Setting the tone with cerebral, enigmatic melodic details, whilst a percussive soundscape dimensionalizes, we are already hypnotized by Silvermouse‘s latest release, Beyond the Dream Drum.
As the song expands, we experience panning recorder details, whilst the soundscape evolves to deliver a psychedelic and transcendental energy. It feels like we have been teleported to an ancient civilisation fused with elements of avant-garde techno futurism.
Beyond the Dream Drum is Silvermouse’s second release from their “Psychoactive” project, which is a collaboration with the Monroe Institute to experiment with consciousness-altering signals in live and recorded music. This explains the out-of-this-world nature of the sonic experience!
The livetronica duo departed from fifteen years of releasing live music and recorded Beyond the Dream Drum in studio so that they could also take advantage of Dolby Atmos’ ability to 3-D render audio. The release features Joanne Hunt’s original electronic improvisations with Justin Handley on violin and recorder.
Silvermouse experiment with sound as a medium for human consciousness, and the Monroe Institute is one of the longest-standing research organizations dedicated to the study of the esoteric edges through the use of consciousness-altering sound technologies. By creating a studio track with individual stems, the band was able to also bring some of the magic of 3D audio into the mix.
“The experimentation we’ve been doing with consciousness affecting signals and 3D soundscapes both feel like completely natural extensions of the music I’ve always heard in my head”, explains Jo – the electronic producer half of the band.
“I literally was walking through the house one day when we were in the midst of recording, and I saw a kids recorder laying on a table. I picked it up, and 30 minutes later it had become a core part of this track”, says Justin, who is the multi-instrumentalist of the duo.
The signals used in the recording are harmonics of the Schumann Resonances, a group of natural frequencies in the earths electromagnetic field. “Psychoactive” is a deep journeying dive into the potential of music as a psychedelic entity.
We are obsessed with the duo and have added Beyond the Dream Drum to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to immerse ourselves in Silvermouse‘s wider discography!