[fanmix] Sad Robot: A Fanmix for Murderbot

Happy new year and happy new years exchange part 2!
I was captivated and intrigued by the idea of instrumental and non-English playlists/fanmixes; I listen to a lot of synthwave while I read and work, and a little bit ago I put together a mini-fanmix for Mensah that included some of my aesthetic/musical inspirations for what I think Preservation is like that drew from African and Middle Eastern artists. Both your prompts made me want to try extending my fanmix chops to put together some properly in-depth fanmixes using those musical influences!
This one is a compilation of some of my favorite synthwave and electronica that give me Murderbot Vibes. I listen to a lot of instrumental synth music while I read and work; it's great music for getting my brain into a work headspace. So a lot of the "research" as it were for this mix was just listening to all my go-to synth albums on Bandcamp and the video game soundtrack albums I've had on my ipod since 2012 and marking down "oh yeah I can absolutely imagine a certain Murderbot Diaries scene or mood to this one." (As a nod to Murderbot's love for media, a bunch come from soundtracks of other media I like!) And then sifting through to make sure the different "movements" were balanced and ideally that the titles of the songs were reflective of the theme too. (Not gonna lie, I was THRILLED to be able to use a song called "Purple Worm" for the Worm Attack. Who would have guessed that a song composed about a giant fantasy worm would apply just as well to a giant sci-fi worm?) (Also not gonna lie, I was definitely listening to "Aromantic" and going "okay where can I fit this one in, I need it to be here.")
Although, turns out making a fanmix in this day and age when all you listen to is bandcamp synthwave is hard... some of my favorites aren't on Spotify, and 8tracks is dead. (I even logged into my decade-old account to see if 8tracks would let me upload new music, and it won't.)
So for best listening experience, I recommend you download the packet of MP3s.
They tell a story if you listen to them in order, but also easily support shuffling. Listen as a soundtrack to reading other fic in the exchange, perhaps :) I hope you enjoy!

Work Text:

The fanmix cover. It depicts Murderbot from the cover of Network Effect, glitched out in pink and teal. The title reads, "Sad Robot: A Murderbot Diaries Fanmix."

Download here.

Listen (abridged) on Spotify here.

MOVEMENT I: ALL SYSTEMS RED

Electro World (エレクトロ・ワールド) - Perfume

この道を走り進み進み進み続けた
地図に書いてあるはずの町が見当たらない
振り返るとそこに見えていた景色が消えた
この世界僕が最後で最後最後だ
エレクトロ・ワールド

Kono michi wo hashiri susumi susumi susumi tsuzuketa
Chizu ni kaite aru hazu no machi ga miataranai
Furikaeru to soko ni miete ita keshiki ga kieta
Kono sekai boku ga saigo de saigo saigo da
Electro World

I ran on this road and kept going
I can't find the town that should be on the map
Looking back, the scenery that was visible there disappeared
I’m the last, very last one in this world
Electro World

In middle school (age ~12), I was new to the public school and didn't know anybody. A new friend showed me this song to introduce me to the concept of J-pop, and from there it wasn't long until I got into vocaloid and anime that shaped the direction of my media tastes and fandom involvements forever. It's not really like Murderbot discovering Sanctuary Moon but like it's not not like that. This song still has a special place in my heart.

Also it's a song about being lost, alone, and afraid in an artificial and empty world liable to collapse and disappear any moment. Which is definitely a newly rogue Murderbot mood. This song functions as a prologue/introduction to this fanmix, and is the only one with lyrics. Full lyric translation here.

Innocent, Mystery, Punished - Dylan Griggs

Starting with All Systems Red era Murderbot properly. A pre-ASR/early-ASR Murderbot who's just. Depressed. Oppressed. Doesn't care about anything. (This is from the soundtrack of woe.begone, a podcast I like.)

The Purple Worm - Griffin McElroy

WORM ATTACK! (This is from the Adventure Zone soundtrack.)

Science is Fun - Mike Morasky and the Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory

DeltFall dead! Combat-overridden SecUnit attack! What's going on? (This is from the Portal 2 soundtrack.)

Glass & Steel - Quine

On the run, trying to stay alive and stop GrayCris.

Farewell - Dreamweaver

All Systems Red finale. Back on Port FreeCommerce: free (sort of), disoriented, deciding what it wants its future to look like, and deciding to leave - and to explain why.

MOVEMENT II: ARTIFICIAL CONDITION

Chatty Droid - Hologramm

Meeting ART :)

Black Market (Final Mix) - Takeharu Ishimoto

Friends offer friends experimental surgery and help them ace that job interview. (This is from the sountrack of The World Ends With You, a video game I love.)

Monthly Subscription - 猫シ Corp.

Learning the truth about Ganaka Pit :(

True Crime - Regulator 404

When you return from the Ganaka mine to learn that your clients are STILL in trouble

Keep On Moving Up - Fatal Friction

Ramping up to an action-packed finale and deciding what to do with your life now.

MOVEMENT III: ROGUE PROTOCOL

Aromantic - ImCoPav

Murderbot hitches a ride to Milu, meets Miki, tries to stay hidden, and is mad that Miki has friends who care about it.

Secrets - Dreamweaver

I'm Security Consultant Rin. Definitely. Or, uh, her contracted SecUnit. I'm supposed to be here.

Sauté! - Griffin McElroy

Something's weird... something's wrong here... betrayal!? (This is another one from The Adventure Zone. "The Suffering Game" has SUCH good music.)

Trinity - Lueur Verte

COMBAT BOT ATTACK!

The Harmony of Having Had and Lost - RJ! Lake

Being sad about Miki :( And making the decision to go find Dr. Mensah again, for real. (This is from a Homestuck fan album by one of the prominent Homestuck music composers. Fun fact RJ Lake released 413 songs on this thing.)

MOVEMENT IV: EXIT STRATEGY

Mainline - Quine

Undercover on TranRollinHyfa.

The Faceless - neon shudder

Making a Plan.

psychedelic - Takeharu Ishimoto

DOCK BATTLE WITH A COMBAT SECUNIT! (This is another one from the The World Ends With You soundrack)

On the Run - Quine

Escaping to the gunship... but GrayCris won't let them go that easily.

Loading... - 猫シ Corp.

Murderbot rebuilding its brain.

Sad Robot - Vexento

A kind of coda/outro somewhat mirroring the way this began with "Electro World." A piece of music about feeling sad, lost, and lonely... but being able to acknowledge those feelings and maybe, just maybe, being given a chance to change that. A gentler ending for a more hopeful future.

Electro World // Innocent, Mystery, Punished // The Purple Worm // Science is Fun // Glass & Steel // Farewell

Chatty Droid // Black Market (Final Mix) // Monthly Subscription // True Crime // Keep On Moving Up

Aromantic // Secrets // Saut é ! // Trinity // The Harmony of Having Had and Lost

Mainline // The Faceless // psychedelic // On the Run // Loading... // Sad Robot

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