Nathan Micay – To The God Named Dream

Nathan Micay’s recent album, The World I’m Going To Hell For, caught the attention of the dance music community with its departure from his previous trance-inspired work. The Copenhagen-based Canadian artist, known by his birth name and the alias Bwana, took a more introspective and experimental approach, incorporating ambient and jagged-edge braindance elements. The album, built from a few string instruments and a distortion pedal, showcased Micay’s evolution and set him on a new musical path. Despite moving further away from the traditional club sound, Micay has been busy composing soundtracks for television and film, demonstrating his versatility and talent as a composer. His background in Canadian youth orchestras has undoubtedly influenced his recent success.

However, Micay has been secretly working on a new project during this time. Although snippets of his work-in-progress (WIPs) have surfaced in the DJ sets of artists like Peach and Avalon Emerson, his latest full-length album, To The God Named Dream, stands apart from anything else in his discography. Combining the experimental classicism of his recent work with the uplifting dance music that initially gained him recognition, To The God Named Dream represents a true masterpiece. Micay draws inspiration from classic role-playing games, incorporating sound design elements from horror and thriller movies. Mixing these cues with his signature 808 blasts and raved-up synths, he creates a unique blend that he describes as “haunted library” music. To fully commit to the album’s theme, Micay and his label LUCKYME® even developed their own multiplayer board game, which is included with the vinyl release. While tracks like ‘Fangs’ and ‘It’s Recess Everywhere’ maintain their functionality as dance music with breaks and familiar signifiers, the breadth and cinematic nature of the sounds and movements reveal Micay’s determination to carve his own artistic path.