Multi-instrumentalist and composer of ambient and electronic music, Shane Morris has spent most of his life exploring and cultivating sounds and their relationships. Inspired by nature, patterns, systems, and science, Morris weaves tribal rhythms, ethereal atmospheres, and digital electronica into mystic soundscapes that are rooted in traditions of the past while embracing contemporary technology. A solo musician since 2008, Shane Morris is a BMI recording artist with music released at Spotted Peccary/Lotuspike, Relaxed Machinery, and independently, as well as many releases licensed in Creative Commons.
Shane Morris is fluent with over 30 percussion and wind instruments from around the world and has been studying, performing, and recording for 25 years. Morris is also deeply involved in hardware and software synthesizers, digital processing, DiY electronics, generative systems, and field recordings, which are often combined with acoustic instruments in his works.
Apart from his solo works, Morris is a frequent collaborator both live and in-studio and worked with a number of artists including Mystified, Disturbed Earth, Dan Minoza, Palancar, Howard Moscovitz, Emerald Adrift, Pixyblink, Killerhaven, Modulator ESP, Kevin Kissinger, Q, Blue Hell, Jack Hertz, and Anton Mobin.
Morris received a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Music from Missouri State University with a particular interest in ritual music of the African diaspora. Continuing his studies in percussion, Morris took workshops at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Ma. with Giovanni Hidalgo and Jamie Haddad, Humboldt State University in Arcata, Ca. with Michael Spiro, Los Munequitos de Matanzas, and Howard Kaufman, and Raleigh, NC. with Mamady Keita.
Shane Morris’ music is in regular rotation at Stillstream, Electro-music, Astreaux world, Zelest’s Asylum, and Soma fm’s drone zone dot coms. Morris has been featured on Hypnagogue, Sadayatana, Sounds of Ambience, and Lost Frontier podcasts. Morris’ music is also found on terrestrial FM radio programs in the U.S., such as Music with Space (Princeton, NJ), Innervisions (Berea, Kentucky), Night Tides (Kansas City, Mo.), Galactic Travels (Allentown, Pa), Secret Music (Fishkill, NY), Alien Air Music (Los Angeles, Ca.), NightSounds (Abilene, TX), and Star’s End (Philadelphia, Pa.)
An avid live performer and improviser, Morris is also a regular at Electro-Music festivals and the former City Skies. Other performances include small venue and living room concerts, and live streaming internet concerts both solo and networking with other artists in real-time.
A lover of the long-form approach in live music, Shane segues all compositions together in a continuous immersive sound field during live sets. Morris uses live looping, sampling, and sequencing in his live sets which are approached with a loose compositional arrangement, creating a balance of improvisation and structure.
1. From The Primordial Night 10:30 2. A Struggling New Form Of Life 8:46 3. Weathering Storm And Tide 10:10 4. To The Icy Peaks 10:02 5. Feet On The Ancient Forest Floor 10:02
Shane Morris & Mystified are back with Emergence, the stunning second installment to their primordial three-part “Inspired Evolution” soundscape project. This natural sequel to Epoch, their lush first release, continues the artist’s bold effort to create a sonic environment that evokes prehistoric places and atmospheres, this time focused on the age when mammals arose and began to flourish on planet Earth. Mystified’s Thomas Park explains, “Emergence takes Epoch further. Now more direct predecessors to Man are emerging on the planet; early mammals surviving in diverse primal ecosystems. Each track has a title and theme that corresponds to a different ancient location or environment.”
The sound of Emergence is vital yet primal; ambient atmospheric yet powerfully evocative. Broad, sweeping acoustic and electronic tones are punctuated with treated percussive sounds such as wooden sticks, shakers and gongs. There are shadows of its predecessor, Epoch, with trombone notes and drones, which are supported by a variety of acoustic winds and other organic instrument drones. However, Emergence reflects the evolutionary turn from giant reptiles to mammals by adding some new sounds to the mix. Shane Morris elaborates, “Epoch used all acoustic sounds to create its ancient soundscape, but for this next chapter we relied a little more heavily on electronics, including digital synthesizers to reflect the shifting evolution.”
With Emergence, Shane Morris & Mystified once again create tremendously immersive soundworlds that are shrouded in mystery and filled with life. Each track an opening into the distant past, Emergence presents a vigorous and powerful sonic portrayal of prehistoric Earth.
"Morris and Park are masters at discovering ancient spirits encased in sound" -- Todd Zachritz, Goatsden
“Emergence is a high-level ambiospherical opus which finds all its nobility and meaning under the shells of a good pair of earphones” - Sylvain Lupari, Synth & Sequences
"Good, solid, dark atmospheric music" - Vital Weekly
1. Fire Gathering 11:18 2. Growing Into New Territory 10:20 3. Waiting For The Storm To Pass 13:27 4. Hunting In The Hills 12:16 5. The Trials Of Evolved Man 12:45
Through the creative use of sound and composition, sonic storytellers Shane Morris & Mystified have arrived at EVOLUTION, the conclusion of their Inspired Evolution trilogy. The music, sometimes rhythmic, opaque and mostly amorphous, is much like the swirling of the gene pool forming over a long period of time.
Having taken us through the age of dinosaurs and the emergence of mammals on the trilogy’s first two installments, Morris & Mystified now compel us to the age where early Man has evolved. Technological and physiological advances result in the domination of Homo Sapiens. Reptiles and Mammals still populate the Earth, but Mankind, the contemporary end result of their development, makes small changes (soon to be huge) in the Ecosystem and the planet as... more
