‘Begin the music 15 minutes before the sun sets’. That’s what Christopher Willits asks of you, listeners. The aptly-named Sunset, arriving on Ghostly International, is streaked in an orange and pink ambient-drone, its perspiring bass as warm as the departing orb. As the sun touches the horizon, the drones produce their own stunning light show. Into the ocean it goes, leaving a reminder of its presence upon the evening sky, blowing a sweet kiss goodbye.
Released via spatial audio and using his self-developed software, Envelop, Sunset is designed to accompany (and, if possible, enhance) a special moment. Keeping the sunset theme, the music is transient and ever-changing, its drone-paint turning and evolving, its burning colours blurring into one another. The music becomes the soundtrack to a golden moment. In the height of summer, the ‘sunset tune’ is the standout slot in a DJ’s setlist, and it’s easy to imagine this being played somewhere in Ibiza as the sun begins its evening descent. Sunset blesses the beaches and bars all over the Mediterranean with its arcing light and radiant eyes. The elemental ambient dissolves around the edges, like an effervescent tablet sinking into water, twinning with the sun as it fizzles into the sea.
“When I was 13, I understood that my life’s path was to make music in the service of love, peace, and spiritual healing. Music is a medicine that allows us to feel, listen and surrender to the present moment. The compositions I create move through my imagination, heart, and hands, like guitar through a speaker, and light through a lens. I am continuously learning and evolving with the process; a practice of letting go of all that I create, as it creates me.”
Beginning with ultimate warmth and radiance, Sunset grows cooler with every track, dipping all the time, but the entire record is a feel-good hit. ‘Coast’ has the feel of a Floridian sunset, its magical 90-degree dusk sinking into the skin like lotion. The lightest breeze comes in, keeping the drone soft and absolutely gorgeous. On ‘Transpire’, tongues of fire can be heard as they lick around the glowing panorama of the sky. The drone throbs, but it keeps moving. Its tanned tone is more the stark red of a sunburn and less the healthy bronze of an afterglow, similar to the blazing red flames that mark in-depth solar photography. But the sun burns brightest before its nightly death, and the softer ‘Pacific 3’ comes to bring a quieter sound that eventually recedes into silence. Willits is schooled in the development of healthy textures and light touches. Play it at just the right time and watch the sky explode. See you tomorrow.