guest mix: silas (part III)

I've been fortunate to have the honor of once again presenting a session by one of my favorite storytellers: SILAS. Silas returns with a beautifully weaved mix of subtle bliss and dark melancholy. I'm honored that Silas keeps in good contact with me and has been churning out a plethora of epic mixes. Rather than to mentally coast through any sessions that Silas creates, I choose to ingest his pure musical vision completely undeterred by outside influences. Mixes like his are the reason I spent a lot on headphones, and between that small universe that exists in my mind, he unfolds a story of beauty and wonder on a grandiose scale. When he presents music to me with enthusiasm, I believe that his inspiration is sincere. TEULU is one such mix that came to me from Silas, and I'm confident that you will be taken in by its intense orchestration and development just as I am.

guest mix: silas (part II)

It seems as though the best mixes that I come across happen when I should be in bed, and have a lot of stressful stuff on my mind. Those mixes seem to break through the ice of turmoil, keep me awake in anticipation, and cause me to drift into the scene that they've created. There are checkpoints within the flow that develop themes and alter moods on a whim. With my mind engaged, I am able to reassess the balance of negative and positive vibe, and more often than not, I realize that music is just a great big part of my life that permeates my soul like a sponge picking up water. I am the sponge. I want you to be the sponge. Or something like that.

I cannot express the feeling that I get from listening to SILAS' newest mix entitled SCORE ONE. Every song has got me digging through the track listing, searching the artists, and eager to flesh out my music collection with new sonic morsels. There are points within the mix that seem to almost dissolve, surrounding delicate sounds with dissipating clouds of tones. While it would seem like the mix could end (and it would be perfect as it was), Silas picks it up, fills it out, and brings the whole thing back to life as if he were blowing up a balloon. And the world begins anew for another ride. If Silas had just made only BREATHWORK and Score One, I would easily have said that he was above and beyond one of the best at doing what he and his peers do, but with a larger wealth of music than most, and a much better sense of how to connect the dots than the rest of us. Ah, jealousy sets in! Hahaha!

guest mix: silas

Welcome to another episode of Spaceman's Transmissions with a requested mix from SILAS. I've had the extreme fortune of letting this mix permeate my mind for quite some time now and have picked up on the subtle nuances that flow between sections (although there are realistically no 'sections'; the whole mix is a consistent journey of seamless flow). What we are presented with is a rich wealth of soundscapes, moods, and colors that are contemplative and cerebral. As much as I think most ambient mixes can be a passage into the subconscious depths of slumber, this mix is one that must be taken in while fully attentive of its intensity and directional flow. If Pink Floyd did an ambient-ish concept album, it would sound like this.

Silas has managed to define, establish, and destroy the fine boundaries of music that encompass ambient elements, and has created cinematic brain food. He's rewritten ambient structure in his own majestic style, and weaved such an amazing tapestry balancing depth with sound. His use of darker themes and degraded colors meld with vinyl flavors. When a presentation like this comes along, I can't help but feel as though it's a very long time in the making (edit: I was told it was 5 or 6 months in the making, ouch!). It definitely makes it difficult to keep up with the imaginative minds of mix gurus like Silas. Much repeated listenings on this to be had, for sure.