DeptFord Collective‘s latest song “Whoever Wins, AI wins” might sound like a dance song when you first hear the beat but the moment you pay attention to the lyric, you realize that the song is asking you to think deep about the world we live in. Released days ago, the track sees the South-East London collective return with a lively, futuristic dance sound and a message that goes beyond entertainment. Known for using Pip music to speak about social issues and promote their #LoveNotHate campaign, the group shows us again that music can be fun and meaningful at the same time.
Before you think this is going to be one of those songs that leaves you sitting quietly, wondering what exactly the artist is talking about, let me tell you something. Deptford Sound Collective have chosen a different approach. They want you on the dancefloor, enjoying the beat, singing along to the hook and somewhere in between, asking yourself a few important questions.
Honestly, this is one impressive way to do it and that is one interesting thing about this release.
The inspiration behind the song reportedly came from a statement by President Donald Trump: “Whoever Wins, AI Wins”. It is a short statement but think about it for a moment. The world is becoming increasingly interested in artificial intelligence, with countries and major organizations competing to develop the technology and gain an advantage from it. Everyone seems to want to know what AI can do, how powerful it can become and who will lead the race but while everybody is looking towards the future of technology, Deptford Sound Collective wants us to look around us as well.
What happens to the people struggling to afford basic necessities? What about families who can barely find decent housing? What about those living through war, poverty and inequality? These are the questions sitting at the heart of this track.
The group isn’t asking whether AI is good or bad. They just want us to think about why so much attention is being given to technological advancement when many people are still dealing with problems that have existed for years. That is indeed a very fair question to raise.
Artitifial Intelligence is developing quickly and there is no doubt that it could make certain areas of life very easy but as exciting as it may be, there are also concerns about jobs, privacy, fairness and who benefits from the technology. So where exactly does it leave the ordinary people?
Talking about the music itself, the message is simply one part of the release. The track is a high energy, Brazilian-inspired dance track with a futuristic production style, The group refer to it as an AI-fueled Brazilian Plonk dance cut, giving listeners an idea of the modern sound they’re going for.
The choice of sound makes perfect sense when you put the subject matter into consideration. A modern dance sound gives the song a musical identity that fits naturally with those ideas. It somehow connects with the world of technology that created it.
Sometimes, a song can get the message across in a way that long speech cannot. You might not sit down to read an article about artificial intelligence, but a catchy song could grab your attention, get stcuk in your head and make you curious enough to find out more.
One line that caught my attention “Silicon Logic in a binary cage/ Writing the script for a brand new page”
Now, these lines might sound technical at first but the idea behind them is interesting. Silicon and binary logic being computers and digital technology to mind, while the word cage suggests that something could be restricted or trapped. Put those ideas together and you begin to wonder if the song is asking us to think about the limits of the systems we keep building.
AI is often described as a technology that could change everything about how we live and work. It may open doors to opportunities we have not even imagined yet but who gets to decide what that future looks like? Who controls the technology? Who benefits from it? And what happens to people whose lives and jobs may be affected by the decisions made today?
These questions are important especially when technological developments move faster than many people can fully understand them.
“We are looking for ghosts in the machine”……….. I love the picture this line creates. It brings to mind the mystery surrounding artificial intelligence and the way machines can sometimes produce results that appear surprisingly human. The idea of a ghost in the machine makes the whole subject a little mysterious, as though there is still so much we do not know about the technology we are creating.
No matter how advanced technology becomes, people still have to deal with the realities of living “We are worried about Poverty and change/ The world feels heavy and the sky looks strange”
These problems are not new, and they will not disappear simply because the world develops better technology. This is the point Deptford Sound Collective tries to make with this release. To be clear, the song is not arguing that technological development should stop. It’s message is that progress should not leave people behind. We can appreciate the possibilities of AI while still asking whether it’s benefits will reach people from different backgrounds. We can welcome innovation while questioning how it might affect our lives.
To understand this release fully, it helps to look at the wider message the group have been promoting. They use pop music to raise awareness of social issues and challenge the spread of hate under their LoveNotHateCampaign. The Deptford Collective have raised concerns about their music being restricted on social media platforms. According to the information provided, they say Meta has banned their music and Tiktok has muted their songs for reasons unclear to us. We encourage you to stream, play and share their music.
At the end of the day. the group are not telling us to reject AI nor are they asking us to accept every new development without thinking. They are simply asking us to pay attention to the bigger picture.
If we are going to build a future with smarter machines, we should make sure we are also building a world that treats people better.
STREAM ON SPOTIFY:
The Tracks Release Link HERE
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