When you think about music, silence probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But for some musicians, it’s the starting point for the creative process. Whether it’s the eerie hush of outer space, the stillness of a desert at dawn, or the total quiet of a soundproof room, silence has inspired some of the most creative and thought-provoking music ever made.
In this article, we will explore how silence—real or imagined—has sparked new ways of thinking about sound, and how it continues to shape the music we hear today.
Desert Silence: More Than Just Empty Space
Deserts aren’t completely silent, but they feel that way. The open skies, the endless stretches of sand, the sheer lack of distraction—it all creates a kind of natural stillness that’s hard to describe. That atmosphere has inspired everyone from ambient composers to rock legends.
U2’s The Joshua Tree was heavily influenced by the American desert—not just visually, but sonically. The reverb-soaked guitars and open, echoey sound give you the feeling of standing alone in a vast landscape. Brian Eno, who helped produce the album, is well known for creating ambient music that’s built on stillness, subtlety, and space.
On the other side of the world, the Tuareg band Tinariwen uses the natural rhythm of the Sahara to shape their music. The guitar riffs are sparse, the vocals are almost trance-like, and the songs feel like they’re pulled straight from the sand and sun.
Silence in the desert isn’t empty; it just gives the music room to breathe!
Space: A Soundless Vacuum With A Loud Influence
Outer space is, technically, completely silent. There’s no air for sound to travel through. And yet, space has been a massive influence on music, especially in electronic and experimental genres.
Think of Gustav Holst’s The Planets—each movement is inspired by a different celestial body, long before we knew what any of them sounded like (if they even could). Fast forward a few decades and you’ve got artists like Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Tycho crafting ambient soundscapes meant to evoke the feeling of floating in space. Their music is often slow, spacious, and full of long, lingering notes—perfect for imagining the sound of the stars.
NASA even sent a record into space with the Voyager spacecraft in the 1970s: the famous Golden Record. It’s got greetings in dozens of languages, plus music from all over the world. No one out there may ever hear it, but the message is clear—music, even in silence, reflects the essence of the human spirit.
The Anechoic Chamber: Hearing Your Own Body
Now let’s talk about real silence—the kind that can make you a little uncomfortable. Anechoic chambers are special rooms designed to block out every sound. No echo, no background noise—just pure, eerie quiet. So quiet, in fact, that you can hear things you’re not used to noticing: your own heartbeat, your blood moving, the ringing of your nerves.
The composer John Cage once stepped into one of these chambers expecting to hear nothing. Instead, he heard himself. That moment changed how he thought about sound, leading him to create one of the most famous (and controversial) pieces of modern music: 4’33”. It’s four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence—or more accurately, whatever sounds happen in the room while no one is playing.
Cage’s point? There’s no such thing as true silence. Even in the quietest moments, there’s something. You just have to listen differently.
Minimalism: Making Music With Less
Silence also plays a big role in minimalist music. Composers like Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Arvo Pärt often use long pauses, slow repetition, and simple elements to create something that feels meditative and emotional.
Arvo Pärt, in particular, writes music where the space between notes is just as important as the notes themselves. It forces you to slow down and pay attention. It’s not music you throw on in the background—it’s music that pulls you in, even if it’s barely making a sound.
In more recent years, electronic artists like Aphex Twin and Ryuichi Sakamoto have pushed this idea even further, making tracks so quiet and minimal they feel almost like whispers. It’s the opposite of mainstream pop, where everything is loud, fast, and in your face. Instead, it rewards patience and focus.
Why Silence Still Matters
The truth is, silence changes how we listen. When the noise fades, you start to notice the little things: the texture of a sound, the way a note hangs in the air, the emotion behind a pause. It’s not about what’s missing—it’s about what that space allows you to feel.
In a world that’s always buzzing, music inspired by silence gives us a chance to reset. It invites us to slow down, tune in, and maybe even hear things we’ve been missing.
So next time you’re listening to music—or making it—try starting from a place of quiet. You might be surprised at what you find!
Superlocrian 