​This episode of the Close Encounters... Minicast sees the team host an in-depth conversation about the making of 'Old Boys Club' - the first from the 4ever in Electric Dreams-The Monsters Within Us horror anthology.  

Imran Mirza, Denis-Jose Francois and 'Old Boys Club' creator Dan Collacott have a sit-down to discuss the show, how and why it came to be, along with the challenges of creating a horror-based narrative that relies solely on what a person hears.  If you have never heard 'Old Boys Club' in its entirity - don't worry, we don't spoil anything - but we'd love for you to check the episode out here for your listening pleasure:

https://www.4everinelectricdreams.com/home/the-monsters-within-us-episode-one-old-boys-club 

We're very proud of 'Old Boys Club' and have some wonderful things planned for The Monsters Within Us going forward which you'll hopefully be hearing about very soon.  This episode of the Minicast also teases wider conversations about the emergence of AI within the content we consume which is also something we hope to revisit here very soon.

​Welcome to Episode #67 of the Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind podcast which sees Tee-J Sutherland, Dan Collacott and Imran Mirza discuss all things CM Punk.

The 2nd September 2023 saw the termination of CM Punk's relationship with AEW following a tumultuous period that saw some well-received matches, promos and rivalries, not withstanding two AEW World Championship title wins.  Punk's time in AEW was sadly not without incident however.  Following the All Out PPV, 4th September 2022, the press conference after the event saw Punk publicly address a series of backstage frustrations with the company's EVPs, Colt Cabana and members of the press.  When confronted in his locker room by Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, a fight ensued resulting in all participants receiving suspensions.

Nine months later, Punk's return to the company was short-lived as another backstage fight broke out between Punk and Jack Perry which was also believed to have involved AEW founder Tony Khan who promptly fired Punk for his behaviour.

This episode of CENK addresses the incidents, looks at the catalysts of each and what could have been done differently, plus we look at where Punk goes from here.  And finally we look at CM Punk's legacy in AEW as well asking the question, "Is Punk the perennial victim or a self-destructive narcissist?"

​Welcome to Episode #5 of the 4ever in Electric Dreams & CONFESSIONS OF A CURLY MIND co-production - Supple & Lean | A Geekcast.

Imran Mirza from London, UK, connects with Vahé Vishapakagh Koshayan from Melbourne, Australia, to continue their trio of podcast discussions revolving around the Bad Lip Reading project, 'Axe Assassin Albertson'.

And in the epic finale of our Bad Lip Reading/Axe Assassin trilogy, we take a final look into some of the finer plot points of the over-arching narrative and offer up our final thoughts on this inspired project.  We also carry out a detailed conversation into the notion of AI and its burgeoning impact on our lives and, perhaps more specifically, the art that we consume.  Does art without the human touch still inspire you?  Is there a line between marvelling at technological advancements and fearing a constructed future tailored meticulously to everything we as individuals like?

Once again, you can catch up on the BLR videos and accompanying album via the following links:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh_-iZq1G9M
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E5OP1XrF…nZ0s1S8GNW1OZYEuE

ALSO, Vahé maintains the podcast's ambitious intention to create a new song per episode and we have a brilliant track to round out this trilogy with Vahé offering up 'Kascaid's Lament'.

​Welcome to Episode #4 of the 4ever in Electric Dreams podcast series - Supple & Lean | A Geekcast.

Imran Mirza from London, UK, connects with Vahé Vishapakagh Koshayan from Melbourne, Australia, to continue their trio of podcast discussions revolving around the Bad Lip Reading project, 'Axe Assassin Albertson'.

The incredible tale of a lonely AI, one hundred years in the future, who decides to piece together humanity's past using corrupted footage from the musical 'Hamilton'. Today's episode sees Vahé lead a deep-dive analysis into each of the five episodes and attempting to unravel the precisely-hidden truth behind the show's over-arching narrative.

You can catch up on the BLR videos and album via the following links:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh_-iZq1G9M
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E5OP1XrF…nZ0s1S8GNW1OZYEuE

ALSO, Vahé maintains the podcast's ambitious intention to create a new song per episode and we have a brilliant track in line for today's show.

​After a lengthy hiatus - and with great excitement - the Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind podcast finally unveils Episode #66 and sees Dan, Tee-J and Imran reconnect over their shared passion for square circle related discussions.

More specifically, the team are discussing the ground-breaking AEW PPV - broadcast live from Wembley Stadium, Sunday 27th August 2023 - which also saw Tee-J in live attendance with some of our 4ever affiliates, Richard Roth and Richard Iacono.  We discuss the full match card, engage in lots of supplementary AEW conversations and there's a fair amount of CM Punk chat too.  (Further to this, our next episode will feature an in-depth assessment of CM Punk's legacy in AEW and pro wrestling in general - so look out for that no-doubt lengthy episode in early-October.)

On a personal note, Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind was the flagship show for the 4ever in Electric Dreams podcast network and while that network has started to grow with the 90s State of Mind podcast, Supple & Lean, the Minicasts and the soon-to-be unveiled The4everList series, it's an absolute joy to be able to bring Close Encounters and the original trio back to the airwaves.

Welcome to a world changed by killer rocks from the sky, overspace doppelgangers, demon pregnancies, spurned elves and a habitat of remaining post-apocalyptic survivors who may or may not be fully human. the story is told through a lone surviving artificial intelligence named K.A.S.C.A.I.D, a living repository of all of man's achievements before we were wiped off the face of the earth, who out of something resembling boredom, decides to recall the filmed stage play version of 'Hamilton'. but the words are changed, and what plays out instead is the re-telling of the FALL of man, under the BLR'd title of:  AXE ASSASSIN ALBERTSON.

Accompanied by 5 segment videos and an entire 10-song soundtrack, Bad Lip Reading has created quite possibly their strongest overall piece of art in many, many years. a lot of which resonates with the story Vahé has been trying to tell through The Dark Southern. what starts out hilarious, over repeated listens turns to deep thoughts, pensive pontifications and lamentations over the tragedy of human existence. truly a BLR masterwork, and just great stuff in general.

Vahé and Imran, under the banner of Supple & Lean: A Geekcast, present Pt. 1 of 3, designed to unravel BLR's story, whilst also providing commentary on the emergence of AI in general.

Watching the 5 BLR videos and listening to the LP are essential:

As per tradition, Vahé has created original tunes to open these episodes. in this case, a 3-part suite that sort of continues the AAA narrative. Pt. 1 is called: "Reconstitutionarium".

​Welcome to Episode #18 of the 90s State of Mind podcast - a collaborative project between 4ever in Electric Dreams and Blue-in-Green:RADIO. This podcast series sees Imran (London, UK) and Rhonda (California, USA) delve into some of their favourite releases from the 90s and for this episode, the pair celebrate the 1997 album from the pop pioneer, Janet Jackson's 'The Velvet Rope'.

The Velvet Rope is the sixth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. The album was released on October 7, 1997, through Virgin Records. Prior to its release, she renegotiated her contract with Virgin for US$80 million, the largest recording contract in history at that time. Its composition fuses various genres, including pop, R&B, trip hop, folk, jazz, rock and techno music. Considered to be Jackson's most mature recording, it is regarded as a template for pop artists transitioning to a darker or rebellious sound and as a precursor to the development of alternative R&B. The album was certified triple platinum by the RIAA and has sold an estimated eight million copies worldwide.

Imran & Rhonda delve deep into this definitive 90s classic looking at the factors that drove Janet to create the record, its progressive depictions of sexuality, R&B and pop music of the time and of course we delve into the remixes in support of the project as usual.

Since the site's inception, 4ever in Electric Dreams has strived to provide interesting and dynamic audio content.  Primarily revolving around podcasts that celebrated the team's varied passions for films, music and graphic novels, the list of shows has slowly expanded to provide a more diverse array of shows, again, with an eye on celebrating those areas of genre fiction we each hold dear.

The launch of our new horror anthology series, The Monsters Within Us, marks a new milestone in the 4ever landscape as the team come together, under the guidance of site co-founder, Dan Collacott, to unveil our very first in a series of audio dramas.

Serving as an affectionate ode to a classic horror aesthetic - with a slight twinge of comedy sprinkled into the mix - 'Old Boys Club' presents an exciting starting off point for what we hope will nurture our passion for storytelling and we look forward to inviting you along as always to get this journey with us.

So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, we present to you... The Monsters Within Us, episode 1... Old Boys Club! 
​
​After suffering an unspeakable tragedy, Geoff & Pam Timms leave their life in London and retire to the countryside. Geoff's selfish search for status and acceptance leads him down a dark path. Far from quiet and an opportunity to grieve, he uncovers the secrets of his family bloodline and the darkness then enshrouds the peaceful village he now calls home.


Written by: Dan Collacott, Produced by Dan Collacott, Imran Mirza and Denis-Jose Francois.
Starring: Imran Mirza, Denis-Jose Francois, Stuart Giblin, Liza Paderes, Gavin O'Reilly, Annalie Mirza, Richard Roth and Dan Collacott.

​Welcome to Episode #17 of the 90s State of Mind podcast - a collaborative project between 4ever in Electric Dreams and Blue-in-Green:RADIO. This podcast series sees Imran (London, UK) and Rhonda (California, USA) delve into some of their favourite releases from the 90s and for this episode, the pair celebrate the 1997 album from the iconic neo-soul pioneer, Erykah Badu, 'Baduizm'.

Marking the debut studio effort from Badu, the project found a home on Kedar Records and Universal Records, and was a commercial success debuting at number two on the US Billboard charts and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was certified three times Platinum by the RIAA, Gold by British Phonographic Industry and Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.  Serving as one of the earliest forays into what would become neo-soul, 'Baduizm' was beset with praise even earning itself a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 40th Grammy Awards.

Imran & Rhonda delve deep into this definitive 90s classic looking at the dawning of neo-soul and the genre's early years, we look at the album's lead singles, the collaborators and subsequent remixes.

www.blueingreenradio.com

​This episode of the Close Encounters... Minicast sees friend of the show Stuart Giblin join Dan Collacott and Imran Mirza to discuss some of those fantastic moments of television that bring a conclusion to, in many cases, years of brilliant storytelling and gifting devoted fans with incredible send-offs for some of their favourite shows and characters.

Directing our focus to sitcoms today, the trio analyse those endings that remained key nostalgic moments for shows we grew up with, and we spend some time looking at a selection of contemporary shows with endings that will equally resonate with us in years to come.  Looking at shows from the UK and US, join in as we engage in some of our favourites.