Peter Chilvers: Creating Sound Worlds

“Ambient music creates a world without a sense of time.” 

Musician, composer and software engineer Peter Chilvers has worked with Brian Eno on several remarkable generative music apps for IOS devices, beginning in 2008 with Bloom. Such has been the success of these imaginary music applications that last year the 10-year anniversary was released:  Bloom: 10 Worlds.

Let’s stop right here and I’ll assume you don’t know who Brian Eno is and what he has accomplished. In short, he’s one of the most creative and influential minds of our time. His biography is here. In May, Eno was awarded the Stephen Hawking Medal at Starmus space festival. At the ceremony, an asteroid was named after him. Pretty big stuff, yes?

If you’ve not tried Bloom, Air or Trope, you are missing out on something very unique, special and for me, absolutely necessary. Bloom is simple. Touch the screen and a raindrop-like circle appears with a tone. All the while a gentle drone (which I mistakenly thought was a piano) underpins your creation. The tones repeat, but never in exactly the same way. Do nothing and music will appear.

Why do I say these are necessary? Very simple: stress relief. Open Bloom, relax and listen. Twenty minutes in and time has slowed to a crawl.

I spoke to the thoughtful and delightful Peter Chilvers in June of this year.