“Into the Blue”, Nili Fossae’s ambient electronica

Nili Fossae is a group of large, concentric trenches on Mars, located at approximately 22°N, 75°E. But it is also the name of the duo formed by multi-instrumentalists and composers Pete Sené and Martin Roberts. The two UK-based artists met in 2017 while touring with different groups, Sené with art rock band Everything Everything and Robert with German electronic band Schiller.

They always shared a deep interest and admiration for each other’s styles in composition and sound design, and when the world stood still in May 2020, the two decided to use the time to collaborate on an EP, which was written remotely, inspired by artists they love, including Jon Hopkins, Nils Frahm and Olafur Arnalds.

“Into the Blue” is the second single released after “All The Light They Cannot See”, and it explores ambient electronica with a very distinctive experimental and energetic style. The entire EP was composed in the artists’ respective home studios, before building upon it with additional synths and production. The result is a synth-heavy aesthetic which is ready to do its live debut soon, and will forge the landscape of the duo’s Martian namesake.

Listen to Into the Blue below.