Peter Haeder’s A Dream Within A Dream is the kind of album that pulls you in slowly, not with volume, but with mood. The entire project is built around Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry, and you can feel that weight from the first track. The music has a dark glow to it, and Peter lets the electronics move like shadows around Poe’s words. Even though the poems were written more than a century ago, the production gives them new life. Nothing feels forced. He keeps the arrangements simple enough for the lyrics to breathe but still adds enough detail to create a steady tension underneath. You can tell he recorded this in his own studio because it has that intimate, self-contained feel, as if every sound was placed exactly where he wanted it.
The album doesn’t follow the typical EDM format. Instead of leaning on big drops or bright hooks, Peter blends elements of pop, electronic music, and a hint of dubstep in a way that feels more atmospheric than club-ready. The result is something closer to a dark dream. Poe’s lines become the emotional center, and the music circles around them with calm patience. There are moments where the synths open up like a slow exhale, and others where the rhythm pulls tighter, almost like a heartbeat quickening. The contrast works well because it mirrors what Poe does on the page: beauty mixed with unease.
What makes this album special is how personal it feels. Even though the words come from Poe, you sense Peter’s voice behind them. It’s in the way he shapes the melodies, in how he chooses when to hold back and when to lean in. The record feels like an artist who understands the spirit of the text and wants to build a new space around it rather than simply copy its tone. His line, “Where you go – there you are,” seems to fit the entire experience. The music refuses to rush. It sits with you. It lets the darkness show, but it also finds small sparks of hope in the details. A Dream Within A Dream is a strange, beautiful album. It blends old poetry with modern production in a way that feels natural, not experimental for the sake of it. If you go into it expecting a loud EDM record, you’ll be surprised. What you get instead is something quiet, thoughtful, and very human. It’s the kind of project that stays with you because it asks you to stop for a moment and really listen.
Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok
English