“Stories of Songs of Stories”,
written on Thursday, September 12, 2024
I’ve been meaning to write about Eric Johnson’s tribute to the late SRV (one of my favorite guitartists ever – from my custom signature Stratocaster – a tribute version to his very own, Number One), by this wonder track, titled Eric Johnson – S.R.V. which presented SRV’s melodies and licks, both in both fine blends of his own and Stevie’s, while towards the end, lovingly, sees a few seconds of SRV’s tone-perfect notes falling out of Eric’s – despite being “the same”, that “brother from another mother” feeling had this intentional coming-short-of-1:1 to have this… true “tribute” to SRV – not a blatant rip-off.
To that meaning, I realized that it wasn’t a common theme in any sense, in that we’re all living to someone’s and or something’s tribute. I thought I’d take this particular version of “Story of Songs of Story” to bring to light all the space I’ve got in my heart for the Chillstep community – some of the people who helped pull me through 2013/2014… which was when the Chillstep scene just began “coming on”, when I mean that, I mean the conglomeration of similarly-tracked titles to find a name elsewhere from dubstep-ridden compilations (which unto themselves, were great, but there was a subset of folks who didn’t want to find their laid-back moving music interspersed with too-hard-hitting beats, bells and such), while trying to still live on to the whole point of the theme of “Tribute“
To that honour, by the time I had arrived as audience to scene, people spoke of legends who had left the scene. I didn’t find “legend” nor “scene” of substance in the scene I came across then, but I kept an open mind as I went through discographies as much as I could – most of which are dead now, back then, there were just mostly individual sharing single from most music-makers who were seemingly NOT on YouTube, for some reason. Anyhow, some of the legends from back then, still live on, from CMA to Oliver Lie (Originally called Electus).
I could speak of mean, but in context of Tribute, I first heard the tributes paid to this apparent legend called “Blackmill“, apart from a stunning title, had beautiful cover art for:
CMA made a track titled “Blackmill” 12 years ago. I recall listening to it and going, well, it was “alright”, the feel seeming quite familiar to a lot of the songs in terms of that distorted bass-like effect, the melody being interesting, still. Kiilligrew, had this track called “Blackmill“, too. I recall finding this song falling short of calling it a “good forever listen”, but I recall appreciating where I could sense they were trying to take the genre to, while leaving touches of their own sonicbrushes.
Then, I recall, at UF, just around my first birthday there, when I began to feel warm again, I came across this track by Andreas B:
Andreas B. – The Way You | Tribute to Blackmill.
Despite the seemingly-truncated title, it had in its title – Tribute to Blackmill
I absolutely loved this track. It had this unique blend that Chillstep was struggling for years to give birth to – it was great to find artists all finding their places in (my and our own) history. Personally, it was one of those fine fusions of the signature tones that several artists wanted – I don’t mean to crown this track as one of the “finest tracks ever”, my point being, within Chillstep, its time and for the few people who birthed this genre for love than money, made it feel so pure and lovely. Also, it’ll take a few writings on its own; For me to bring out what Chillstep was and is to me.
That made me go back to learn about Blackmill, after years of having listened to a lot of mediocre (with no insult to the makers themselves, ofcourse) Chillstep… I clicked on what I recall was a familiar title and image that I had seen from years and years ago:
“Reach for Glory” : The album(‘s name) made in 2011. Within 10 seconds, I honestly felt something I recall feeling sitting alone back in that mall before and after things happened – they had a lot of personal references which wouldn’t make sense here, but beyond that… I realized what this kid (turns out he was 15 – 17 or something), took simple chords, made simple progressions, and voiced them, in a way that was Dubstepish, but not quiet, and not MelodicDubstep, either. I saw how countless others blandly failed and tried to imitate the instrumental tones that he had produced. Everything from that bold and daring statement, daring to reach for glory from the very debut… glowed with some sense of divinely-greenlit yet seemingly wanton power.
2011! I honestly just couldn’t quiet grasp that level of production and pioneering for fun at home, and whatever. The album was good, too.
I re-fell in love with Chillstep in Seattle following that discovery of an ancient (in Chillstep-years), album.
I then hear… that Blackmill, this legend himself, subtly… SUBTLY, names an entire album after this guy, HOME:
I’m like, there’s no way – this album by itself cover and title, in itself, I’d love to write an entirety about; it struck me deep. He never confirmed nor denied it, also, the rumors were on forums and YouTube comments. I did come across quite a few tracks of HOME‘s, but they were all mediocre-sounding (in my then-premature judgement), and I didn’t get what everyone was fussing about. I then heard this track, which brought me to countless listening’s to tears since:
I’d have to write about this track separetly by itself. In “moments of bliss” and under this track, I’ve “witnessed” everything from the first-person view of left-behinds on Earth as survivors leave orbit under a red giant of a sun, to the birth of consciousness as people first began to see themselves. After years of listening, I later found details of how he makes his music- he’s basically an analog synth lord – all analog. His X profile shows: Randy (@RNDYGFFE) / X
I realize how the order of love, in this personal chain for me, was a lovely sense in itself: Aurora B. Polaris et al -> Blackmill -> HOME
I can’t help but think, JnX was the equivalent of HOME, for me. Sometimes I think… how it must feel to be someone like JnX or HOME; to know that you can die in peace knowing you’ve made the world a better place, though JnX may not have felt that way on his death bed.
I love how we’re all trying to be our best often in love or tribute of things, people, concept – whatever, that we love. In quick passing, I recall people celebrating how this legend made this particular track during a live stream somewhere while fans suggested him for ideas en live as he gave them feedback till completion (as alluded in the description): Electus – I’ll Miss You Forever. I could have a writing for this track in itself, but this track, perhaps contained the love and tribute of a lot of people in that particular stream of creation that gave this song a signature sense way back when it was released.
I don’t know… all the world’s a tribute to both everybody and thing that came before, to (our) posterity for whom we choose to stay living for… and God’s unsearchable presence and compass in this all…
