A multiverse of sci-fi futures – questioning our dreams of tomorrow.
Retrotopia is an immersive music, cinema, and audiovisual performance system that explores how past visions of the future shape our present. The music album dropped in October 2024 and the project continues to evolve through new releases, interactive media installations, and an upcoming Director’s Cut album in May 2025.
This project merges live music, cinema, and interactive audiovisual technology to traverse a vast landscape of science-fiction futures—from the naive pulp dreams of the early 20th century to today’s fragmented cyber-anxieties.
Each performance adapts seamlessly to both concert venues and cinematic spaces, offering a responsive, multi-layered experience. Depending on venue and budget, the show can be staged either as a traditional single projection, or as an ultra-wide triple projection, enhancing the immersive impact.
The live performance features Gisle Martens Meyer on samplers, electric violin, and breath-controlled digital instruments, frequently joined by Nasra Ali Omar on acoustic percussion and drums. Together, they create a pulsing, shifting soundscape of historical sci-fi aesthetics, dynamically intertwined with interactive visuals.
From mid-century atomic monsters to psychedelic 60s mindscapes, through the working-class space operas of the 70s, to the straight-to-VHS ccybernetic paranoia of the 80s, and the VR existential crises of the 90s, Retrotopia reconstructs a multiverse of yesterday’s futures—questioning whether our own vision of the future is yet another illusion.
About Ugress
Ugress is a media arts initiative led by Norwegian artist Gisle Martens Meyer, known for exploring technology, mythology, and speculative futures through music and audiovisual systems. Blurring the line between sound, image, and interaction, Ugress creates self-contained worlds where audiences experience art as an evolving, living system. Stage musicians are seamlessly integrated into immersive sci-fi visions, making the performance a fully interactive spectacle rather than a static show.
Ugress’s music and audiovisual works have been widely featured in film, TV, video games, contemporary art, and online media, with a dedicated following across Europe and North America.
Live & Collaborations
Drummer, percussionist, and vibraphonist Nasra Ali Omar is a frequent collaborator, joining Ugress in live performances and silent film scores. Together, they have performed at Bergen International Film Festival, Stumfilmfestivalen i Tromsø, and Cinemateket i Oslo.
Touring major cities every few years, Ugress brings its evolving immersive systems to life on stage, with performances at venues ranging from club stages and film festivals to media art exhibitions. Martens Meyer has also created commissioned works for Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the Meta.Morf Biennale, Bergen International Festival, and SONY Interactive Europe.
Publishing & Distribution
Ugress is published by Uncanny Planet Records and distributed by The Orchard / Sony Music.
Booking and technical requirements
For booking and tech documents, write email to ugress at ugress dot com
Media
Videos
Still images, from concerts and livestreams.
