Glass Beams | Rattlesnake
Glass Beams’ “Rattlesnake” from their debut EP Mirage, how the masked Melbourne trio created a serpentine psych-funk finale that would help launch one of music’s most mysterious viral phenomenons.
Story Behind “Rattlesnake”
A Love Letter Written in Lockdown
“Rattlesnake” emerged from one of those rare creative moments when everything clicks into place. At the beginning of 2020, just as the world was shutting down, Rajan Silva sat in his Melbourne home studio searching for new energy and inspiration. A childhood memory kept surfacing: hours spent with his father watching Concert for George, the 2002 tribute to George Harrison featuring Ravi Shankar performing with a full Indian orchestra alongside Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney. Silva’s father had emigrated from India to Melbourne in the late 1970s, and that DVD became a bridge between two worlds.
“I decided to look up musicians from my father’s hometown and surrounding areas,” Silva explained in a rare interview. “I found a wealth of Indian classical, disco and pop music that formed the building blocks for this record. As soon as I had that vision of what I wanted to write and why I wanted to write it, the songs just flowed out really.”
The Finale That Nudges the Serpent
“Rattlesnake” closes the Mirage EP as its most intense and kinetic track. While the opener “Mirage” establishes the project’s hypnotic tone with coiling vocal mantras and sliding basslines, and “Kong” unfolds like a lysergic voyage through psych-fusion guitar phrases, “Rattlesnake” arrives with something different: intergalactic scales and spellbinding riffs that feel like they’re chasing their own tail. The track captures what would become Glass Beams’ signature tension, music that feels ancient and futuristic simultaneously, rooted in tradition yet completely unmoored from time.
“Rattlesnake” Recording and Production Details
DIY Electronica Meets Live Instrumentation
Silva wrote, recorded, produced, and mixed “Rattlesnake” himself, a practice he continues with all Glass Beams music. The production blends live instrumentation with DIY electronic elements, creating what critics have described as “serpentine psychedelia.” The guitar lines are drenched in reverb and echo, intentionally mimicking the glissando and microtonal sounds of the sitar. This technique creates the track’s distinctive snake-like quality, notes that seem to slither and coil around each other.
Building the Sonic Mirage
The production philosophy behind “Rattlesnake” reflects Silva’s approach to the entire EP: structures that are both minimalist and hypnotic. The track uses Indian-derived scale modes combined with a Western-influenced, groove-driven rhythm section. Tight drums, syncopated bass, and spacey effects form what one reviewer called “an irresistibly colorful and cinematic soundscape.” The 24-bit/48kHz masters available on Bandcamp reveal the full depth of Silva’s production, from the shimmering high frequencies to the deep, driving low end.
Notes About “Rattlesnake” by Glass Beams
Release Date: June 25, 2021
Duration: 4:44
Genre: Neo-Psychedelia / Psych-Funk / World Fusion / Instrumental
Album: Mirage EP (debut release, Track 4)
Writer/Producer: Rajan Silva (Glass Beams)
Label: Research Records (Catalog: RREP07)
Format Availability: Vinyl 12” EP, Digital (24-bit/48kHz available)
Comparisons: Khruangbin, Sven Wunder, LALALAR
Glass Beams “Rattlesnake” Era Band Details
EP Details
EP Title: Mirage
Release Date: June 25, 2021
Label: Research Records
Recorded: Beginning of 2020, Melbourne, Australia
Producer: Glass Beams (Rajan Silva)
Total Length: 18:53 (4 tracks)
Track Listing: Mirage, Taurus, Kong, Rattlesnake
Band Personnel
Rajan Silva – All instruments, production, recording, mixing
Live Configuration – Trio format with masked performers
Production Notes
Self-produced in Silva’s home studio during COVID-19 lockdown
First official release from Glass Beams
Written after Silva explored music from his father’s hometown in India
Influences include RD Burman, Kalyanji-Anandji, Ravi Shankar, and the Concert for George performance
Original vinyl pressing became highly sought-after, with first editions commanding significant resale prices
Research Records released multiple repressings including orange and gold vinyl variants
Record Store Day 2022 exclusive pressing at Northside Records, Melbourne (limited to 50 numbered and signed copies)
Interesting Facts About “Rattlesnake”
The Masks and the Philosophy
Glass Beams perform in gold, bejeweled, doily-like masks created by a Russian jeweller. When asked about their meaning, Silva has remained deliberately vague, preferring fan interpretations over official explanations. His favorite theory connects to Indra’s Net, a Buddhist concept describing an infinite web where each jewel reflects every other, symbolizing profound interconnectedness. Another interpretation involves ego death, the complete loss of subjective self-identity. “I love the idea of leaving people wanting to know more,” Silva told Vogue India. “When I put on the mask, I can embody the feeling of just being a vessel for the music.”
This isn’t Silva’s first attempt at a music career. A decade before Glass Beams, he signed with Capitol Records at age 20 and moved to Los Angeles, spending six years working as a producer while trying to launch his own project. That experience taught him what he didn’t want: the ego-driven side of the industry that “can twist things up and get in the way of the art.”
From 10,000 to 869,000: The Viral Explosion
The trajectory of “Rattlesnake” and the Mirage EP tells one of music’s most improbable success stories. In late 2023, Glass Beams began teasing new material through live show clips that went massively viral on Instagram and TikTok. Their follower count skyrocketed from 10,000 to 200,000 in the final quarter of 2023 alone. By early 2024, an announcement teaser garnered over 25 million views in just one week, boosting their Instagram following by 400,000 in two weeks.
The band signed to Ninja Tune in 2024, performed at Primavera Sound and Glastonbury, debuted at Coachella in 2025, and played a free 20,000-person show at Federation Square in Melbourne. Their KEXP session became one of the station’s most-watched in recent years, surpassing established acts like Jungle, Yussef Dayes, and M83. Fashion designer Jun Takahashi cited Glass Beams as inspiration for UNDERCOVER’s Spring 2025 Menswear collection. And it all started with four tracks recorded in a bedroom during lockdown, ending with a song about a serpent.
Common Questions
Q: Who is behind Glass Beams? A: Glass Beams is primarily the project of Indian-Australian multi-instrumentalist and producer Rajan Silva. He founded the group in Melbourne in 2020, writes and produces all the music, and performs live as a masked trio. Silva is the only member whose identity is publicly known.
Q: What is the meaning behind Glass Beams’ masks? A: Silva has never given a definitive answer, preferring fan interpretations. His favorite theories connect to Indra’s Net (a Buddhist concept about infinite interconnectedness) and ego death (transcendence beyond individual identity). The masks were created by a Russian jeweller and serve to keep focus on the music rather than individual personalities.
Q: What genre is Glass Beams? A: Glass Beams blends multiple genres including neo-psychedelia, psych-funk, Indian classical music, krautrock, and world fusion. Their sound has been compared to Khruangbin, though with heavier Indian classical influences from composers like RD Burman and the Kalyanji-Anandji duo.
Q: What label is Glass Beams on? A: Glass Beams released their debut EP Mirage (2021) on Research Records. They signed to Ninja Tune in 2024 for their second EP Mahal, released in March 2024.
Q: Why did Glass Beams go viral? A: In late 2023, clips from their live performances began circulating on Instagram and TikTok, generating millions of organic views. Their mysterious masked aesthetic, hypnotic sound, and minimal online presence created intense curiosity, leading to explosive growth from 10,000 to over 800,000 Instagram followers within months.
Fascinating deep dive into how Rattlesnake's serpentine guitar work specifically mimics sitar glissandos through production technique rather than just sonic happenstance. The lockdown genesis story adds weight to the argument that constraints breed creativity, though the explosion from 10k to 869k followers feels like one of those rare moments where algorithmic virality actually amplified something with substance instead of flattening it. I dunno if the masked anonymity would've worked without the music genuinely delivering on the mystery.