wouldn't be far behind. Starting at the end of 1995, he launched a project called Swede. Not long after it began, his close friend Forbes King joined in on the fun. The Swede project, however, didn't last very long and the duo saw them go their separate ways by mid-1996. Jared continued alone beyond this time, but eventually shelved Swede by late 1997 in favour of a new band - Supertrip.
Supertrip was a rock band Jared joined when it was known as the Linwood Community Rock School, but would later turn into a real band when he suggested the members at the time could write an original song. By early 1998, the band then known as The Rascals found themselves with 5 songs in total, and started playing their first set of live performances. As the year progressed, the band would rename themselves to Supertrip as they applied to perform at the annual Smokefree Rockquest event. The band didn't win or progress to the next stage of the competition, however. This was also a turning point for the group as key members started to part ways. In December that same year, Supertrip would perform live for what would be Jared's last time on the music stage, at least for now. By March or April 1999, Jared decided to leave the band.
While still with Supertrip, Jared attended an audio engineering course after leaving high school. From January to June 1999, he would learn the methods used in the recording industry. Soon after completing the course, Jared found himself gaining a copy of the software used at the course for the purpose of home use. From here, many loops, samples and (even to this day) incomplete compositions would emerge. While attending the course, Jared took part in a small recording project with 2 other students - Reuben Moore and Jeremy Elford - to record 2 songs, both written by Reuben. Jared played bass guitar on both tracks.
Shortly before leaving Supertrip, Jared joined a new band called Driftwood, along side of one of his church/youth group friends, Darren Roverts. This project started as a duo until the turn of the century when guitarist/vocalist, Jared Hatcher joined to make it a trio. For much of the band's existence, they had no drummer (with the exception of maybe 2 rehearsal sessions). Their music catalog was mostly made up of covers of Christian rock/alternative/punk bands, such as MxPx and Dogwood, plus 1 or 2 originals. Jared stayed in the band until September 2000.
Nearing the end of 1999 and the 20th century, while Driftwood was still a duo, Jared and Darren decided to do something completely different to their usual guitar-based tracks. Using the same software the audio engineering course produced with, the duo would create what would be a first for both of them - their first ever 100% digital song. By the end of 1999, the song known as "Red Alert" was created. Two versions were created - an incomplete 'work in progress' track and the final mix. A few months later in 2000, Jared would revisit the song to create what would become his first remix.
By the end of 2000, roughly around the time Jared moved into his first rental home, the music would slow down or go quiet for a while.
Supertrip was a rock band Jared joined when it was known as the Linwood Community Rock School, but would later turn into a real band when he suggested the members at the time could write an original song. By early 1998, the band then known as The Rascals found themselves with 5 songs in total, and started playing their first set of live performances. As the year progressed, the band would rename themselves to Supertrip as they applied to perform at the annual Smokefree Rockquest event. The band didn't win or progress to the next stage of the competition, however. This was also a turning point for the group as key members started to part ways. In December that same year, Supertrip would perform live for what would be Jared's last time on the music stage, at least for now. By March or April 1999, Jared decided to leave the band.
While still with Supertrip, Jared attended an audio engineering course after leaving high school. From January to June 1999, he would learn the methods used in the recording industry. Soon after completing the course, Jared found himself gaining a copy of the software used at the course for the purpose of home use. From here, many loops, samples and (even to this day) incomplete compositions would emerge. While attending the course, Jared took part in a small recording project with 2 other students - Reuben Moore and Jeremy Elford - to record 2 songs, both written by Reuben. Jared played bass guitar on both tracks.
Shortly before leaving Supertrip, Jared joined a new band called Driftwood, along side of one of his church/youth group friends, Darren Roverts. This project started as a duo until the turn of the century when guitarist/vocalist, Jared Hatcher joined to make it a trio. For much of the band's existence, they had no drummer (with the exception of maybe 2 rehearsal sessions). Their music catalog was mostly made up of covers of Christian rock/alternative/punk bands, such as MxPx and Dogwood, plus 1 or 2 originals. Jared stayed in the band until September 2000.
Nearing the end of 1999 and the 20th century, while Driftwood was still a duo, Jared and Darren decided to do something completely different to their usual guitar-based tracks. Using the same software the audio engineering course produced with, the duo would create what would be a first for both of them - their first ever 100% digital song. By the end of 1999, the song known as "Red Alert" was created. Two versions were created - an incomplete 'work in progress' track and the final mix. A few months later in 2000, Jared would revisit the song to create what would become his first remix.
By the end of 2000, roughly around the time Jared moved into his first rental home, the music would slow down or go quiet for a while.
Part 2: The Early Years (2002 to 2007)
After a long hiatus from music in general, Jared would find himself joining another music course. This one - the Linwood Urban Music Academy (or LUMA) - would be held at his old high school. During his time at LUMA in 2002, there was a spark that would help launch a new project. As a part of the course, it was required to create 2 tracks using a particular software (Acid Pro 3). The first track was composed after Jared pulled an all-nighter and was very tired. However, no amount of tiredness would hold him back after he started working on it one day. Eventually, he would complete it and call the new track "Eliminator". Within a few days of creating the first track, it was the due date to hand in the assignment of 2 songs. A slightly rushed process, the second track known as "Electronica" was created. Both tracks earned a positive response from the tutor.
While attending the LUMA course on another occasion, Jared found some brochures on one of the classroom tables. Among these was one for sleeping problems and insomnia. Since Jared was often having all-nighters throughout the year, he decided to use this as an idea for a project name, but changed the spelling slightly. Inspired by another music program he once used (n-Track Studio), the name n-Somnia was born.
Jared, now known as n-Somnia, would eventually upgrade the software he used at home with a few of the programs he used at LUMA. From home, he started to continue working on the "Eliminator" track, with the hopes of recreating it with guitars and vocals, inspired by the likes of the Smashing Pumpkins. Unfortunately, due to lacking certain vital equipment, topped with a case of writer's block, it ended up being just an extended version of the original mix. Around this time, a then unfinished track called "No Name Noise" was also created.
Around this time, Jared would discover websites that would help get his music out to the public. This is where n-Somnia would gain the first fanbase. Primarily starting with BeSonic.com and MP3.com, n-Somnia would kick off its Internet debut by releasing "Red Alert" as a single, respectively. Soon afterwards, an EP known as "A Vision of Things to Come" would be released, featuring both versions of "Eliminator", "No Name Noise" and "Electronica". The EP's title was a hint towards his ambition to add guitars and vocals and to make a full length album. Neither of which would be achieved at this time. But it would be in late November when the first sign of success would come to n-Somnia.
Heavily inspired by the 80's, n-Somnia released a single known as "Robot Lover From Mars". By mid-December, it reached #1 on one of BeSonic's charts. This success would be short-lived, however, when the follow-up promo in February 2003 didn't do so well. The track that would be known as the demo version of "Once More" had a negative rating (probably due to being rushed in both production and release). Due to his low self-esteem issues at the time, the song would be quickly taken offline and n-Somnia would have an unexpected year-long hiatus.
Sometime in 2004, n-Somnia would make a very brief comeback with 3 new songs - "Toy Store", "Starlifter" (then known as "Military Airlift") and "Desert Scorn". This comeback was short due to the fact that Jared would soon team up once again with his friend, Forbes King, to create a new project known as Kingrow. The new duo would continue down this path until 2012. But it was after 2 years, in 2006, when Jared decided to retire the n-Somnia project in favour of Kingrow. Before focusing entirely on Kingrow among other projects with Forbes, Jared would release 2 new remixes of "Eliminator" as a farewell. In 2007, these remixes along with a selection of previous tracks would find their way on a compilation album, simply titled "n-Somnia".
Here it seemed to be the end of n-Somnia, but when Jared's home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, started to become earthquake central in September 2011, a new beginning was on its way.
While attending the LUMA course on another occasion, Jared found some brochures on one of the classroom tables. Among these was one for sleeping problems and insomnia. Since Jared was often having all-nighters throughout the year, he decided to use this as an idea for a project name, but changed the spelling slightly. Inspired by another music program he once used (n-Track Studio), the name n-Somnia was born.
Jared, now known as n-Somnia, would eventually upgrade the software he used at home with a few of the programs he used at LUMA. From home, he started to continue working on the "Eliminator" track, with the hopes of recreating it with guitars and vocals, inspired by the likes of the Smashing Pumpkins. Unfortunately, due to lacking certain vital equipment, topped with a case of writer's block, it ended up being just an extended version of the original mix. Around this time, a then unfinished track called "No Name Noise" was also created.
Around this time, Jared would discover websites that would help get his music out to the public. This is where n-Somnia would gain the first fanbase. Primarily starting with BeSonic.com and MP3.com, n-Somnia would kick off its Internet debut by releasing "Red Alert" as a single, respectively. Soon afterwards, an EP known as "A Vision of Things to Come" would be released, featuring both versions of "Eliminator", "No Name Noise" and "Electronica". The EP's title was a hint towards his ambition to add guitars and vocals and to make a full length album. Neither of which would be achieved at this time. But it would be in late November when the first sign of success would come to n-Somnia.
Heavily inspired by the 80's, n-Somnia released a single known as "Robot Lover From Mars". By mid-December, it reached #1 on one of BeSonic's charts. This success would be short-lived, however, when the follow-up promo in February 2003 didn't do so well. The track that would be known as the demo version of "Once More" had a negative rating (probably due to being rushed in both production and release). Due to his low self-esteem issues at the time, the song would be quickly taken offline and n-Somnia would have an unexpected year-long hiatus.
Sometime in 2004, n-Somnia would make a very brief comeback with 3 new songs - "Toy Store", "Starlifter" (then known as "Military Airlift") and "Desert Scorn". This comeback was short due to the fact that Jared would soon team up once again with his friend, Forbes King, to create a new project known as Kingrow. The new duo would continue down this path until 2012. But it was after 2 years, in 2006, when Jared decided to retire the n-Somnia project in favour of Kingrow. Before focusing entirely on Kingrow among other projects with Forbes, Jared would release 2 new remixes of "Eliminator" as a farewell. In 2007, these remixes along with a selection of previous tracks would find their way on a compilation album, simply titled "n-Somnia".
Here it seemed to be the end of n-Somnia, but when Jared's home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, started to become earthquake central in September 2011, a new beginning was on its way.
Part 3: The Awakening (2010 to 2011)
After the Canterbury earthquake on September 4, 2011, Jared felt an urge inside of him to go back to his solo material. While still working with Forbes in Kingrow, he secretly started to compose tracks that no-one else would hear until the sufficient number of songs were complete enough to announce/release. Enduring the aftershocks from the September quake, a new collection of 8 tracks and a few remixes would be revealed. On February 21, 2011, Jared made the announcement that n-Somnia was back and would release what would be the project's first proper debut album. These plans, however, would be delayed by at least a couple months. The very next day after the announcement, another major earthquake hit the city directly, causing more damage and leading to many fatalities. Thankfully, none of the new material was lost in the process, but it did directly have an impact on the Kingrow project due to Forbes being more affected by it. As a result, Kingrow would release what was left of their unreleased catalog until there were no more to contribute. As for n-Somnia, it was a green light to put all the focus on the comeback.
On April 24, 2011, when things started to ease off (a little), n-Somnia's debut album, "The Awakening" was finally released. Led by the first single, "Revolt!" and promoted partially with the help of a now defunct NZ-based website called DailyBeat, the response was largely positive. Follow-up singles such as "Rainforest", "Bio-Robots/Cruise Zone" and "Plague 99" would also be well-received. It looked like n-Somnia was here to stay. The album would later be accompanied by a remix album called "n-TheMix", which features mixes from 2000 to 2011.
In an attempt to give any new fans a catch-up on who n-Somnia is and was, an EP called "The Early Years" was also created, featuring songs from 1999 to 2004. After its release, this gave n-Somnia a chance to focus on the next set of new material.
On April 24, 2011, when things started to ease off (a little), n-Somnia's debut album, "The Awakening" was finally released. Led by the first single, "Revolt!" and promoted partially with the help of a now defunct NZ-based website called DailyBeat, the response was largely positive. Follow-up singles such as "Rainforest", "Bio-Robots/Cruise Zone" and "Plague 99" would also be well-received. It looked like n-Somnia was here to stay. The album would later be accompanied by a remix album called "n-TheMix", which features mixes from 2000 to 2011.
In an attempt to give any new fans a catch-up on who n-Somnia is and was, an EP called "The Early Years" was also created, featuring songs from 1999 to 2004. After its release, this gave n-Somnia a chance to focus on the next set of new material.
Part 4: The First Decade & Urban Decay (2012 to 2013)
In October 2011, a major computer issue arose and temporarily disabled the ability to make new music for n-Somnia. Jared would soon replace (but not dispose of) the faulty computer, but due to the new machine being a Mac instead of Windows, it would take a lot of learning new software before a new composition could be released. However, an unexpected miracle took place in early May of 2012 - the Windows PC started working again! Since it had been a while, Jared decided to work on new n-Somnia material immediately. Over the space of 2 days, a 4-track EP called "The System" would be mixed and released.
Soon after this, it was then realised that n-Somnia was about to celebrate its first 10 years of existence. To acknowledge this, a new compilation album called "X - The First Decade" was released. It featured 14 official releases spanning from 2002 to 2012, plus a new exclusive track, "Shoulder Pads & Ankle Warmers", which would itself become a single.
Not long after this, it was decided that the second n-Somnia album would commence recording. For the remainder of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, "Urban Decay" would be the focus of n-Somnia until its release in March 2013. It was led by its first single, "Youth Culture" (which was the album's original title). The album didn't receive as much credit as "The Awakening", however, but it wasn't a self-esteem issue like it would've been for Jared a decade earlier. In fact, things were about to get more interesting.
Soon after this, it was then realised that n-Somnia was about to celebrate its first 10 years of existence. To acknowledge this, a new compilation album called "X - The First Decade" was released. It featured 14 official releases spanning from 2002 to 2012, plus a new exclusive track, "Shoulder Pads & Ankle Warmers", which would itself become a single.
Not long after this, it was decided that the second n-Somnia album would commence recording. For the remainder of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, "Urban Decay" would be the focus of n-Somnia until its release in March 2013. It was led by its first single, "Youth Culture" (which was the album's original title). The album didn't receive as much credit as "The Awakening", however, but it wasn't a self-esteem issue like it would've been for Jared a decade earlier. In fact, things were about to get more interesting.
Part 5: EP's and Radio Appearances (2014 to 2015)
After the release of "Urban Decay" and its singles, Jared was to have a short break from the n-Somnia project. However, with the shambles around the then NZ government at the time during 2014, Jared felt inspired to make another EP called "GCSB", named after NZ's Government Communications Security Bureau, since it was at its most controversial point in recent years. The EP contained 4 tracks, 2 of which were already released ("Revolt!" and "King of the Slaves"). Its 2 new tracks, "Democracy is Dead" and "Snapper" were largely made in response to the decisions and comments by the government and Prime Minister at the time. This EP would open a door within Jared to do more politically-driven material in the future.
Following the "GCSB" era, n-Somnia would go on to do occasional releases, particularly non-album singles and promos that would stand alone without a parent release. The first of which was "Sliced". A song that was written (lyrically) by Laci Tucker many years prior. The song's lyrics and a vocal recording was sent to Jared at the beginning of the 2000's (along with a number of other songs that are yet to be worked on). At the time, Jared was going through his writer's block phase, leaving "Sliced" and Laci's other songs in storage for many years. Finally, with a little more inspiration over the years, "Sliced" was completed. Initially, it was released as a part of a side project Jared attempted called The Human Race - a global collaboration with artists around the world where each member comes from a different culture, but Jared would be the only consistent member. Laci, an American, would be the subject of the project's first release. Unfortunately, no other songs were made for The Human Race, and therefore it was decided to adopt the song as another n-Somnia track and was re-released accordingly.
"Dark Star" would follow some time later while Jared was experimenting with a music website called Soundation, which allows users to create songs with loops and samples in the same way n-Somnia tracks are made. This track was released as a single track promo.
Sometime around the "Dark Star" era, n-Somnia was entered into a remix competition hosted by 80's hit makers, Tears for Fears. For this remix competition, their song "Pale Shelter" was the song of choice by the band. n-Somnia's version was more of a love letter to the 80's and the masses of 12" singles that were released around that time. Compared to other competitors, it was a very different direction that n-Somnia would go with the style of choice. Most others chose to do hard dance or House style music for their remixes, while n-Somnia was more of an extended version of the original single. n-Somnia may not have won the competition, but it added more experience to the portfolio, not to mention the fun factor.
In the middle of 2014, n-Somnia would go in a new direction with promotions. An advertisement on Facebook by Christchurch's Pulzar FM that caught Jared's eye. A DJ known as Seeker was on the search for local artists to be interviewed for a then upcoming show called Grid City Grooves. Jared stepped forward to showcase n-Somnia. The interview was not only broadcasted live, but recorded for later streaming on MixCloud. The interview covered a brief history of n-Somnia, methods of recording, and a small selection of tracks hand-picked by Jared to help promote the project.
By 2015, plans for another EP emerged. "Harbinger" is a 6-track collection of new material that would spawn 3 promotional songs, 1 of which would have its own single, "The Only Race is 'Human'". Before its release, it was decided that its debut would be for Pulzar FM's Grid City Grooves recap interview with n-Somnia. In this broadcast, Jared returned to be interviewed by DJ Seeker once again to let people know what he had been up to over the past year since the first interview. The selection of music would be the "Harbinger" EP in its entirety, except for the 6th and final song because it's a hidden bonus track. By the time Jared appeared in this interview, he had gained his own personal experience as a radio DJ only months prior.
To end 2015, it was decided to release another compilation album. This one, called "Singularity", would cover all of the singles and promos from the beginning to the "Harbinger" EP, and in the usual n-Somnia fashion, it included an exclusive track called "Rocketchild (Where Did You Go?)", which was named after an Internet friend Jared hadn't heard from since 2002/03 and was on the search for them, hoping this song would help. Though the song didn't help with his search, Jared found his online friend shortly after its release.
After the release of "Singularity", Jared made a vow for future releases to not have recycled material. Up until this point, several releases included songs that were already released on previous releases. It was decided that this method of using 'filler' would stop, unless there was a special occasion like an important anniversary. As a result, "Singularity" closes a chapter in the story of n-Somnia, allowing for a new one to open. With that said and done, Jared started working on the next and possibly most ambitious project for n-Somnia yet. It just wasn't yet realised how long it would take to achieve.
Following the "GCSB" era, n-Somnia would go on to do occasional releases, particularly non-album singles and promos that would stand alone without a parent release. The first of which was "Sliced". A song that was written (lyrically) by Laci Tucker many years prior. The song's lyrics and a vocal recording was sent to Jared at the beginning of the 2000's (along with a number of other songs that are yet to be worked on). At the time, Jared was going through his writer's block phase, leaving "Sliced" and Laci's other songs in storage for many years. Finally, with a little more inspiration over the years, "Sliced" was completed. Initially, it was released as a part of a side project Jared attempted called The Human Race - a global collaboration with artists around the world where each member comes from a different culture, but Jared would be the only consistent member. Laci, an American, would be the subject of the project's first release. Unfortunately, no other songs were made for The Human Race, and therefore it was decided to adopt the song as another n-Somnia track and was re-released accordingly.
"Dark Star" would follow some time later while Jared was experimenting with a music website called Soundation, which allows users to create songs with loops and samples in the same way n-Somnia tracks are made. This track was released as a single track promo.
Sometime around the "Dark Star" era, n-Somnia was entered into a remix competition hosted by 80's hit makers, Tears for Fears. For this remix competition, their song "Pale Shelter" was the song of choice by the band. n-Somnia's version was more of a love letter to the 80's and the masses of 12" singles that were released around that time. Compared to other competitors, it was a very different direction that n-Somnia would go with the style of choice. Most others chose to do hard dance or House style music for their remixes, while n-Somnia was more of an extended version of the original single. n-Somnia may not have won the competition, but it added more experience to the portfolio, not to mention the fun factor.
In the middle of 2014, n-Somnia would go in a new direction with promotions. An advertisement on Facebook by Christchurch's Pulzar FM that caught Jared's eye. A DJ known as Seeker was on the search for local artists to be interviewed for a then upcoming show called Grid City Grooves. Jared stepped forward to showcase n-Somnia. The interview was not only broadcasted live, but recorded for later streaming on MixCloud. The interview covered a brief history of n-Somnia, methods of recording, and a small selection of tracks hand-picked by Jared to help promote the project.
By 2015, plans for another EP emerged. "Harbinger" is a 6-track collection of new material that would spawn 3 promotional songs, 1 of which would have its own single, "The Only Race is 'Human'". Before its release, it was decided that its debut would be for Pulzar FM's Grid City Grooves recap interview with n-Somnia. In this broadcast, Jared returned to be interviewed by DJ Seeker once again to let people know what he had been up to over the past year since the first interview. The selection of music would be the "Harbinger" EP in its entirety, except for the 6th and final song because it's a hidden bonus track. By the time Jared appeared in this interview, he had gained his own personal experience as a radio DJ only months prior.
To end 2015, it was decided to release another compilation album. This one, called "Singularity", would cover all of the singles and promos from the beginning to the "Harbinger" EP, and in the usual n-Somnia fashion, it included an exclusive track called "Rocketchild (Where Did You Go?)", which was named after an Internet friend Jared hadn't heard from since 2002/03 and was on the search for them, hoping this song would help. Though the song didn't help with his search, Jared found his online friend shortly after its release.
After the release of "Singularity", Jared made a vow for future releases to not have recycled material. Up until this point, several releases included songs that were already released on previous releases. It was decided that this method of using 'filler' would stop, unless there was a special occasion like an important anniversary. As a result, "Singularity" closes a chapter in the story of n-Somnia, allowing for a new one to open. With that said and done, Jared started working on the next and possibly most ambitious project for n-Somnia yet. It just wasn't yet realised how long it would take to achieve.
Part 6: Twenty Years of Digital Music (2018 to 2019)
Since 2015, a few tracks were made for the then upcoming ambitious project. However, due to a very busy life with work, family-related issues and many other distractions, production was slowed down dramatically. It seemed that this project would never be released in the time frame intended.
During this era, it was realised that a very special anniversary was approaching - 20 years since Jared and Darren made their first digital song, "Red Alert". To celebrate, the duo would team up to create a new mix of their song. In 2018, almost a year before the planned release date, they created what would become "Red Alert 20". It was originally reserved to be released by August or September 2019, until it was realised that the anniversary was more likely to have been in early December, based on information found on a backup data CD from the era of the original song's creation. On December 8, 2019, the "Red Alert 20" single was finally released, bearing a similar design for the cover art. The single contained the title track as the A-side, along with the 3 previous versions of "Red Alert". As an added bonus, it also featured an exclusive B-side called "The Coming Empire", which was a hint towards the major project n-Somnia had been working on since 2015.
During this era, it was realised that a very special anniversary was approaching - 20 years since Jared and Darren made their first digital song, "Red Alert". To celebrate, the duo would team up to create a new mix of their song. In 2018, almost a year before the planned release date, they created what would become "Red Alert 20". It was originally reserved to be released by August or September 2019, until it was realised that the anniversary was more likely to have been in early December, based on information found on a backup data CD from the era of the original song's creation. On December 8, 2019, the "Red Alert 20" single was finally released, bearing a similar design for the cover art. The single contained the title track as the A-side, along with the 3 previous versions of "Red Alert". As an added bonus, it also featured an exclusive B-side called "The Coming Empire", which was a hint towards the major project n-Somnia had been working on since 2015.
Part 7: The Empires Trilogy (2020 to 2021)
After a few years of little to no activity in music production since 2015, through busy life events and a global pandemic, Jared found himself in a position that led to his loss of employment in September 2020. Using this as an opportunity, Jared resumed music production as soon as possible. As a result, the partial completion of the major project became a reality.
The ambitious project Jared had been working on was to be a trilogy with an Empire theme, particularly a political or Biblical empire. Heavily inspired by Bible prophecy and watching for events related to the last days, this trilogy tells a story over 3 parts.
Part I, released in the form of an EP called "Before the Empire" covers the time frame where an evil empire rises up into power. In Part II, covered in the form of n-Somnia's third album called "Empires of the Night", the tale of the evil empire delivering its tyrannical power over the world is told, while at the same time telling of a rebellion uprising. Finally in Part III, an EP called "The Empire Has Fallen" tells of the evil empire being defeated by the rebellion and a new golden age of humanity beginning.
Each of the 3 parts of the trilogy have their own singles. The 2 EP's have 2 singles, while the album has 3 (one of which is a double A-side). The music style is undoubtedly n-Somnia, but at the same time it sounds very different to anything Jared has released before this era.
After the trilogy came to an end, n-Somnia would release one more EP and a promo single to end this chapter of his discography. The "Stop Fighting, Start Writing" EP was accompanied by a promo track ("The Final Curtain"), which would receive a sequel in the form of the promo single, "Raise the Curtain", released just in time for Christmas.
The ambitious project Jared had been working on was to be a trilogy with an Empire theme, particularly a political or Biblical empire. Heavily inspired by Bible prophecy and watching for events related to the last days, this trilogy tells a story over 3 parts.
Part I, released in the form of an EP called "Before the Empire" covers the time frame where an evil empire rises up into power. In Part II, covered in the form of n-Somnia's third album called "Empires of the Night", the tale of the evil empire delivering its tyrannical power over the world is told, while at the same time telling of a rebellion uprising. Finally in Part III, an EP called "The Empire Has Fallen" tells of the evil empire being defeated by the rebellion and a new golden age of humanity beginning.
Each of the 3 parts of the trilogy have their own singles. The 2 EP's have 2 singles, while the album has 3 (one of which is a double A-side). The music style is undoubtedly n-Somnia, but at the same time it sounds very different to anything Jared has released before this era.
After the trilogy came to an end, n-Somnia would release one more EP and a promo single to end this chapter of his discography. The "Stop Fighting, Start Writing" EP was accompanied by a promo track ("The Final Curtain"), which would receive a sequel in the form of the promo single, "Raise the Curtain", released just in time for Christmas.
Part 8: Celebrating 20 Years of n-Somnia (2022)
As the 20th anniversary mark approached in mid-2022, n-Somnia would go on a search (starting from March 2021) for any similar musicians who would be interested in taking part in the celebration by remixing the song that would kickstart the n-Somnia project in 2002 - "Eliminator". After a little over a year had passed, 3 new remixes of the track had emerged. The first 2 remixes were by n-Somnia himself, while the third was made by one of his old friends from his high school days, Tim Wood.
"Eliminator" would be scheduled for release as a 7-track EP with every version of the song available, while an updated version of the 2011 compilation, "The Early Years" would see its re-release on the same day. The updated release takes what was once a 7-track EP/compilation and turned it into a 21-track showcase. It adds every other n-Somnia song that was made between 1999 and 2004 that didn't appear on the original version, including songs that were used by Kingrow after n-Somnia's 5-year "retirement" began in 2006. This version of "The Early Years" is a more complete view of what n-Somnia was about in the beginning.
"Eliminator" would be scheduled for release as a 7-track EP with every version of the song available, while an updated version of the 2011 compilation, "The Early Years" would see its re-release on the same day. The updated release takes what was once a 7-track EP/compilation and turned it into a 21-track showcase. It adds every other n-Somnia song that was made between 1999 and 2004 that didn't appear on the original version, including songs that were used by Kingrow after n-Somnia's 5-year "retirement" began in 2006. This version of "The Early Years" is a more complete view of what n-Somnia was about in the beginning.
Part 9: Beyond 20 Years (2023 onward)
Very little has been revealed as to what n-Somnia will bring after the 20th anniversary celebration has ended. However, there have been ideas put aside for at least 9(!) different projects. Each of which is very different to each other and to what n-Somnia has done up to this point.
The future is near. Let's look forward to it together.
The future is near. Let's look forward to it together.