A playlist of the wondrous and uplifting kind ...

Enchanting

Before a shamanic ceremony, it is the usual practice to make a prayer to the spirits of the four directions. This is my own version, delightfully musically illustrated by API_ZZ.

Words and vocals
© Annie Dieu-Le-Veut, 2023 

Music
APi_ZZ (© Andreas Pirner) 
https://soundcloud.com/api_zz

Cover Art: 
Medicine Wheel by Marnie Recker 
Buy a print of it here: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/901699327/medicine-wheel-print-11x14


Lyrics:
I bow to the four directions. 

To the East. The red dawn air 
Sighing over the China seas, 
Blow the nomad trade winds 
Along your Silk Road, 
Your Bay of Bengal
And swirling pyres of Varanasi, 
Through the temples of Tibet 
And the spiced Vedic lees. 
Bring Vayu's sweet sylphs 
To inspire our creativity. 

To the West. The deep Atlantic 
Heaves and tosses the merrows,
Your swirling whirlpools 
And drowned, forgotten reefs
Of mermaids and mer-men 
On high waves and farrows. 
Bring up from Lir's feet 
That purest of aqua cold. 
Sail it fast over the Irish sea 
And across the Menai roll 
To wash away our pain and fear 
And heal our troubled souls. 

To the North. Soil of our minds,
Your caves of quartz and tourmaline
And your blue melting glaciers 
Birthing borates from ice 
Under the Borealis, the stars 
Circling like glittering brides. 
Roll your satyrs and sylvestres 
Through the bleak Calanish stones 
Over the rivers, brooks and glens, 
To the oolite gold of Avalon  
It's Thirteen Treasures and gems. 

To the South. Cast your castanets 
Your smouldering salamanders, 
Your fierce Romany cantinas
Your red lipped, red hipped skies 
And your sultry, dusky sun-downers. 
When the frangipani and mimosa 
Whispers with exotic aroma 
And the heart promises ‘Soon’, 
Give us the southern comfort, 
The tango and the wild fandango 
To spark our dancing shoes. 

© Annie Dieu-Le-Veut, 2023

The Medicine Wheel

This is a track meant to assist anyone caring for themselves. 
See https://soundcloud.com/annie-dieu-le-veut/svadhishthana-shamanic-healing-for-betrayal for full explanations. 

Idea, drumming and narrating the Mantra: Annie
Setting to sounds and music by me.

Svadhishthana

Meditative, eventually slightly hynotic Indian sounds -- generated with the supportive help of AI (udio). Two basic creations are carefully merged, supplemented by synth drones and finetuned as well as in sounds as in mixing.

Eternal Resonance

This little tune evolved from words by Annie (https://soundcloud.com/annie-dieu-le-veut/where-two-seas-meet). I fed them to UDIO, being kinda misinterpreted there. So what. The instrumental part was very nice, so I stripped off the "wrong" interpretation and replaced it by the kindly provided one from Annie. Et voilá: A little gem!

Where Two Seas Meet

Annie (https://soundcloud.com/annie-dieu-le-veut) made another impressive story, that originally was thought of eventually fitting the sounds of Celestial Sovereign (https://soundcloud.com/api_zz/celestial-sovereign). It didn't fit. 
And that is more than great, since now that wonderful story was available for a new, lengthy prog/ambient/world track. Here it is.

Secret Fire

Annie unlocked an impressive poem (see her words: https://soundcloud.com/annie-dieu-le-veut/ouroboros) and I dared to put some music, sounds and arrangements to that.

Ouroboros

Going for something mystic, eventually slightly otherwordly, sounding drone track with a bit of celtic untertones. Helped by udio.

Whispered Tales

A second, kinda parallel, endeavour to create some tune celtic, mystic, ethereal with the assistance of AI (udio). This time a pretty consistent time keeping evolved, well usable for adding rhythm elements and pads.

Legends Of The Depth

Annie (https://soundcloud.com/annie-dieu-le-veut) tells the right (and mighty) story to this time of the year ... I dared to illustrate with music and sounds.

Words and vocals by Annie Dieu-Le-Veut
Copyright © Annie Dieu-Le-Veut, Summer Solstice, June 2024

Music and cover art by APi_ZZ
Copyright © APi_ZZ (Andreas Pirner) Summer Solstice, June 2024

Midsummer Night's Dream

The Gayatri Mantra is the most powerful of all the mantras ... 
see/hear https://soundcloud.com/annie-dieu-le-veut/gayatri-mantra
Since I had more music given by friendly AI, I mixed this extended one 
-- eventually suited for some little meditation. Enjoy!

Vocals: Annie Dieu-Le-Veut, June 2024
Music, Mix & Cover: APi_ZZ

Gayatri Mantra (extended meditation mix)

This was my first experiment with AI music, via UDIO, and I'm grateful to @APi_ZZ  for kindly titivating it up with some percussion and other production bits and pieces. 

Words and musical concept, Annie Dieu-Le-Veut
© Copyright, Annie Dieu-Le-Veut, June 2024. 

Musical arrangement and cover, @APi_ZZ
© Copyright, APi_ZZ (Andreas Pirner) June 2024. 

Words: 
I’ve always been a priestess of the Great Mother,
A powerful one, since the days of Atlantis.
I was among those who were in the City of Golden Gates,
At the sacred temple to the Sun on the island of Ruta. 
When I left with the Seed-bearers for the upcoming Age,
I saw, from the sea, the final deluge as Atlantis went down,
Its brass bells tolling in requiem as its golden domes drowned. 

I watched them build Carnac, Stonehenge and Avebury. 
I came down through the smoking pyres of Varanasi, 
I tended the shrine at Madurai’s temple of Meenakshi.
I was a sacred whore of Ishtar in the city of Babylon.
When we were banished by the Hierophants of Apollo
I followed the ram-headed sphinxes of the Valley of Kings,
across the pool of blue lotuses and under the high pylon 
with its bas reliefs showing the heroic deeds of Ptolemy,
‘till I reached the bronze doors of the sanctum of Black Isis. 

I was the cuen, the power behind Alfred’s throne
His muse who inspired him to fight the Vikings
With the fire in his head aflame, as an ecstatic. 
Then I was in the harems of Constantinople 
Teaching thee concubines ceremonial sex magic. 

I am not a goddess, nor the Great Mother.
I am Her priestess who channels Her ecstasy.
It comes, everyday, through the Door of Dawn,
The Door of Dreams, the Door Without Key. 
She’s not a fair Earth Mother but dark, like Kali. 
A destroyer of maya, a crusher of delusions, 
Some may think Her evil, but I would disagree,
For which ever man She breaks, is broken free.

Priestess Of Avalon

Annie came up with this idea and with her hint at the wonderful musical wealth from Thomas Tallis (https://soundcloud.com/annie-dieu-le-veut/and-the-gods-made-love). I transferred his gorgeous vocals-stacked composition to "profane" instruments and adapted those to Annie's narration. This is the result.

... And The Gods Made Love

One of my fav provider of samples has Fear and Glory kits in his collection. I merged the two, using MIDIs and given samples, as well as adding others.

Fear Of Glory

An excursion into mystical hills with ethereal voices and (slightly) dramatic drumming.

Moonlit Vale

Nice vocals created and provided by SUNO, embedded in a pleasant, folky tune, which I enriched with extra drums and mellotron.

Heaven's Tears

This is a genuine Pop song with a few extra elements, like 'bombast' strings and such ... Enjoy!

Ancient Tales

I had the great pleasure to musically illustrate a new "adventure" from Annie. 
All background to that journey is given at https://soundcloud.com/annie-dieu-le-veut/web-of-the-wyrd

Web Of The Wyrd

This track will guide you through an ancient technique which helps to retrieve and cultivate empowerment and magnetism.

@APi_ZZ has quite brilliantly used specific sound frequencies in the music which support this practice. He found that the resonance of my drumming was of the frequency 109 Hz, close to the 108 Hz which is the sound tuning used to heal the sacral chakra. So he fine-tuned the drumming frequencies to that exact 108 Hz.

He then put the whole thing to music, using flute and Tibetan sound bowls attuned to the frequency of 432 Hz. He also added a bowl drone sound (again at 432 Hz), augmented by bells chiming in deeply associated frequencies of (again) 108 Hz, 162 Hz, and 243 Hz and a second bowl at 364.5 Hz. These frequencies relate to the sacral, solar, heart and throat chakras.

Words and vocal Annie Dieu-Le-Veut
© Copyright Annie Dieu-Le-Veut, August 2024

Music and cover art by APi_ZZ 
© Copyright APi_ZZ (Andreas Pirner, August 2024)

Power - a guided practice

Annie came up with the story -- eh, THE story -- see her entry: 
https://soundcloud.com/annie-dieu-le-veut/hero-with-a-thousand-faces
I had the "duty", but certainly mainly the pleasure to figure illustrative music for that. Here is our result.

Hero

Over at Mix Challenge (https://mix-challenge.com/) they run the Songwriting Competition for September 2024; the theme is "Mental Health Awareness Month". Music is said to have a supportive effect when positively dealing with this matter. My contribution tries to do so with this softly chiming, meditative track.
UPDATE 09-21: Track got replaced by a slightly remixed version.

Conciliation

Being musician and artist "since ages", the last two decades and all the developments in digital music broadened my interests and activities in doing music actively and passively. Not being shy of any genre (OK, leave off some Punk and Extreme Metal derivates) I engage in composing, arranging, mixing and collaborating. 

Oh, and I do all my artwork and designs as well. And as you may notice I regard AI as a friendly helper.

Have a few looks & listens into my repertoire and eventually gain some insights. I'm always open for collabs if the the interests match ...