Additional or alternate names:
- Chariot (on Time and Tide)
By Circlejourney
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machinasolis
SoundCloud.
Cover art by the_polyblank.
Released 9/21/2018.
Duration: 4:45.
Listen on YouTube or SoundCloud.
Read artist commentary.
Also released as:
- () Chariot (Time and Tide)
Artist commentary:
The sun is remarkably multivalent symbol across historical, cultural and scientific realms, carrying almost as many meanings as there have been groups of people to study it. Ancient agricultural communities knew the sun was the source of all life and livelihood; millennia later, scientists confirmed it when they learned of the role of photons in driving photosynthesis in plants. Numerous groups across history have held it at the centre of their rituals and imaginings about the nature of the universe, depicting it as a god, a monster, or a chariot of fire.
It was initially difficult to decide which angle to approach the music from in order to best capture the sun in all its importance and wonder. Eventually, I settled on a style that combined its mythic and scientific connotations through a combination of orchestral and synth instruments.
The title of Chariot refers, naturally, to Helios, the figure from Greek myth whose chariot is said to pull the sun across the sky. In both structure and harmony, this track draws heavily upon Reel Around the Sun, the music of the opening sequence from the Riverdance suite, which celebrates the sun's benevolence as a bringer of light and life. Synths, glitching effects and bitcrushing signify the other half of our relationship with the sun: as a destructive, disruptive force, drowning out satellite transmissions, drying crops, irradiating the earth. The piece is eventually topped off with drums and an electric guitar ostinato, transforming its initial exuberance into a fiery aggression.
When I signed up to make a track for the sun, my first thought was, “how do I musically interpret a celestial body with so much significance and so many meanings?” and I think what I ended up making is a track about that significance.
The earth revolves around the sun in more ways than one–it’s the source of life, the powerhouse of the planet, and several cultures hold it at the centre of their cosmogenic mythos. The track is a celebration of it! (And also heavily inspired by Reel Around the Sun.)