Brian and Roger Eno's 'Mixing Colors' is an airy, ethereal gem from two celebrated masters of the ambient genre
The ambient artiste Brian Eno has long been celebrated as a master of abstract aural surrealism. The self-described "non-musician" originally found fame as a founding member of the art-rock band Roxy Music, who were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
But since that time, Eno has become widely renowned as a celebrated producer with a cultish following as well as a pioneering musical composer over the past few decades. His solo album 'Ambient 1: Music for Airports' was generally regarded as a watershed moment for the ambient music genre in 1978, and Eno has consistently been lauded as a genius for his collaborations with revered artistes like U2, Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, David Byrne, Coldplay, Damon Albarn, and Robert Fripp, just to name a few of the numerous music icons he's worked with.
His '77 Million Paintings' was a groundbreaking piece of digital art, using software to generate millions of video and music combinations, without the same image/soundscape ever being played twice.
For his latest mesmerizing album, 'Mixing Colors', which released on March 20, the legendary Eno has collaborated with his younger brother Roger Eno, who is an accomplished solo musician and pianist in his own right.
The pair had actually been collaborating on ambient, abstract pieces for the past 15 years, with Roger creating rough ideas on his MIDI keyboard and passing them on to his brother for polishing and embellishing.
The resulting album, which consists of 18 airy, simplistic tracks that clock in at well over an hour, is a masterwork of floaty keyboard and synth motifs that carry the listener into a realm of zen-like auditory transcendentalism and dreamy serenity.
There's plenty of room to breathe on this new panoramic album - the two brothers take deliberate care to not step on each other's toes. Instead, with 'Mixing Colors' their personalities meld and blend into one kindred spirit - it's a lush, luxurious tapestry of dreamy, reflective stillness.
“The more you listen to this,” says Roger ahead of the listening party for their new album, “particularly with the fabulous worlds that Brian has created, you can really walk into this enormous landscape and stay.” You can check out the official YouTube launch of the album here below - get ready to hit play and drift away.