By Rob Evanoff
The future has spoken. It speaks yet again about the sounds of silence. Please do read on, but if you have a spare $2, stop immediately and buy a copy of the Delerium ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂSilenceÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ CD singleÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ
less than a pack of cigarettes or a six pack of your favorite lager (if your favorite can be purchased for less than $2 then IÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂm sure this will all be gibberish anyway) and much more enjoyable.
For those of you who scoffed at hip hop claiming rights as the stepchild of jazz and wonder why All About Jazz is featuring electronica then please peer into the future for it is upon us and will not be denied. Electronica, especially trance, can seem soulless to some because of its obvious nods to technology and the shackles of machines but it cannot be dismissed even by the most ardent hardcore jazz fan for two reasons:
- Its structure begins with a simple mission that any musician or fan can respect. Find music one loves and deconstruct it before re-constructing its shape into a new form. DJs scour the planet and discover long forgotten or obscure themes, acknowledge modern styles and pilfer well-worn melodies to sample in an effort to re-interpret the original work. Sounds to me like a plausible action and a sensible reaction. As the masters of jazz showed the once modern world, this re-creation may be recorded for consumption but the recorded version only hints at a transient mood, one that is re-interpreted every single time the song is performed. With electronica, this art is restrained by technology but the real innovators are progressively and boldly forging forward with the same spirit as when jazz first made people shake their heads and cover their ears at a new art form they didnÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂt understand. That time is upon us again. The creators of electronica and its disciples are so passionate about music and life itself that their collective exuberance will ultimately prevail as they melt the scorn of any stodgy predisposition.
- The music, which may seem overtly simple and unlistenable at first, is both daft and layered deep with instrumentation. Faulted for obnoxious repetitiousness, upon closer inspection, it is invigorating meditative music that can both pacify and please the attention deficit mind as well as adrenalise your spirit, propelling one to become physically attuned with its propulsive energy. In essence, music for your entire being and music for the new age.
Is this a new concept? Of course not, in fact most people cringe the same way people did when they first heard rock 'n' roll. Electronica seems like an advanced version of disco meets new wave with nothing more than a series of loud pumping beats given forth at varying speeds, but look beneath the surface and youÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂll find something magical like that of DeleriumÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂSilenceÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ.
Delerium and Sarah McLachlan share the same record label, Nettwerk Records (based out of Canada) and in 1997; Sarah was featured on a track called ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂSilenceÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ from DeleriumÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Karma album. Her devastatingly ethereal vocals spoke to your soul while her lyrics buried themselves deep within your consciousness, ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂGive me Release. Witness me. I am Outside. Give me Peace. Heaven holds a sense of Wonder. And I wanted to Believe that IÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂd get caught up. When the Rage in me subsides. Passion chokes the Flower until she cried no More. Possessing all the beauty. Hungry still for more. In this white wave, I am Sinking in this SilenceÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ.
Delerium was slightly ahead of the global domination of electronica, but they became a signpost of the future. Karma went largely unnoticed even as Sarah McLachlanÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs popularity rose, but DJs looking for inspiration took notice and began sampling her vocals into their mixes and over the next few years a global explosion precipitated. Arguably the most played and most remixed song of 2000; DeleriumÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂSilenceÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ dominated DJ lists and request lists, millions upon millions of feet moved to it, radio finally discovered it, a worldwide phenomenon was recognized and a cursory glance at the emerging world in which we live in was duly noted.
And with all of this attention, it was only a matter of time before an official Delerium remix single was released. The four remixes on the ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂSilenceÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ single are representative of the individual styles of each DJ with the ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂairscape remixÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ elaborating on all of the ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂtrance tricksÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ, i.e. big crescendo followed by revved up BPMs (beats per minutia). This trick is quite common as it gives everyone a chance to raise his or her hands in the air getting ready for virtual blast off. Blast off or not; the original edit of this hauntingly brilliant track has a universally lasting resonance.
So wake up and at least give a listen. Pick up (or download if you must) a copy of ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂSilenceÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ today for if you choose not to acknowledge the future of improvisational music, the silence will be deafening.
