Siam Dreaming by Myles O'Reilly

This album is essentially a love letter to the city of Bangkok. The intimacy of its warm kissing wind, tranquility hiding down every alleyway, the bombastic street life coursing through its veins— all define this unique place. A metropolis that celebrates the outdoors and its noises, stored within them such a strong association to all the other senses. In Bangkok, sound, sight, smell, and taste all dance so closely together; they share the same air, and often. On every pavement, there are jubilant whirling winds of mingling sensations to walk through. If you enjoy getting lost, then there is no wrong turn which won't regularly assault all of your senses simultaneously, every five minutes.

Aideen and I yearned to return, and her bestie Lorraine who lives in Australia joined us. We moved in to shop front home in Bangkok city. I brought equipment to record some of the most tranquil street sounds I could find, and compose ambient soundtracks in and for those spaces. We did some traveling. It was my birthday, and we had the craic. There were number of exciting wanders and some much needed early night recharge… but the journey was also a unique and welcome challenge for me to capture the amazing experience with field recordings and music.

The Thai are people gifted with a strong time honored knowledge and appreciation of tradition, of public gatherings, nature, beauty, craft, food and community—not hiding in homes but there to be experienced on every street, woven into the fabric of each footpath, for every pedestrian and visitor to experience. The unconscious reminders of our own past and way of life are inescapable, and once you look for those, you are always rewarded with more. The country is such a culturally deep well. I believe there is a part of anyone who visits and becomes immersed in Bangkok that never leaves once the city has revealed itself. Somewhere in-between the modern multi storey buildings we all associate with every large Western city, and the abundance of unique and ancient, almost alien street life preserved below, more is revealed of anyone who visits. That part of them remains there after they leave, waiting, and always there to be re-kindled.

‘Siam Dreaming’ is primarily an album for anyone who has been to South East Asia, Thailand or specifically Bankok, to feel the wonder and overwhelm and who is now home and misses it greatly. Maybe it has been a few years, or maybe a few decades. This album is a celebration of the memory, rather than a pining for, and I'm very much hoping it will be able to transport you back there. It works for me :)

Myles O'Reilly is a music documentary filmmaker, compositional ambient musician and singer-songwriter from Dublin, Ireland.

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