Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
The “And So It Begins” instrumental tracks provide listeners with a propelling serenity through its digitized beats and melodies. Sp8ce Owl prides himself in reaching the ideal balance of driving rhythms with soothing ones to keep audiences eager to hear the progression while still content simply having the easygoing vibes take them away. When analyzing his own music, he says that calming “doesn’t necessarily mean soft or slow,” which is precisely what can be heard in “And So It Begins.” While its laid-back aesthetic has a principle gentleness, the song moves and holds attention much more than typical relaxing background music. Plus, focusing more on one track of the song versus another can completely alter how those listening perceive and interpret it. What makes this so wonderful is each listen can reveal something new and allows this single to be heard from multiple stances.This music video takes full advantage of the world’s natural beauty. It includes stunning time-lapses with the sun rising over the ocean, mountain, and treetops, replacing the place of the perfectly imperfect full moon. It captures the fluid motion of Earth’s waters and the canyons, deserts, and winding roads that only lead to more breathtaking landscapes and environmental wonders. Watching regular routines, as day turns to night and night turns to day, viewers are reminded to appreciate these little things with such intrinsic charm. The extremely immersive video ends with a closeup that smoothly cycles through all the moon’s phases, and with the moon and the song’s conclusion, it all fades to black.
How did Sp8ce Owl come to be?
First, thank you for taking the time to interview me!
I have always had stories for things. It started when I was a kid, and I never really stopped. The stories were just internal before. Then Sp8ce Owl came about because I wanted an identity that I could believe was greater than what I believed I was. Me at maximum potential. At first when I created something it felt like something outside myself had a part in it. Mainly because it had become difficult for me to recognize talent that might reside inside myself. So I looked for things in my environment I could shift the focus onto. As it happened I first started to make music in my bedroom. Where there was a large window that I seemed to hear owls consistently when I was making music. At first I heard Barn Owls, but soon after I heard Great Horned Owls as well. My mind then went to stories of owls building a connection between me, the music, and owls that would soon intertwine with my identity, and the entity of Sp8ce Owl was born in my imagination. Sp8ce Owl was born during the Big Bang and is one of the Eternal Frequencies, all of which have unique purposes, as she travels through space, time, and dimensions finding different vessels to communicate the connection between all life forms throughout the universe. At least that is the story I created to give life to the idea. Something I could build upon. An outlet for the stories that swim In my subconscious. Then I embed these themes into the music I create. Sometimes subtle. Sometimes more overtly, but they are almost always there.
How has music impacted your life?
Listening to music has many rolls for me, but the most important one to me was the feeling of connection it gave me. For any mood or situation I have found music that connected me to those moments, or the moments I felt isolated and alone music more than any other thing has given me the feeling of connection. A unique emotional honesty can be expressed in music that is more difficult to achieve it seems in other art forms. Sounds can evoke such vastly different emotional responses from people that it gives sounds and music the ability to connect with us in such a deep and substantial way. Every emotional experience I can remember has music tied to it. Whether that is happiness to sadness and everything in between music plays a significant roll in how I process those feelings and experiences.
The scenery in the video is gorgeous, what made you want to include those locations?
Thank you. I really appreciate it. Most of the songs if not all of them have an emotion or feeling I am trying to embed in them. Sometimes it is how I am feeling going into creation. Other times I stumble onto a sound, loop, or sample that instantly changes my emotional state, and in these cases I try and build upon those feelings. In the case of “And So It Begins” one of the dominant feelings was a spirit of subtle beauty, and the beginning of an internal movement building into something new. As the song progressed the ties to the images in the video became more clear. The first image to come to my mind was of Arches National Park, where I had been years before, and once that became clear other places fell into place. All of them places filled with natural beauty. Connecting us to places that took millennia to shape. Reminding us of the persistent passing of time.
Who/what are some of your musical inspirations?
Some of my musical inspirations are artists like Peter Gabriel, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Prince, Rush, Pinback, The Cure, James Brown, Buddy Holly, Duke Ellington, Paris, Spoon, Octopus Project, Chopin, and so many more.
I also get inspiration from nature like the ocean and redwoods.
Can you walk us through the process of creating “And So It Begins”? Did anything in particular spark the ideas for its sound?
The song is built around a loop playing a driving synth sounds that continue for almost the entirety of the song. These are the first sounds that you hear, and the initial building block of the feeling I was trying to convey. I then would begin adding layers. Soon adding the percussion to ground the feeling with rhythmic movement. I then added three layers of woodwinds. Attempting to add a subtle ness to the song. When the guitars were added the song took on a slightly different personality. This would be the sound that evoked the first images I would see in my mind. It was of Dead Horse Point, and once I had this image in mind I continued to sculpt the rest of the song. Trying to move with and in slightly different directions from the initial experience you feel with the song, but trying to keep it all cohesive.
How do you hope listeners will feel after “And So It Begins”? What do you think they will take away from the song?
I hope listeners feel like they went on a short journey with me. Transported momentarily to an environment for there ears and eyes.
I hope they take away a feeling of connection to me and the worlds around us.
