Silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, after Oxygen, the latter being also abundant in the atmosphere. In the periodic table Si is placed just below C and the two elements share many characteristics. Still, Carbon is the basic element for life, and no Silicon-based life has been discovered yet, although Science Fiction novels speculate on this possibility. Still, our simulation of life, A.I. technology (Artificial Intelligence), is largely Silicon-based because microprocessors depend on Silicon and other semiconductor elements, such as Germanium and Gallium, all of these lower neighbors in the periodic table. Their semi-conducting micro-circuitry is etched into them. Silicon makes present-day digital technology possible: our computers, phones, games consoles, our so-called smart household machines, the lot of them contain many elements, but essential is Silicon, and not just as semi-conductor, without which all this technology would not be possible. All this is all basically made out of sand, which is silicate rock, eroded from mountains over geological time.

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SiO₂ or silicon dioxide, is the mineral also known as sand. From sand, glass can be made, a material which directly inspired the music on this album. Many glass sounds were used, some of them live sounds, some of them created by using generative performative FM synthesis such as the example shown in the Voltage Modular patch below:

Live sounds were also used, many of them glass and glass-like instruments, a small list of additional instruments used is given here, consisting for a large part of crystallophones:

• Cristal Baschet (see below), a glass rods instrument
• Glass bowls, played with glass mallets
• Glass harmonica, as built by Benjamin Franklin
• Cloud Chamber bowls (see below), the instrument made of these particle detectors by Harry Partch
• Marimbas, partly glass marimba
• Prepared pianos, played with special techniques
• Glass Harp and Cristal Baschet for special effects

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