23am is the second studio album by composer Robert Miles, released in late 1997 via Deconstruction and Arista labels.
Background and recording.
The composition of "23am" began from the "Dreamland" tour, during which Miles collected audio samples from virtually every city visited. Aside from being based on his experiences of these travels (in the liner notes Miles emphasizes the influence seeing in person so many problems that society has brought onto itself had), Miles has also said that the album reflects the human life cycle from birth to death.
"23am" also contains four vocal songs, a ratio of vocals to instrumentals that is almost equal to that of "Dreamland". They seem to have been less an afterthought for this album, though, and were written in Italian and then translated into English. Two tracks on the album, including its first single "Freedom", feature vocals by disco icon Kathy Sledge of the chart-topping group Sister Sledge.
The structures and instrumental arrangements on "23am" are more complex than those on the earlier "Dreamland", involving real instruments such as the saxophone and trumpet as an addition to the synthesizers. The music is also much less beat-driven; the main sections of a number of the vocal-based songs are structured like pop songs, while the segueing interludes between songs are generally structureless, with no beats at all. Ultimately it can be said that "23am" is more artistic and less dance-oriented than its predecessor, "Dreamland". At the same time, however, "23am" was less successful than "Dreamland".
References.
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