Number 10: Mir by Ott
Feel the vibrations
Release: March 15th, 2011
Genre: Psydub
Favorite Tracks: The Aubergine of the Sun, Adrift In Hilbert Space, One Day I Wish To Have This Kind Of Time
Where I heard it:
What a beautiful platform music provides to share the bands we love most with the communities we hold dearest. I've discovered a few of my favorite bands of all-time purely based off the recommendation of friends. The majority of those friendships were forged during my involvement in my school's marching band program, where I spent countless hours rehearsing and competing on fields all across the state. As a drummer, it meant I was thrown into the fray alongside an eccentric cast of characters and expected to establish team synergy. Although our backgrounds were significantly different, we bonded together as each year passed and more memories were made. One of those who was often associated with those memories is my friend Mikey, a confident and ego-fueled kid that became one of the first people I was ever friends with in high school. Despite our contrasting personalities, we were practically attached at the hip over the course of our four years in high school. Not only did we see each other five days a week at school, we were spending just about every free weekend we had to engage in a bit of harmless teenage debauchery like trespassing and lighting off fireworks. Ah, kids...anyways, I believe it was around winter of 2011 when Mikey got his driver's license, so understandably we were bumping tunes over the stereo any time we traveled to our next destination. We were driving around one night when Mikey implored me to listen to a song he liked, which I had no choice as the passenger but to accept. Mikey switched on Jack's Cheese and Bread Snack by a little-known DJ named Ott, and the nearly thirteen minute epic blew my mind. It sounded futuristic and cutting-edge, completely foreign to my ears. I had only recently acquired a taste for electronic music in dubstep about a year prior, so my awareness of the genre's scope was incredibly limited. If this what Ott brought to the table, I was hungry for more. It wasn't long after that Mikey showed me selections from Ott's newest album Mir, some of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard to this day. I've since familiarized myself with the entirety of Ott's work, but I just can't shake the chills my nostalgia gives me for Mir. It's yet another album that is symbolic of an era of my life, twice over in fact.
We think you'll like it here
It's not perfect
But it's really all we've got
Most people you'll find are usually quite nice
And for the time you're here
There's lots to see and do
And we'll be here to care for you
And help you find your way
~ The Aubergine of the Sun
What to expect:
Certainly, Ott is one of the lesser-known acts among the highest ranking entries on this list. That isn't to say that his music hasn't resonated strongly with fans the world over. Ott's mystifying compositions have captivated international audiences since the debut of his solo record Blumenkraft in 2003, compiled with the expertise Ott fostered as a producer for artists like Brian Eno and Sinead O'Connor. Ott specializes in the sounds of psydub, a subgenre that merges the progressive elements of psychedelic music with the reggae-inspired electronic beats of dub. Each song roots its base with a groovy hook that gradually builds upon itself with multiple rhythmic layers of club-style bass and danceable riffs. Along with other notable contributors like Shpongle, Ott assisted in pioneering and popularizing psydub throughout the 2000s, setting the standard with the release of 2008's Skylon. In comparison to its off-putting predecessor, Skylon emphasizes its tone of uplifting euphoria with songs written in major key, creating a more musically inviting atmosphere that takes influence from the rich culture of Eastern religion. By the time of Mir's development, Ott was a seasoned professional in utilizing these tactics to engineer a listening experience tailored exactly to his specifications. Although Mir's track lengths can appear daunting, each song is deliberate in is direction and calculated in its cadence, sure of itself long before any music has played. Once the journey begins, Mir is sure to delight with a collection of instrumental odysseys that augment their own realities within the boundaries of their runtimes. Ott guides you through his meticulous sound labyrinths like a musical sherpa, holding the listener's hand with repeated, underlying melodies that establish familiarity throughout more involved and complicated sections of Squirrel and Biscuits and Mouse Eating Cheese. However, the majority of the album's pacing is naturally inherent, leaving little to be explained during fantastic suites like One Day I Wish To Have This Kind Of Time and The Aubergine of the Sun. Even more abstract arrangements possess enough attention to detail to fully flesh themselves out, such as the ethereal soundscape of A Nice Little Place. While Mir remains mostly without lyrics, there are several instances of vocal inclusions such as tribal-type chants in Owl Stretching Time and soundbites from English philosopher Alan Watts to introduce the album. Ultimately, Ott's vision for Mir is realized through a conglomerate of his prolific and creative imagination. This album is invigorated by the impassioned compulsion for perfection Ott holds for his work, and the results of this mindset pay dividends in the form of emotional fulfillment.
And allow your ears to hear all sounds around you
Why it's my favorite:
The nefarious connotations behind psychedelia's etymology are no secret. The phrase alludes to mind-altering substances that expand our thought patterns and enlighten our perception of the world. Mir exhibits these qualities to a tee, devising meditative pieces that encourage a heightened state of mind to amplify its hypnotic effects. I personally engaged in this ceremonial practice starting in the winter of 2012 when I began associating with Mary Jane. One Day I Wish To Have This Kind Of Time was often the soundtrack to my smoke session as my mind drifted away into absolute bliss. The song provoked thoughtful tangents of serenity, shrouding me in a blanket of comfort that ensured my ensuing high would be one for the ages. Like the dangerous gateway drug it is, cannabis eventually gave way to greater experimentation with psychedelics in my twenties, moving on to LSD and psylocibic mushrooms. It was then that my experience of Ott formulated to understanding, first playing Mir on a trip during early 2019 while sequestered in the darkness of my room. I was laying on the floor, staring wondrously at the ceiling as the music took hold of me and ran through my consciousness. I was suddenly transfixed by the subtle production methods I had once entirely overlooked, with intently disorienting warps and swells that intensified my hallucinations. What amounted to about an hour felt like a lifetime spent within the confines of Mir's mysterious materiality. I was a different person after listening to this album on psychedelics, and I can still feel that change to this day. Mir has inexplicably made me a kinder and empathetic person, and I can't help but feel that Ott knowingly implanted that subliminal message when creating the album. Ott caters to his audience in brilliant ways, constructing remarkable passages that display the genius of the artist at the helm. Mir is a product that transcends music and delivers prosperous gifts that are ripe for the taking, given the right mentality. He's one of my favorite artists to share with other music lovers, an eternal debt I have to pay for the happiness Ott has shined onto my life. A small price to pay, if I do say so myself.
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