Robert Nelson, better known as Atlas // Anon, is a UK-based producer. He explores the intersection of wave, witch house, future garage, and post-club electronic music. His pseudonym — “anonymous atlas” — says it all. It is a map of imaginary places where every melody opens a door to a space between solitude and catharsis.
Since his debut release Back to Me in 2018, he has created a world of dark soundscapes and heavy low-end textures. His melodies are ethereal and echo like dreams. The album Melancholia (2020) marked a turning point. His latest work, Artificial Dawn, proves that he is unafraid to venture further into darker, cinematic sonic territories.
This album is especially worth listening to for anyone who values music as an emotional experience. The atmospheres are both familiar and new. Some tracks literally etch themselves into memory. For me, two tracks stood out — Frequencies and Gurl.
Frequencies
This future garage-inspired track is filled with autumnal melancholy. The rhythm feels like a heart beating frantically. It pulses as if with its last strength. The light percussion echoes like the relentless ticking of a clock. The deep bass evokes a sense of falling into oneself. Delicate piano notes feel like an internal dialogue: “bad things happen, but the choice is always yours — to fight or to surrender.” This track is perhaps the truest embodiment of the album’s spirit. It reminds you of both fragility and strength at the same time.
Gurl
At the other end of the album spectrum is Gurl. It is slower, more aggressive, but no less melancholic. The track blends future garage, chillstep, and even hints of trap. The beat and percussion express pure despair. The synthesizers are sharp and distorted, with glitches deliberately added by the artist. They intensify the chaos and darkness of the sound. If Frequencies supports the listener, here everything cuts the other way. The sound wounds, slices, and forces a dive into pain. Listening to Gurl, I felt myself returning to the vulnerability of a teenager. Someone so easily hurt. It is like knives in the back. Yet it is real — and that is why it matters.
For me, this music was a revelation. At the time, I had nearly lost the ability to feel anything from tracks. War, adult responsibilities, age — all of it had hardened me. Music seemed unable to touch me anymore. But Atlas // Anon awakens something again. His work cuts open, revealing something new inside. It forces you to experience emotions that heal and give a chance for inner reincarnation.
These are only two tracks. Yet the entire Artificial Dawn deserves careful listening. Atlas // Anon, though still relatively unknown, produces work that can rival recognized masters of the genre, like Michael FK or Blackmill. In an industry often chasing trends and likes, Robert Nelson carves a different path. His music is honest, emotional, and sometimes painful. It proves that even in darkness, beauty can be found, and from pain, a new world is born. His music does not promise ease, but it gives more — the chance to feel and to restore. Atlas // Anon deserves not just to be heard, but to find those who truly appreciate his path. It is sincere, honest, and uncompromising.
