Here is what happens when you pull back the curtain on a modern classic. The stems first appeared on file-sharing forums around 2014, likely ripped from the now-defunct Rock Band or Guitar Hero DLC network, where songs were deconstructed into playable parts. Unlike a standard MP3, a “stem pack” contains the raw, isolated audio of the kick drum, the snare, the bass, the synths, and the vocals.

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But for producers and hardcore fans, the 2011 original is only half the story. For years, the multitrack stems for Midnight City have circulated in underground production circles. These isolated tracks—drum hits, vocal layers, synth lines—offer a rare, forensic look at how French electronic wizard Anthony Gonzalez (M83) constructed his magnum opus.

It is one of the most recognizable tracks of the 2010s. With its exploding saxophone riff, shimmering synth pads, and the unforgettable, pitch-shifted “wuh-oh” vocal hook, M83’s Midnight City is a textbook example of modern dream pop and synthwave.