Ott's third album brings us a mixture of his trademark dub basslines, far-out samples and ambient ethos mixed in with toned-down dubstep and even occasional glitch. While this album is in many ways different from his earlier works, it will not disappoint fans of good downtempo/psydub music.
Perhaps the most noticeable thing about this album is that it's generally more upbeat and energetic than his previous works (with the exception of In Dub, for obvious reasons). While Ott does not shy away from using melancholic melodies and even includes a pure ambient track, listening to this album is likely to make you feel as if you are at some sort of tribal celebration as opposed to feeling like you're sitting on a sunny meadow and contemplating life. While this album is influenced by a rather wide variety of styles; from ambient to dubstep, I always prefer to listen to Mir from the beginning to the end. It just feels better when you listen to Mir as a continuous work of music. :)
1. One Day I Wish To Have This Kind Of Time
Mir begins with a nice dubby track that features multiple samples from the lectures of the late Alan Watts. These samples set the stage for the upbeat, yet cerebral, vibe that predominates the whole album.
2. Adrift In Hilbert Space
The first part of this track has an almost mellow ambient feel that's reminiscent of "Jack's Cheese And Bread Snack" from Ott's first album. Don't be deceived by the soft vocals and spacey synths, by the time you'll pass through the midpoint, this track will morph into Ott's own proprietary version of dubstep. I'd like to emphasize that this is nothing like typical brostep or even Burialesque low-key dubstep. This is Ott's own unique take on dubstep that always feels in line with the Twisted Records schools of electronic music. You'll definitely be moving around on your chair when you hear the second part of this track.
3. Owl Stretching Time
This track is the highlight of the album for me. While the intro sounds pretty typical for an Ott track, the main part of the track provides us with some more of Ott's unique take on dubstep mixed with ethnic samples, some weird instrument that I don't know the name of and trippy-ass squelchy synths. The sample of a mysterious-sounding woman talking about a key to the door of sex/power only adds to the sinister trippyness of the track. This track will make you feel like you are a starchild flying through the depths of the galaxy while hitting on the bong with some aliens who happen to like dub music. Ott does it again!
4. Squirrel and Biscuits
The intro brings us more funky dubstep which is soon mixed in with a nice spaced-out melody. Suddenly out of nowhere comes the voice of strange, rambling man whose voice is distorted to the point of sounding like some language that was not invented on planet earth. This brings a nice a nice contrast with the "world music" inspired lead female vocal. There is quite a lot of variety in this track and it never fails to morph from one style to another. A quick ambient outro assists us in landing back on planet earth. :)
5. A Nice Little Place
A nice little place, indeed. This track is the only pure ambient track on this album. It's definitely the most melancholic and "floating" track on Mir. This track will bathe you in soft, warm waves of ambient synths, backed up by an introspective, yet optimistic, melody. Even if you're not a big fan of ambient music, you'll find it difficult to not appreciate the tranquillity of this track. The outro complements the low key nature of this track, by gently dropping the listener into near silence that's punctuated by noises of what sounds like a person walking and going through a door.
6. Mouse Eating Cheese
Whenever I listen to this track, I can never get rid of the feeling that this is the closest Ott's has come to making a track in the vein of Shpongle. The deep male vocal is almost reminiscent of vocal from "Divine Moments of Truth". There is quite a lot of variety in this track, some parts have a more dubby feel to them, while the parts towards the end have an almost sounds like Ott decided to make his own laid-back version of psytrance. We are even treated to a sample that sounds something like "Take loads of acid and you'll see the truth." :)
7. The Aubergine of The Sun
What a way to end this album. Waves of ambient goodness bring us a soft, mellow melody. A vocoded vocal will tell you that "we'll be here to care for you and help you find your way..." :). As this track progresses, you'll be enveloped by conflicting emotions of happiness (because you experienced the whole of Mir) and sadness that this journey is coming to end. A playful tribal-style vocal will keep you upbeat and guide your towards the final outro of this album. Quite ambient slowly fades into minimalistic noise to bring an end to the journey that is Mir.
1. One Day I Wish To Have This Kind Of Time
Mir begins with a nice dubby track that features multiple samples from the lectures of the late Alan Watts. These samples set the stage for the upbeat, yet cerebral, vibe that predominates the whole album.
"Don’t let yourself or your ears be offended by improper or unscheduled sounds. For example, if the record is scratching you wouldn’t object to it if you were listening to it sitting by a fire. Simply close your eyes and allow your ears to hear all sounds around you." - Alan WattsThis track will make you feel like you are walking around a beautiful park on a nice summer day. It's a celebration of the beauty of life and music. The dubby bass and squelchy acid synths combine perfectly with Mr Watts' deep, but happy musings on life. A great opener for an awesome album!
2. Adrift In Hilbert Space
The first part of this track has an almost mellow ambient feel that's reminiscent of "Jack's Cheese And Bread Snack" from Ott's first album. Don't be deceived by the soft vocals and spacey synths, by the time you'll pass through the midpoint, this track will morph into Ott's own proprietary version of dubstep. I'd like to emphasize that this is nothing like typical brostep or even Burialesque low-key dubstep. This is Ott's own unique take on dubstep that always feels in line with the Twisted Records schools of electronic music. You'll definitely be moving around on your chair when you hear the second part of this track.
3. Owl Stretching Time
This track is the highlight of the album for me. While the intro sounds pretty typical for an Ott track, the main part of the track provides us with some more of Ott's unique take on dubstep mixed with ethnic samples, some weird instrument that I don't know the name of and trippy-ass squelchy synths. The sample of a mysterious-sounding woman talking about a key to the door of sex/power only adds to the sinister trippyness of the track. This track will make you feel like you are a starchild flying through the depths of the galaxy while hitting on the bong with some aliens who happen to like dub music. Ott does it again!
4. Squirrel and Biscuits
The intro brings us more funky dubstep which is soon mixed in with a nice spaced-out melody. Suddenly out of nowhere comes the voice of strange, rambling man whose voice is distorted to the point of sounding like some language that was not invented on planet earth. This brings a nice a nice contrast with the "world music" inspired lead female vocal. There is quite a lot of variety in this track and it never fails to morph from one style to another. A quick ambient outro assists us in landing back on planet earth. :)
5. A Nice Little Place
A nice little place, indeed. This track is the only pure ambient track on this album. It's definitely the most melancholic and "floating" track on Mir. This track will bathe you in soft, warm waves of ambient synths, backed up by an introspective, yet optimistic, melody. Even if you're not a big fan of ambient music, you'll find it difficult to not appreciate the tranquillity of this track. The outro complements the low key nature of this track, by gently dropping the listener into near silence that's punctuated by noises of what sounds like a person walking and going through a door.
6. Mouse Eating Cheese
Whenever I listen to this track, I can never get rid of the feeling that this is the closest Ott's has come to making a track in the vein of Shpongle. The deep male vocal is almost reminiscent of vocal from "Divine Moments of Truth". There is quite a lot of variety in this track, some parts have a more dubby feel to them, while the parts towards the end have an almost sounds like Ott decided to make his own laid-back version of psytrance. We are even treated to a sample that sounds something like "Take loads of acid and you'll see the truth." :)
7. The Aubergine of The Sun
What a way to end this album. Waves of ambient goodness bring us a soft, mellow melody. A vocoded vocal will tell you that "we'll be here to care for you and help you find your way..." :). As this track progresses, you'll be enveloped by conflicting emotions of happiness (because you experienced the whole of Mir) and sadness that this journey is coming to end. A playful tribal-style vocal will keep you upbeat and guide your towards the final outro of this album. Quite ambient slowly fades into minimalistic noise to bring an end to the journey that is Mir.
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