Meet the JULAI SYSTEM
The backstory: In the olden days when AOL bought Huffington Post and TechCrunch… Huffington Post had a homemade content moderation tool named the JULIA SYSTEM and AOL made TechCrunch use it. There was some disagreement about its usefulness and the possibility adding a “credibility gap” into the mix. As it learned things it got smarter and automated moderation more and more. It wasn’t a huge deal but I thought it could be a cool story. It recently resurfaced in some social media memories so I dusted it off and made it into a 3 part concept album. That’s how I remember it, anyway. This is the idea…
It’s pronounced ‘Julia’ but I changed to match the times JULAI
The world’s population is ruled by a social credit system called the JULAI SYSTEM. It impacts everything from what travel systems you can use, what music you can listen to, even where you can buy groceries. A low score is very difficult to recover from, just as a high score takes work to maintain. Neither is a final determination of fate. Unable to sustain the growing global population, this social credit system was put in place by the Earth Governing Organization (EGO) for population control. It has been adopted by every governing society on the planet… but something went wrong.
The JULAI SYSTEM has been compromised by a nexus of evil that is intent on destroying the rest of civilization and is led by a man named Furlinger. The story arc will follow the actions of the resistance, led by Christopher Trout (Mr. Trout — the boss), Kelly Mayes (Ms. Mayes — a strategic spy), Candy Bigwood Candy — a mechanical genius) and Sol Lipman and David Robinson (Sol and D-Rob — ultimate saviors) of the planet and its inhabitants. They enter the belly of the beast and destroy the system of oppression, restoring a sense of wonder to the world.
ALBUM 1 of 3 — Echoes of Control
This first album sets the stage for the entire series. It introduces readers to the oppressive world ruled by Furlinger and “The JULAI System”, where every facet of life is regulated by a social credit score. “Echoes of Control” delves into the origins and mechanics of this system, portraying how it came to dominate global society. The title reflects the pervasive and resonant impact of the system on the lives of all individuals, setting up the initial conditions for rebellion.
You can listen to it anywhere you stream music.
Some services have the words that you can follow along to but some do not. If you’d like the lyrics you can access them here.
Tools (spoiler alert — LOTS of AI stuff)
- ChatGPT — AI lyric assist
- Dall-E —AI image assist
- Photoshop
- GarageBand — Assembly
- Kicker — AI drum plug-in (BETA)
- PeachFuzzier — AI effects plug-in (BETA)
- Ace Studio — AI vocal assist
- Fender Telecaster Guitar
- Fender Concert Acoustic
- Music Man Stingray Bass
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
- Scarlet Studio Condenser Microphone
- MoeVoiceConversion (SoftVC VITS Singing Voice Conversion)
