Myles O’Reilly is an Irish musician and filmmaker, born in Dublin, Ireland. O’Reilly has released several compositional-ambient albums and has collaborated with many other artists in the Irish music scene, most notably with Rónán Ó Snodaigh (of Kíla). “I like to compare my approach to writing and performing ambient music as creating an incense or perfume—evocative notes as subtle as a smell, and with the same purpose in a space: to invite and amplify a transportative atmosphere and a calming mood,” says Myles.
He sculpts ethereal landscapes that echo patterns of nature and moods inspired by relief and escape, ranging from quiet meditative restraint to lush, awesome expansiveness. Today, Myles shares a new ambient album titled ‘Music from the Threshold’.
“Music from The Threshold is a collection that, for me, encapsulates everything I cherish about ambient music—its ability to serve as a balm for our thoughts, a canvas for daydreams, and a workout for our imagination. It becomes most potent when we need a personal and introspective journey into what often feels unclear and unreachable: those deeply stored emotions that are difficult to access on demand but essential to experience, especially when suspended between two worlds, where nothing is defined and where past and future hold no sway.”
ABOUT THE ALBUM:
There exists a threshold we all cross, and at times linger— a liminal space punctuated by pauses in life’s rhythm, where daydreams flourish and thoughts rise, untethered and enigmatic. It’s in this middle distance, poised between consciousness and reality, that my imagination is most vivid and sensory.
The Threshold.
A decade ago, after a bad accident my world shifted dramatically. A prolonged period in hospital and at home in rehabilitation brought me to the discovery of ambient music. At this pivotal juncture, I spent over a year recuperating, ensconced in headphones. The daydreams I cherished were profoundly enhanced by the ambient sounds that enveloped me. In the sterile confines of the hospital and the familiarity of home, my imagination thrived, nourished by the sustained glow of notes embedded in fractal echoes, delays, tones and drones. These sounds, devoid of the ego of their creator, allowed me to drift, to immerse fully in my own sense of place and my random flow of thoughts, which more than anything, helped me to heal.
After a full recovery came a long journey of exploration, as I spent many years seeking albums and delving into every facet of the genre. Certain artists emerged whose sounds resonated deeply with my favored moods. During a global pandemic, when I ventured into creating ambient music for the first time, these artists became my mentors: Kyle Bobby Dunn, Danielle Baquet-Long, Ian Hawgood, Stijn Hüwels, Taylor Deupree, among others. While it felt as though the world had collectively stepped into that liminal space, my initial collections, Sri Lanka Dreaming and Cabin Lights Off, remain my proudest achievements, born from the prolonged stay in that global waiting area, and with such good company.
Since then, some of my albums have evolved to be more compositional, particularly in collaboration with Rónán Ó Snodaigh, where I explore song structures with great satisfaction. Yet, recently, I found myself at a threshold once again as my beloved elderly cat Noah fell ill. In response, I instinctively began creating music for him, for my wife Aideen and I, transforming what could have been three sorrowful and grief-stricken weeks into a period rich with reflection and profound emotion. My home studio is a mezzanine above the livingroom. ‘The Crows Nest’ enabled many serendipitous musical happenings, atuned to the house. It became a sanctuary for a shared deep feeling and introspection. As Aideen sketched, painted and wove with her loom, sounds flowed, and we hardly left the house in that dwindling time with our much loved companion of 16 years.
Music from The Threshold is a collection that, for me, encapsulates everything I cherish about ambient music—its ability to serve as a balm for our thoughts, a canvas for daydreams, and a workout for our imagination. It becomes most potent when we need a personal and introspective journey into what often feels unclear and unreachable: those deeply stored emotions that are difficult to access on demand but essential to experience, especially when suspended between two worlds, where nothing is defined and where past and future hold no sway.
Dedicated to Noah Macken O’Reilly 2008 – 2024
Out now on Bandcamp: https://mylesoreilly.bandcamp.com/album/music-from-the-threshold
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