MORPHEUS
MUSIC INTERVIEW - MYSTICAL SUN
19.11.08 - on release
of Energy Mind Consciousness.
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| Q:
Can you tell us a bit about your musical history
to date? |
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Mystical Sun began in the 1990's
as an experimental ambient project. During the early 2000's
the project delved into deeper grooves and rhythms mixed with
melodies and atmospherics. The primary outlet for the music
has been on the internet and the dot-com boom coincided with
the release of the first album and that proved to be a very
fortunate synchronicity, leading to several million downloads
of the tracks.
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Q:
With two solo albums and numerous compilation
appearances behind you – what did you want for this
third album "Energy Mind Consciousness"? |
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The music was completed and mastered
July 2008 as the culmination 13 months of production. During
the production the intent was to construct a sequence of songs
that could for a moment allow a listener a respite from the
hyper accelerating world. Music as an art form is capable
of being more than a diversion or entertainment, it can also
be a vehicle of the mind. "Energy Mind Consciousness"
is an intimate album for listening and creating ambience.
The album is optimally mixed for either headphones or stereo
systems with subwoofers since it has massive bass. Some of
the very interesting aspects on this album reside in the deep
bass range and require a full range set of speakers to hear.
There is a dubby element subtly and intentionally rooted on
this album. A great deal of sound design went into the bass
sounds and making them modulate and speak. On this album the
idea is holographic sounds and distant landscapes. This stays
true to the Mystical Sun production ethos. All albums have
consistency in the overall body of work. |
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Q:
How would you say your sound has developed
since Deeperworlds?
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The sound on "Energy Mind
Consciousness" reflects a counterbalance to the accelerating
world with something unhurried and entrancing. The music is
designed to distort and slow the perception of time by opening
up more space between the notes. It represents the distinction
between lived and perceived time. The theme on this album
is spaciousness represented by cavernous reverbs and complex
echoes.
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Q:
You talked about an eclipse during the recording of the current
album – how did this affect your final result? |
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Yes. It's interesting because
earlier during the full moon eclipse I was able to view
the moon through a 36-inch Cassegrain reflector telescope,
housed in a rolling roof observatory. The experience was
powerful because the moon's light was amplified and absorbed
into the eyes like a laser. Later, upon returning to the
studio and working on the track "Expansions" the
moon became fully eclipsed and at that point the song matched
the mood perfectly so the decision was made for the song
to be finalized during that time period before the moon
returned. |
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Q:
How do you make
your music – what are your methods, preferred equipment,
etc?
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The studio
has always been centered around the Mac. The sounds are
mostly custom programmed from an extensive sound library
that has been compiled over the years. Real instruments,
mics, field recordings, digital and analog synths and software
synths are mixed and mastered digitally. Explaining the
process is difficult because it changes for each song. The
simplest way to explain it is that I listen to the works
in progress and hear in it faint melodies/slight harmonics
that then I figure out how to create. It is a bit like sonic
archeology, where one uncovers music that is hidden beneath
the surface.
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Q:
Energy Mind Consciousness" comes
in a striking package – how involved are you in this
side of things? |
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100% responsible for it since
the packaging is an integral part of the entire project, therefore
it was designed and created during the production of the music.
The CD packaging is made from mostly recycled materials. No
jewel case or extra plastics are used to hold the CD in place.
It is more like a vinyl album sleeve presentation. The cover
is a vortexual mathematical formula that I rendered in software
and then digitally composited into a montage of image processing
and digital painting. The stylized text and sun glyph were
painted in oil by Antonio Roybal a very talented artist in
New Mexico.
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Q:
What led you to working with Cyberset
as a label?
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They're a group
of great people I've known for a long time and we share common
interests. Having the label supporting the music frees up
time more for the creation aspects. I prefer community as
opposed to going it alone. |
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Q:
Do you do any live work with the project?
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Mystical Sun
is a studio project, so there isn't any live work to speak
of.
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| Q:
Are there any artists that you feel are
currently making exiting developments in electronic music,
other than Mystical Sun of course? |
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I listen to
most everything out there and stay up on the latest releases.
In general some of more interesting production techniques
are coming from the electronic dub and dubstep worlds right
now. There are a lot options for new musics and genre fusions
now. It's enjoyable listening to all the developments. |
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Q:
Where do you see you own music heading
in the future? |
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Mystical Sun will continue to evolve over
time. Music technology is moving really fast and the possibilities
are endless. The future is an open road.
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| Thanks
to Richard AKA Mystical Sun for allowing us that interview.
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