Name: Gemini by Claus Marcuslund
Duration: 2 min 40 s
Description: This is a song I made to honour my twin sons Emil and Michael.

SUMMER SNOWFLAKES: variations on a theme. Intended to be released at the first snow fall, but it never came... So I kept recording.

INSTRUMENTS used: Electric Guitar, two steel 6-stringed guitars, 12s guitar, classical guitar, two hardware keyboards (rendering the pianos, organs, bass guitar, chimes, bells, flutes, strings), pedal effects.

The music grew like a fractal in all directions and became quite vast in scope: should I have split it into shorter tracks? Many would say yes, but I didn't fancy that and instead went for the ”LP option"; an instrumental, meditative journey, inspired by the genre invented by Mike Oldfield in the 70s.

When I first heard his work, many years ago, I didn't first get it, but I was intrigued. "What is the purpose?" was my early reaction. But I couldn't shake it off and became hooked to the complexity of his instrumental music, and how it seemed to constantly mutate into new sections. I kept listening, and gradually discovered the many hidden secrets. And it led me to become very interested in classical music.

SUMMER SNOWFLAKES is made in this tradition. Not explicitly trying to mimic Mr. Oldfield, but admittedly clearly influenced by his method. And why not? Was it wrong that Brahms wrote symphonies just because Beethoven already had done nine legendary ones? Would the world have been a better place if Shostakovich had stayed away from writing Preludes and Fugues for the piano? Should no pop songs have been allowed after Beatles? I say, let us be shamelessly inspired by the gigants and make some efforts to create something! Throw an egg if you must, but I think any sincere attempt to compose is welcome.

When I decided to go for a full length track, my vision was (somewhat childishly) the thought of the younger myself; the days when I was a die-hard Oldfield fan and had stumbled upon a new release: always a rare event, an instant buy, running home, headphones on, expectations high, launching it: the first sacred discoveries ... My track may not live up to this, but is a tribute to those days and that feel.

The recording was quite an undertaking and I didn't want to let myself down. I worked on it since December 2018, and was occasionally quite frustrated about it. I avoided midi, and tried to hand-play it all (for the fun of it) - often leaving me in big trouble. I admit there are some sun spots due to this, but I consider them as my finger prints and evidence that a human did this, not a machine. .

Art cover: by DS 2021, reflecting the heavy reliance and overlaying of pianos and organs, and the combinational nature of the music.

Special Thanks to Mark Hermse, Mike Hilton and Wojciech Langner for support and inspiring discussions!

SUMMER SNOWFLAKES

You finally got the attention
And recognition you were looking for
By sending men to their pension
With accusations that would lead to more

‘Cause no one forgets, no one forgets

I’m also offended, let’s start a movement
Just like you pretended, there’s no improvement
You’re so independent, I’m only human
I’m also offended, let’s start a movement

If what you said isn’t fitting
With what went on 10 years ago
The jury will be acquitting
A man who can’t return to his show

And he will regret, he will regret
The most cunning girl that he ever met

I’m also offended, let’s start a movement
Just like you pretended, there’s no improvement
You’re so independent, I’m only human
I’m also offended, let’s start a movement

I’m also offended, let’s start a movement
Just like you pretended, there’s no improvement
You’re so independent, I’m only human
I’m also offended, let’s start a movement

© Jakob H. Dinesen 2022

Offended

Everytime We Touch

COMPOSED AND PLAYED BY DS 2015-2016 using keyboards, organ, distorted electric guitars, acoustic guitars, midi-played bass, percussion & drum pads (and drum loops).
SPECIAL THANKS: to @tolubai for valuable feedback during the development phase.
* * * 
In the mood for something easy, clear-cut, and straightforward? Look elsewhere. EarthShine is a dark, experimental and slightly dissonant piece; clearly not intended for the charts, and with a rather unclear purpose ... (which, by the way, is entirely to the liking of the composer, with his evidently rather odd taste).

Initially concieved as a PRELUDE to the two-part instrumental published earlier (https://soundcloud.com/davidjsvensson/long-instrumental-part1draft-ds2015), taking one of the main themes into another iteration, in new directions.

The main theme, the slightly dissonant opening theme (based on a Gminor chord over the bass note H, followed by a Hminor chord), gets evolved into the more harmonical organ/synth sequence appearing multiple times in the final, thus ending this piece (and the entire suite) on a more positive note.

* * *

The rather odd music was partly inspired by ideas and discussions in 'Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies' (www.nickbostrom.com, Oxford University); a remarkable work apparently taken very seriously by e.g., B. Gates, and respected scientists such as M. Tegmark, S. Hawkings, and M. Rees.

"Artificial intelligence already outperforms human intelligence in many domains" [p.11]. Still, the idea of an intelligence explosion occuring in our life time is to many laughable, and, clearly, it is unknown if it can occur at all; we only know that Nature once rigged materia in such as way that high intelligence emerged (i.e., us) [insert your own interpretation here].

Some would argue that there are much else in the world to worry about first; but, is this a new kind of Manhattan Project actually coming up on the horizon, with potentially far-fetching existential consequences for Mankind?

It remains to be seen if it was correct to end the music with some hope.

//DS 2016



EARTHSHINE

Eimear Quinn - The Voice   Cover

The Man With The Child In His Eyes-Kate Bush    Cover

You put the sparkle to my flame
I put the rumble in your thunder
But in your competition
I lost the meaning of your name
When you where busy chasing wonders
From a lost commission

You blew off everyone – hungry for recognition

When all the bubbles burst, bringing out the worst
It would take me under
But that was in the past, ‘cause all that seems to last
Is gonna take you under – eventually

You let her tell you what to do
And made some pretty bad decisions
Built on platitudes alone
In fact you didn’t have a clue
Then made her dump you with precision

When all the bubbles burst, bringing out the worst
It would take me under
But that was in the past, ‘cause all that’s meant to last
Is gonna take you under…

You blew off everyone – hungry for recognition

When all the bubbles burst, bringing out the worst
It would take me under
But that was in the past, ‘cause all that’s meant to last
Is gonna take you under…

Take Me Under

You burn so bright with magic light
Can I come with you
A long range heat could lift our feet
Will you come with me

Burn So Bright

This is a song I made to honour my twin sons Emil and Michael.

Gemini

Inspired of many walks in a local forest.

Woodsong

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/50WvcUZ2lpFezP5Qkw8eeB

Gemini

Claus Marcuslund

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