Behind The Scenes: Ancient Streamin Assembly - Collective Failure (Official Video)

For decades, Kimmo Kuusniemi has been at the intersection of music, film, and technology, constantly pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. From pioneering Finnish heavy metal with Sarcofagus, to directing one of the first-ever full-length music videos in 1981, to creating environmental documentaries before it was mainstream, Kuusniemi has never followed trends. Now, his latest project, ASA - Collective Failure, takes that vision even further. This is not just an album—it’s an audiovisual deconstruction of reality.

An Album That Was Ahead of Its Time

The music for Collective Failure was recorded years ago, but its full artistic realisation wasn’t possible at the time. The album was originally filled with social commentary, critiques of consumer culture, and warnings about technological control—messages that felt urgent back then, but now feel like predictions that have come true. Unlike the new ASA instrumental work, Collective Failure remains the only ASA release with lyrics—a final message from a time when words still seemed to matter. After this, even language is stripped away. But while the music was locked in time, the visuals were not. That’s where the project evolved.

Bringing the Vision to Life with AI film

Today, technology has finally caught up with the ideas behind Collective Failure. ASA is not just music; it’s a full multimedia experience. Each song is accompanied by its own unique video, created by Kuusniemi himself—using AI as a tool, not as a replacement for creativity. Rather than generating content randomly, AI is used to expand his artistic vision, blending glitch aesthetics, dystopian landscapes, and surreal digital decay.

“I’ve always wanted to explore music and visuals as a single entity,” Kuusniemi explains. “Back when Collective Failure was recorded, these kinds of videos simply weren’t possible. Now, I can finally bring the full vision to life.” The first video, “Collective Failure”, sets the tone for the entire experience—depicting a world trapped in a loop, where societies rise, collapse, and reset, repeating the same mistakes over and over. Future videos will continue expanding on this theme, each one revealing another piece of the puzzle.

The Simulation is Breaking. Are You Ready?

ASA builds on Ancient Simulation Theory—the idea that humanity exists within a pre-programmed system, repeating cycles of progress and collapse with no memory of past failures. This concept resonates deeply throughout the album, especially in tracks like: “Collective Failure” – A warning about society’s amnesia, blindly repeating history. “Synthetic Illusions” – A critique of escapism, where people numb themselves instead of confronting reality. “Machine Faith” – A reflection on blind reliance on technology as a savior.

With every new video release, ASA pulls back the layers of the illusion, challenging audiences to question the systems around them. Collective Failure is not just an album. It’s a full audiovisual experience, a project that took years to be fully realised. The first music video has arrived—but this is only the beginning. The cycle will continue unless we break it. Are you ready to see the simulation for what it is?