Stranger Fiction

A platform where intentional tech meets art and culture.

Akhil Srivatsan: artist and builder at Stranger Fiction

I’m building 1 Step, a planning app with a simple goal.

Seconds on the app.
Hours IRL.

I have an equally simple personal goal.

Use technology to deepen my connection with the world, rather than distracting me from it.

Use my time to listen to music.

The Music Box
Teeth of the Sea – Hive
Teeth of the Sea – Hive

Teeth of the Sea’s 2023 record, Hive, is one of my favourite records of the year. It’s a tightly produced alt-psych rock record. It’s low on lyrics, high on sonic exploration. And it manages to occupy this fairly unique space without sounding like a prog record (thank goodness). 

Thou - Umbilical
Thou - Umbilical

I have yet to hear an underwhelming Thou record. A decade after Heathen, Thou’s 2024 release, Umbilical, is just as fantastic a representation of Thou’s brand of sludgy doom. Or is it doomy sludge?

Model/Actriz - Dogsbody
Model/Actriz - Dogsbody

Post-punk has made a strong resurgence of late. On some other occasion, I’ll list out some of the great post-punk records from the last few years here so I can better commit them to memory: Squid’s Bright Green World and the song Houseplants, Wet Leg’s self-titled records, Dry Cleaning’s New Long Leg and particularly the album opener Scratchcard Lanyard, others. 

To enjoy cinema.

Cinema and TV
All Quiet On The Western Front
All Quiet On The Western Front

Just purely as an experiment on societal norms, at what point would the average human bean find not crying in the cinema weirder than crying in one. How deep must the tragedy pictured be, how profound the sense of loss, how unbearable the pain of two dee characters, before your average dudebro thinks not crying would be perceived as a sign of serious apathy, psychopathy / sociopathy even.

Adam Curtis’ Can’t Get You Out Of My Head + Introduction to Stranger Fiction Premium
Adam Curtis’ Can’t Get You Out Of My Head + Introduction to Stranger Fiction Premium

The first thing anyone who talks about Adam Curtis online will tell you is that he isn’t for everyone. The second is that he’s likely seen as an asset by the BBC. The third is likely a remark about his distinctive style – the collage of images and video, a narrative style combining facts with his editorialising of them, and the ironic juxtaposition of soundtrack and video.

How men are made – An analysis of a Death In The Gunj
How men are made – An analysis of a Death In The Gunj

Earlier today, I watched A Death in the Gunj for the second time in my life. I can safely say it’s among my favourite movies ever. A lot can be said about Konkona Sen Sharma’s direction and Vikrant Massey’s turn as the reticent, soft-spoken Shutu. But here's what made my viewings powerful experiences: the characters, their growth, and the movie's themes. Akhil Srivatsan writes.

To write.

Writing
After Forever – 7
After Forever – 7

After Forever, a sci-fi romantic dramedy, continues with this, its final instalment. The work is a narrative that’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans – as we know them – exist only as stored consciousnesses without physical bodies.

Chapter 7 of the story concludes the series, and serves as a culmination of introspective journeys and decisions about personal and collective futures. It wraps up the narrative by reflecting on the essence of existence and human connections in a new era.

After Forever – 6
After Forever – 6

In Chapter 6 of 'After Forever,' a conversation unfolds between the protagonist and Anax about their relationship and the decision to create new life. This chapter delves into memory, perception, and the evolution of identity in a post-apocalyptic world, highlighting the complexities of understanding and evolving within relationships in a world in which humans have no bodies.

After Forever – 5
After Forever – 5

After Forever, a sci-fi romantic dramedy, continues with this, its fifth instalment. The work is a narrative that’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans – as we know them – exist only as stored consciousnesses without physical bodies.

Chapter 5 of the story offers a deep philosophical exploration of life's meanings and expectations in a transformed world. The protagonist engages in introspection, questioning the purpose and significance of their actions, while pondering if they should have a child with their partner of ten years

To make music.

Releases
MYNAE – Just Like Heaven
MYNAE – Just Like Heaven

Wonder what the point of music is on the sixth of March, twenty twenty two. Wonder if it serves the same purpose it served fifty, eighty, one hundred, one thousand years ago. Maybe six thousand years ago, that age’s Leonard Cohen wrote wryly of the migration patterns of wildebeest. I’ve been working on new music over the past half year. Here’s a pleasant house cover of the Cure’s Just Like Heaven.

Fly Me There
Fly Me There

Fly Me There is the first peek into the music I’ve been making. It’s brisker than the music on my people are… This is a 120 bpm minimal house and techno inspired electronic exploration. Apart from various subgenres of electronic music, you will also find the obvious influence of Indian folk and classical music. The Nadaswaram features heavily.

my people are…
my people are…

The latest album from the curator of this mag: a mix of electronic music, trip-hop, downtempo, and Indian classical.

To build things.

Join me on this journey.