Nero share ‘Innocence’ reissue and ‘Blade Runner’ tribute in honor of 2808

by: Will McCarthy Aug 28, 2017

In 2011, Nero set their debut album, Welcome Reality, in the dystopian future of the year 2808. Since then, the date itself has seemed to be as significant a motif to the group as the Orwellian inspirations which have long pervaded their aesthetic. Today, as the British calendar reads 28/08, Nero have honored the number with two surprise releases.

Keeping in line with the dystopian aurae which 2808 evokes, the pair of productions starts with a harrowing rework of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s theme music for the forthcoming film, Blade Runner 2049. In their demo, Joe and Dan channel the style of their recent collaboration with ZHU, laying ominous melodic elements from the score atop an industrial, mid-tempo backbone.

2808 then sees the outfit “reopen” one of their benchmark hits, “Innocence.” In the reissue, Nero transfer the original vocals from their dubstep classic into a wistfully dark house framework, which recalls the essence of songs such as “Satisfy” and Joseph Ray’s recent Meli collaboration, “Inside.”

The full package is available for free download here.