Creamtone

I often find myself helplessly hypnotised by the lush soundscapes of Boards of Canada. Very few words can adequately describe the beautiful music they make… Ethereal. Nostalgic. Emotive. Intimate. Reflective. Mesmerising. Gorgeous. Enchanting… We’re barely touching the tip of the iceberg here.

I’ve decided to share with you some tracks from their seminal album that had inspired me tremendously many years ago, Music Has The Right To Children — a true classic that changed my life when I first heard it. What’s so great about their music is that I always hear something new with every listen — it could be a subtle vocal sample in the background, or some obscure string melody from an old wildlife documentary layered over the beats. They’re the kings of musical nuances.

Of course, there are many other great releases they’ve done like Hi-Scores, Boc Maxima, Twoism, Geogaddi, In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country, The Campfire Headphase… but Music Has The Right To Children will always hold a special place in my heart.

One word sums this band up for me… life-defining.

After MUSIC, my 2nd love is ART/GRAPHIC DESIGN.

Okay… maybe 3rd… after MUSIC and GIRLS. Haha.

There’s always something exhilarating about discovering a piece of art that can take my breath away. My heart beats just that little bit faster, my eyes start to pore over every beautiful detail and I’m often filled with a whole sense of envy & awe. Among all the art movements, Surrealism stands firmly as my favourite.

Perhaps it’s the whole creative philosophy of eschewing real rules — just sheer self expression bound only by the artist’s imagination — that completely excites me and sends tingles of inspiration through me. Surrealism is supposed to represent the rawest form of thought expression; the real way humans think. I like to call it “train of thought” art. It is a no-holds-barred artform that completely encourages free-flow/freestyle displays and oftentimes is accompanied with a cheekily defiant middle-finger pointed proudly!

I’m a real believer of dreams. I always try to remember all the quirky, sad, happy, sexy, ugly or even disturbing shit that plays inside my mental cinema while I’m asleep. Whenever I wake up after a particularly memorable dream, I often try to interpret it in my music or jot it down in a .txt file. It’s too bad I can’t paint or draw to save my life!

Anyway, there’s nothing that comes close to representing sub-conscious visions more than Surrealist art. I’m a big fan of the technicolour dream-like images of Salvador Dalí (of course!) to the mathematical graphic conundrums of M.C. Escher (okay, technically he’s not a Surrealist but he sure is good at mindfucking!)