Unlike last year, spring has not come this time of year to the boreal forest of Uppland. But then more time to enjoy the owls. From 5 AM to 6 AM I had a very nice concert with Tengmalm's Owl ending with a mating (!), only to be replaced by a Pygmy Owl calling incessantly. Djupakorset, Uppland. March 16, 2023.

Small boreal owls calling

Cast of Characters:
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark –- VST Middle Eastern instruments (Duf Drum, Daire drum, Darbuka, Riq, Qanun, Zurna horn, Ney flute, strings), female vocal sample, 'ululation' (high pitch yodel), and composition
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Custom fretless 5-string bass 
The Beautiful Dark -- @thebeautifuldark -- Carl — vocals and lyrics
J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – saz, shakuhachi, and synth
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken — cymbals and Chinese percussion
Llanpsych - Fluffer for the keyboardist and key grip
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen — traditional gourd-body sitar and mastering.

  Josh had the idea for doing a traditional Palestinian song, as he is an avid fan of their music. He wanted to raise awareness of this music and everyone in the band was immediately on board with this idea, and set about to make it happen. 
  Mark, who is an expert percussionist, learned a basic traditional Palestinian drum pattern, in a very authentic fashion. He laid it down, along with an Arabic sounding modal melody line portrayed by the quanun, which is a kind of zither. Josh found this pattern fascinating, and added his five string fretless bass to the it shortly after. Carl jumped in very shortly thereafter, and came up with some really amazing vocal melodies, as well as wonderfully prescient lyrics. He even learned more than several phrases in Arabic, which he sang in there, too. We were all very impressed by this, of course.
  JJ was next up, adding his magical, melodic, and exotic saz, shakuhachi, and synth to the mix. Ken threw in next, adding his perfectly timed brass and Chinese percussion to the mix, too. Last, but certainly not least, Stephen recorded his subtle, exotic, traditional sitar to the piece. 
  Once we had it all recorded, we turned it over to Mark for a mix, as the whole thing is really his baby. Stephen mastered it, though, as he is our resident professional producer.
  Our hope is that this song inspires you to dig into Palestinian music, and through that, you recognize the magic and the humanity of millions of Palestinian people who are suffering unimaginably right now. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.

From Carl...
Music is our key to permanant peace on planet Earth in my view. If written thoughfully, it is our unimposing tool where we can share our different cultures like EC have done here to celebrate with our Palestinian friends stylistically the light of their music. I don't speak Arabic so I hope I don't offend anyone but I learned the Arabic as best as I could phonetically. It's done with the best of intentions . The eight Arabic lines are famous proverbs and show us how similarly all of our truths evolve from our hearts and souls

Peace and Love to everyone


Original lyrics by The Beautiful Dark:

Sisters and brothers
Daughters and Sons
We would give you food
But the road is blocked to sun
Proud Palestine
Brave brethren
Our hearts are with you
Our souls are weeping

Inhumane blockade of bread
Pains collective minds 
We want gone this dread
Let's find our kind
Please be strong
As we right this wrong
Hope prays that day will not be long

We pine with your God
To find a normal truth
Where your kids can grow and learn good youth
Sisters and Brothers
Daughters and Sons
We are with you Palestine
Sending love through song

The eye sees but the arm is short ( العين ترى والذراع قصيرة )

We are in the same boat ( نحن في نفس القارب )

Winds do not blow as the ships wish ( لا تهب الرياح كما تشاء السفن )

Being alone is better then being with someone bad (أن تكون وحيدا أفضل من أن تكون مع شخص سيء )

What is hidden is more then what has happened ( ما هو مخفي أكثر مما حدث )

Every problem has a solution ( لكل مشكلة حل )

Good intentions count for as much as good actions ( النوايا الحسنة لها نفس أهمية الأفعال الحسنة )

All is well that ends well ( كل شيء على ما يرام إذا انتهى بشكل جيد )

Oh My Darlin' Palestine (Eclectic Collective)

Special guest @joerxworx on EWI Duduk and also mixed and mastered the track

Thanks a mill bro
Connect with Jörg here:
https://soundcloud.com/joerxworx


An Apocalypse for Fear

Change is here
Crystal clear
In range new gear
Skilled solar seer
Watch winds of old fan final flames
Old thought burns out it's charred remains
This range of fear is weak and waning
Who hears awareness wide
Awaking

Change is here
An apocalypse for fear
Good conscious dear
Engage that gear
Cogs of calm
Clutch of clever
Smoothest shift
Sagacious lever
Endeavour for deep
Most mind turned to nought
Forever, a feast
Brain brilliant taught

An Apocalypse for Fear with joerxworx

Three

Sally Rode The Golden Fields

Noise Concrète

Rhino

mixed by me
vocals are https://soundcloud.com/whitefawnnative ////  https://soundcloud.com/havannanative

Bathed in Corvid Blood

Production + lyrics by @redmurals / vocals recorded + edited by Havanna (Bathed - Havanna edit)

Red Murals version - https://soundcloud.com/redmurals/bathed-in-corvid-blood

Red Murals ft. Havanna - Bathed (Havanna edit)

Beneath the Bodhi Tree

We shall not rise until we know
Come noble truths
Salvage this show
Why do we suffer?
Why do we crave?
Say,
Cessation of desire to meet light old age

Prove pure path
The right eight show way
Good vision
Good thought
Good speech
Good day
Good livelyhood
Effort
Mindfulness and action
Weaved wisdom concentrated
Content has traction

To Dukkha debonair
Satisfied with real
Ruse rooted Samudaya
You suffer thirst by feel
Nirvana, be known
Nirodha find light
From Mārga
Our eight fold path meant right

Born beneath the Bodhi tree
Cyclic Samsāra sits
Transcience for fear food free
Karmic Dharma fits
Not torn with our time
Minded body synced
Not shocked
Transcendence through rhyme
Be harmonic miner clocked

We shall not rise until we know
Come noble truths
Salvage this show
Why do we suffer?
Why do we crave?
Say,
Cessation of desire to meet light old age

Notes 🎶

Key B Harmonic Minor
Tempo 33bpm

Instrumentation
-Vox drone backing x 4
-Vox Backing melodic x 1
-Vox Narration
-Vox Lead x 1
-Pads x 3 played on keys
-Acoustic Lead line

I don't quite believe in reincarnation of a single spirit although the discovery of DNA in a way sheds a bit of light on it being possible at least in potential code as traits that are passed on. They are either honed and retained or lost through long term positive or negative behavior and discernment of honest or dishonest action from our beings. Epigenetics looks to be starting to show that nurture, particulariy early in life actually enables and disables chemical signals in our genes. This has been shown in rats by a mother that licks her offspring vs a mother that doesn't and the different effects on those baby rats growing up and those scientists believe that translates to humans although they can't stick us in labs to prove it yet. So it looks like nurture may end up holding more influence then early geneticists told us and less is set in stone then we had previously thought. Epigenetics is a young science so it's difficult to make a solid reality from is so far but it does appear to have huge relevancy with our tendencies throughout life and towards addiction and habits. 

Whether we have a spirit that inhabits a body and fully comes back I'm not sure we will ever know that but I guess elements of past spirits and all past life does exist in our code at some level.

This has a lot more potential to bear fruit with our world of knowledge of course because we can actually teach ourselves what other humans think and have thought and what they did with their lives and make our own version of those truths based on our unique life experience.

This track is paying homage to Buddha

Buddha, as far as I am aware is one of the rare old teachers who said go find yourself and the power is inside you and around us. We generally escape the reality of ourselves with desires and indulgence in materialism but have the ability to find our true spiritual selves with discipline and an honest lifestyle. His main realisation was, we suffer, like it or not and his teachings allow us to not amplify that suffering with cravings or self harm but become one with it via a balanced approach  ⚖️  Re-living or re experiencing feelings from the difficult parts of our lives so they don't become a controlling factor in how we react to any situation seems to be central to finding that zen place where we can respond rationally to any situation no matter how trivial or significant. The reason I mention epigenetics and early life is a few scholars seem to allude to a lot of our problematic traits and strengths being born from trauma or solid nurture early in life and are not something we would usually medically consider when contemplating our own shadow searching for that oneness in ourselves...

So in that light I think rebirthing thought in our heads may actually be quite important to deal with any grief from our experience so it doesn't manifest itself as physical ailment from the hidden stress it causes us.

Beneath the Bodhi Tree

Field sound recordist and archivist of vanishing sounds in natural Iandscapes. Highly commended in the Sound of the Year Awards 2024 - Best Natural Sound.

Small boreal owls calling

Bo Söderström