BEYOND (2023) ALBUM NOTES
BEYOND pushes the boundaries and challenges ordinary norms seeking to expand the possibilities of musical expression. The album breaks away from established forms by embracing experimentation, dissonance, atonality, unconventional rhythmical articulation and artificial percussive sounds and effects, creating unique and unpredictable sonic experiences. It incorporates elements from various genres including ambience, electronic music, avant-garde, noise, and free improvisation.
The musical palette ranges from soft soothing pieces to mystical, dramatic and even alarming passages, carrying you through an imaginary journey like a movie score.
I hope to engage listeners in unexpected ways, challenging preconceived notions of what music can be and encourage active and open-minded listening to the featured acoustic events.
BEYOND is very different from any of my past albums. But in a way it feels to me like it is “back to the roots”. When I was 14 or 15 years young I was extremely intrigued by the Miles Davis “Live Evil” album. The soloists use atonality in a way that reminded me of a speech. Like good speakers embrace accentuation, pitch variation, pauses and velocity changes, the same is true for the musicians on Live Evil. Using atonality even enhances this experience.
At that time we were just starting our first band, but we were imitating this style with great enthusiasm. Now, with a lifetime of all kinds of experiences, I feel it is time to revisit.
1 - Soundscape, this song is a variation of a song from my 2018 "Groovescapes and Noises" album. It represents the ambience genre.
2 - Xperi-Mental 1, this tune is an impromptu improvisation on my Les Paul guitar with Midi via my new vintage MonoPoly reissue analog synthesizer. It is one single track recorded in one single take (on some parts it sounds like there would be 2 players, but it's just yours truly on a Midi guitar). After I received an expression pedal for that synth I was super inspired and pressed the record button...
3 - Peaceful Dolomites
Oh Dolomites, a haven of grace,
Where spirits soar to find their place,
In bond with nature's masterpiece,
my soul finds peace
Lyrics by A.I.
PS: 3 songs are dedicated to the Dolomites because when I listened though the entire album for the first time (to check the song order and the flow), I watched a 4K HD drone footage vid from the Dolomites on YouTube (without original tone of course) and found that it fits my music perfectly...
4 - Divine Dolomites
In the heart of nature's grand design,
Where mountains touch the sky divine,
With peaks that pierce the heavens above,
A masterpiece unfolds in love.
Lyrics by A.I.
5 - Xperi- Mental 2, all 3 xperi-mental songs are improvisations with Midi guitar via the MonoPoly synth. On this one I added a bass track.
6 - Kristall Tide, this is a variation of the song "Even Tide" from my 2008 "Real Men Love Cats" album, it represents the "soft & soothing" genre
7 - Xperi-Mental 3, here we go again...
8 - Robo Mental, may that be a taste of music in an AI future?
9 - Majestic Dolomites
Oh Dolomites, majestic and bold,
A symphony of rock and stories untold,
From jagged cliffs to valleys serene,
A paradise, where heaven and earth convene.
Lyrics by A.I.
10 - Lost in Nothingness, this is a piece from my very recent "I Can Hear Trumpets" album. I think it fits perfectly on this album, plus it leads you right back into the song #1, just in case you feel compelled to listen to the album again...