At the very end of the sixties the Genesis band completed a journey From Genesis to Revelation. Starting from the same place in 2026, Alberto Rigoni, Michael Manring and Stuart Hamm took a different route, and ended up in the much darker realm of Dystopia. Along the way, they encountered soulless, algorithmic machines, a world in limbo, and a baptism of fire and renewal. The story is recorded in their travelogue album, Dystopia. I have chosen the most hopeful track to illustrate this sorry tale.

Alberto Rigoni is an Italian bass player. He plays the electric bass guitar. So do Michael Manring and Stuart Hamm. The whole of the Dystopia album can be thought of as a concerto for three bass guitars. There are no vocals, lead/rhythm guitars, keyboards or wind instruments listed in the credits. Drums are provided by guest artists, David Menoudakis or Tim “Herb” Alexander. And even they are dispensed with on the shorter, more ‘electronic’ tunes.

Does this mean every track sounds the same? Not at all. The sound of the traditional electric bass permeates every piece, but there’s plenty of variety in the melodies, rhythms and electronic effects.

The overall message is a gloomy one, very much in tune with the headlong descent into chaos and destruction that the people of this planet seem to have chosen. But Rigoni & Co. do not lose all hope. Perhaps, out of the deadly dystopia already beginning to envelop the Earth, a greener, truly peaceful world will rise from the ashes.