The Enigma I – We Are One is the debut album of The Enigma Series by Shinnobu and stands as the foundational work from which the entire Enigma universe unfolds. Released in 2017, the album represents the first moment in which a deeply internal process of perception, sound, and consciousness took audible form, establishing a long-form spiritual and philosophical body of work expressed through music. The album emerged from a period of profound inner transition in which personal structures were dissolving and a new mode of awareness was taking shape. Rather than originating from a predefined concept or stylistic intention, We Are One arose as a direct response to lived experience, translating inner states into sound with clarity and restraint. This moment marked the first crystallization of a sonic language oriented toward consciousness, frequency, and inner unity, where music functions as an experiential environment rather than a narrative sequence.
Within this work, sound operates as a medium of alignment. Cinematic ambient textures, ethereal vocal layers, and ceremonial tonal elements converge to form a contemplative field designed to support inward attention and perceptual stillness. The album unfolds slowly, allowing resonance and space to guide the listener through states of introspection, remembrance, and quiet expansion. Each composition contributes to a unified atmosphere where simplicity carries depth and repetition becomes a vessel for awareness.
We Are One establishes the core philosophical orientation of The Enigma Series: the understanding of music as a vibrational interface between inner perception and lived reality. Rather than depicting ideas, the album invites immersion, encouraging the listener to experience sound as presence and frequency as a shaping force of consciousness. This approach would become a defining characteristic of all subsequent releases in the series, positioning the debut album as both an initiation and a reference point.
As the first public manifestation of this language, The Enigma I – We Are One functions as the gateway through which the broader Enigma narrative enters audible existence. Its enduring significance lies in its role as the origin of a living continuum, where sound, awareness, and inner transformation remain inseparably intertwined.
Context of Origin
The album was conceived during a stage of total personal restructuring. This period was characterized by detachment from inherited structures and the emergence of an autonomous inner direction. Material loss and constant movement between temporary living spaces shaped a state of openness where identity entered a phase of transformation.
During this time, Shinnobu lived between locations while maintaining a close bond with his sister. Spiritual inquiry played a central role, including regular visits to a church in the capital. These external movements mirrored an internal process of release and reconfiguration, gradually preparing the ground for a new creative language.
Inner Environment and Secrecy
The cultural and social context surrounding the project favored restraint and silence. Authentic expression unfolded inwardly, protected from external interference. The project took form in discretion, growing within an intimate creative space where sound replaced spoken language as the primary medium of expression.
Extended periods of isolation inside a darkened room allowed deep immersion into frequency, texture, and atmosphere. This environment became a laboratory for translating emotion, longing, and inner vision into sound.
Sonic Worldbuilding
We Are One emerged as an act of sonic worldbuilding. The album constructs imagined yet experientially real environments through ambient soundscapes, rain textures, monastic and Gregorian-inspired chants, and ethereal vocal layers. These elements form gateways toward inner sanctuaries shaped by contemplation, serenity, and spiritual resonance.
The compositions function as spaces for inward travel. Each track serves as a frequency field designed to facilitate connection with states of awareness that transcend immediate physical surroundings. Through sound, the album creates access to relationships, environments, and forms of communion that existed internally as lived realities.
Influences and Recognition
During this phase, Shinnobu encountered the work of Enigma, particularly the piece Sadeness. This encounter acted as a resonance point, revealing the existence of a broader global language where spirituality, rhythm, and atmosphere converged. It confirmed that similar forms of inner perception were shared by others across the world, extending far beyond the geographical and cultural limits of the immediate environment.
This recognition reinforced the sense of belonging to a wider field of consciousness and affirmed the legitimacy of pursuing sound as a medium for inner exploration.
Experiential Expansion
As the creative immersion deepened, states of expanded awareness naturally unfolded. One pivotal experience involved conscious separation from the physical body, accompanied by precise perception of the surrounding environment. Subsequent verification anchored this experience as an event rooted in direct awareness rather than symbolic imagination.
This episode became a silent cornerstone in the philosophy of the Enigma Series, reinforcing the understanding of reality as layered and frequency-based, where environment, body, and consciousness interact continuously.
Philosophical Foundation
Although conceptual clarity would emerge years later, the album already embodied a core principle: sound, space, and consciousness share the same vibratory nature. Music functioned as both expression and vehicle, shaping perception and enabling inner movement across states of being.
We Are One stands as an initiation into this understanding, presenting sound as a living environment rather than a narrative structure.
Tracks
-
Angeli Hiuerusalem
-
Lucid Dream
-
Temple of Mystery
-
Essence of the Soul
-
Elementals Chants Mystic
-
The Dream That Is Not Sleep
-
Primavera
-
Legacy
Each composition forms a chapter within a unified contemplative arc, moving through invocation, dreamlike awareness, elemental presence, renewal, and remembrance.
Legacy
This album established the symbolic, tonal, and spiritual foundation of The Enigma Series. Its aesthetic language, pacing, and inner orientation shaped all subsequent releases within the project.
Originally conceived as a private inner journey, The Enigma I – We Are One later became publicly available following the opening of Shinnobu’s YouTube channel in early 2016, allowing the work to reach listeners who resonated with similar states of perception and inner exploration.
Today, the album remains a foundational reference within the catalog, recognized as the point where the Enigma universe first entered audible form.