[good frequencies]
10/08/2005 07:18 a.m.
yesterday, i experienced a substance that i've not experienced since the earliest days of my childhood. it was something so strange and confusing that i actually thought i was dead. please, correct my spelling if i'm wrong, i think it was called.... silence.

a question proposes itself: is silence a dark substance... or a light substance?

i'm a person that thinks life should have it's own soundtrack (musical references: brian eno's "music for films" 1-4, textures, ambient 1-4, ... you know what, just his entire collection pretty much). however, i also believe that the basis for all sound is silence. ambient sound/music is the connection. this is the crossroads where music meets silence.

the following is taken from the liner notes of brian eno's "discreet music" (his first official exploration into the creation of ambient music): "an ambience is defined as an atmosphere, or a surrounding influence: a tint." he continues to explain how regular musics "brighten", masking the accoustic qualities of the atmosphere. ... taking away from silence.

thus, ambient music was created not even to enhance the atmosphere - but, if anything, enhance the listeners awareness of the atmosphere - create normality outside the human mind (as to regular musics creation of normality for the human mind). too, ambient music has been created to create an atmosphere that dosen't exist; to set the listener in a different atmosphere. from here, it's grown through other musicians/artists to actually be able to create an atmosphere around the listener.

however, i digress. the original point is to draw the balance of the human mind with it's atmosphere. to become one with it's actual ambiance. - so, silence is the origin of the sound of what's around you - to be filled with computer humming, fans, cars on the street, crickets...

so, i return to my original question: is silence a dark substance, or a light substance?

i cannot provide a straight forward answer, because none exists. silence is what you make it - or what your surroundings make it. to most people, silence is dark. even in the light of day, silence would be dark. however, to other's, silence may be light - serenity where there is none. a lamp in a dark place. that is based on the mind.
..........................

to be continued or rewritten i think all together. i've spent the good portion of 2 hours writing this. i get so caught up in the reading/research that it just takes too long. then i jump to the end before i've written the beginning.

i hope some of this makes sense.

all i remember is the question was posed to me: light or dark. which is silence?

sound seems to me to be a tainting - period. whether its ambient or not - it's not natural. ambient is close in that it can blend in... become part of the atmosphere even - enhancing it's qualities (as Erik Satie may have been trying to get at with his awkward silence filling 'musique d'ameublement', or, furniture music).

however, when you are waving your hand at the dust particles in the ray of light through the shades of your darkened bedroom, are you hearing the dawn? can you hear the sun warming the room? is it light?
I am currently Tired
I am listening to Aphex Twin's "Schottkey 7th Path" [on lounging sound radio]