The Afters Launches with Robot84: A 35-Year Journey Through the Underground Dance Scene

A new audio documentary series explores the people, records and stories behind underground music and club culture. Its debut episode follows Scott Ferguson, aka Robot84, through a remarkable journey of music, loss, recovery and rediscovery.

Underground music is about more than club nights, DJs and records played on the dancefloor. Behind the sounds that shape our nights are personal stories, lifelong friendships, defining moments and years of dedication. This is the idea behind The Afters, a new audio documentary series exploring the people and stories that make underground culture what it is.

The series launches with the story of Scott Ferguson, better known as Robot84, tracing 35 years of his journey through the underground dance scene, from Scotland to London and Ibiza, and back again. It is a story rooted in electronic music and club culture, but one that also explores resilience, identity and the unexpected ways music can help us find our way forward.

Watch the official trailer

Robot84: When music becomes more than a soundtrack

Over the years, Robot84's productions have found their way into DJ sets around the world. Yet, despite this, Scott had never experienced the feeling of hearing one of his own records played in a club.

That changed following a life-altering event. On Boxing Day 2022, while in Gran Canaria, Scott suffered an ischaemic stroke. His recovery would become a long and challenging journey, with even the simplest everyday activities turning into milestones.

From his hospital bed, as he began rebuilding his life, Scott sent out an edit he had been sitting on: Robot84 vs The Raff – “Get It Right Next Time”.

In January 2023, Jon Sa Trinxa played the track at Café Mambo in Sydney and continued to support it. For Scott, knowing his music was travelling back out into the world became a powerful source of confidence and motivation as he worked to learn how to walk again.

The moment gave the track a deeper significance. Beyond its place on the dancefloor, it became part of a story about perseverance, recovery and finding a rhythm again when life takes an unexpected turn.

‍A story told from within the underground

The Afters follows the records, places, relationships and experiences that have shaped Robot84's life in music. The documentary also features contributions from respected figures across the electronic music scene, including Bill Brewster, Colleen Cosmo Murphy, Pete Gooding and Jon Sa Trinxa, alongside Scott's family and friends.

Music plays a central role in the storytelling. The portrait is scored almost entirely with Scott's own productions, edits and remixes, allowing his work to become part of the narrative rather than simply a soundtrack to it.

Instead of following the familiar format of an artist interview focused on releases and career highlights, The Afters takes a deeper approach. It explores where the music comes from, the people behind it and the experiences that shape the sounds heard on dancefloors around the world.

Beyond the dancefloor

Robot84's story extends beyond the boundaries of electronic music. It is a reflection on identity, friendship, resilience and the relationship between creativity and personal experience.

For those who have followed underground dance culture for years, the documentary offers a closer look at the people and connections that sustain the scene. For those discovering Scott Ferguson's story for the first time, it is a reminder that behind a record that moves a dancefloor, there can be an entire lifetime of experiences.

With this first portrait, The Afters sets out to move beyond the constant stream of content and focus on the stories that give music and culture their meaning.