Bloody hell! I missed this. Every single track of you, guys, all masterpieces!!!!

This is a playlist featuring my collaborations with the tremendous bass player Mirko Borach, aka Stringburner, https://soundcloud.com/stringburner. It is a diverse catalogue with a blend of styles ranging from Jazz to Rock to Flamenco to Funk... Let's say Fusion. It is great to find a player as good and versatile as Mirko here on SoundCloud and I am sure this playlist will grow through more collaborations to come.

We hope you enjoy our music here!

Dan

Stringburning Tunes with Mirko Borach on bass

Blue Marble Dune

This one is a tribute to the great fusion group Tribal Tech, especially to  guitarist Scott Henderson and bassist Gary Willis. The great bassist aka Stringburner here on Soundcould asked me to collaborate on this lighting, or better rocket launching, fast fusion track which refers to Saturn 5, off the the tenth album called Rocket Science by the jazz fusion band Tribal Tech released in 2000. A mind boggling original that we could only humbly pay respect to. It uses a faster pace and condenses the themes, then aims in different directions with it, going from a free fusion style into rock and some Indian and Oriental modes.
We greatly enjoyed our little collaboration on this and hope you do too!

Bass guitar and drum programming by Stringburner,
Guitars by Dan van den Berg
recorded and mixed 2014, 2015

Please do check the awesome Stringburner here on Soundcloud! https://soundcloud.com/stringburner


Tribute to Tribal Tech - feat. Stringburner & DanArchX

Some of you that know me a bit longer might recognize this tune. The original name is "A Drone of A". When Mirko Borach, aka Stringburner, asked me if he could have a go at it with his fretless bass I didn't think twice! His take on it made me change some of the drum rhythms and remove the loud rhythm guitars almost completely cause the bass parts of Mirko are so expressive, they can carry the track. The feel is completely different and became more subtle and nuanced. In it's slowly modulating progressions it made me think now of sands continuously shifting the shapes of dunes by the wind, like I saw in Maspalomas earlier this year. The picture was taken there.
Anyways, I hope you like this revamped version!

Arrangements, music, mixing and guitars by Daniël van den Berg, 2014-2015
Bass arrangements and Fretless Bass by Mirko Borach, 2015
Drum samples from Amplitube

Check out Mirko's profile on Soundcloud! https://soundcloud.com/stringburner


The Ever Shifting Sands - feat. Stringburner & DanArchX

This one is quite a crazy funky fusion track! A great bass player Mirko Borach aka Stringburner(https://soundcloud.com/stringburner )came up with the idea to cover this track by Los Lobotomys, a fusion group that was formed by Steve Lukather in 1989 with some of his friends and talented players, like David Garfield.
Mirko asked Jamie Rhind (https://soundcloud.com/jamie-rhind) and me to join on this one to complete the blend. Jamie brought his Miles' oriented synths, I brought my loud and funk rhythm guitars. We reworked the original, added different sounds and flavours to it, turning it into "Entanglement".  All of us have one solo spot around the main theme. Quite interesting is the turn of events with a more quiet interlude after the guitar solo, something we just had to keep in from the original.

Anyways! We hope to entertain you with this cover of a great fusion track and band. Do check them out if you don't know them already! Los Lobotomys...

Bass and bass arrangements, initial drum programming by Mirko Borach https://soundcloud.com/stringburner

Keyboards, synths and synth arrangements by Jamie Rhind https://soundcloud.com/jamie-rhind

Guitars and guitar arrangements, drum programming, mixing and mastering by Dan van den Berg

Drum samples from Amplitube
April 2015




Entanglement (cover) - feat. Mirko Borach | Jamie Rhind | Dan van den Berg

Black posies
round the fringes
of a memory untapped.

The same piano
that shadow now
a vampire bat.

A phantom dance
through cemetery smoke
in boots of kerosene
and glass.

Stop-sign under idle moon.
Riding to survive
beneath the dome light.
One to scar and it stayed
while the rest left.

Tar traces.
The pavement fissures.
Thin coat rise to neons.
The afterglow a mystery.

A round, a stage
an empty rink.
A drama of the ashes.
Air embedded with sweat
and leaking sinks
and snakes.

Underground unbound.
Unbolting each lock to soul.
Silent and slow 
but wrong it goes
until the fractured
break to fall

to the cellar
where all the lost ones let
the poets of the moon
ink the wall tattoos
for which to paint
their future
or their doom.

Words by Riley Robinson

Extinct Ignition

The northern hemisphere is still in the middle of winter but we can dream of all those lovely warm days - past and future - on the beach with our loved ones!

Released on 17 Jan 2025

Tender is Thine Thought

This one came about from a request by Mirko Borach, soundcloud.com/stringburner , a great virtuoso and extremely versatile bass player I have come to know here on SoundCloud. We have already done quite a few tracks together. I was honored when Mirko suggested to do the bass parts on a tune of mine I wrote quite a while back: Anticipating Intermediacy. https://soundcloud.com/danarchx/anticipating-intermediacy

In essence this track came from an idea I had of a repeating unchanging melody line that would change in feel an character by a modulating chord progression that is constantly changing. As describing a person's state going through changes and accepting that the only constant is change.
Anyways!

Mirko's work made me change the track into a more smooth and clearer version with more of a prog rock or jazz rock feel to it, compared to the original which is louder and very dense in texture.

We hope you like our collaboration on this one as well as the new version!

All guitars, music, arrangements and production by Dan van den Berg, DanArchX
All bass parts and arrangements by Mirko Borach, Stringburner, soundcloud.com/stringburner

Guitar: Ibanez JS100
Recorded with Amplitube
Drum programming by using drum samples from Amplitube
Additional synths by using Sampletank

22 April 2015

A.I. - New Version | Dan van den Berg with Mirko Borach on bass

She Keeps Me Holding On (2025).mp3

Quietude

cum lumine

https://soundcloud.com/33per , my dear donkey fellow sent me this wonderful instrumental, a Big Thank You for that, it was a great pleasure to write and sing along.

The image shows Gregory Peck as captain Ahab in John Houston's film adaptation of Melville's “Moby Dick” from 1956, having just nailed a Spanish dubloon on the main mast.

AHAB (All Hypocrates Are Basterds)

O-o-ohh, o-o-ohh…
Tell me please…
Is that really happening-ä-ä-ä-äppening ?
Do you feel that too ?

Noone is getting out here
Oh no-no-no-no-noo, o-o-o-o-o-ooh
Noone is getting out here alive

Ohh no
Not even the feckin’ basterds
No, no
Not even those feckin’ basterds

Will survive
Whatever may be the strive

See, because 
Noone is getting out here alive
Not the president
Nor his wife

Whatever may be the strive
That won’t work

Ohh oh 
All hypocrates are basterds 			(AHAB)
Ohh, oh
All autocrates are feckin’ basterds 			

They can fool the people 
For some time,

But,
But,
But,

They can’t fool all the people all the time
Not really …
That’s beyond the line

It’s possible to continuate
To self-determinate
To not participate…

So to say:
I would - and - i would…

And i-i-i-i-i-i-i- would 
And I would… 
I-I-I would…
And i would and I would…
I-I-I would…
I would prefer not to…

AHAB (wt 33per, raw edit)

🇬🇧 Developing presets, programming sequences, working on sounds at startup and reworking them during mixing, all without samples or artificial intelligence, for a result full of respect for the listener, to whom I devote myself body and soul to create a unique human work...
Artificial intelligence will never be able to compete, it is completely incapable of doing so. I will always be above what it can tinker with with its billions of bits heated to 100 degrees...
All sectors of activity are already impacted. We must move with the times, of course, because progress generates very interesting and enriching things, but artificial intelligence is not one of them, and it will soon be far more dangerous for humanity than an atomic bomb. Be aware of this and be careful!


🇫🇷 Développer des presets, programmer des séquences, travailler sur les sons au démarrage et les retravailler au mixage, le tout sans samples ni intelligence artificielle, pour un résultat empreint de respect pour l'auditeur, à qui je me consacre corps et âme pour créer une œuvre humaine unique…
L'intelligence artificielle ne pourra jamais rivaliser, elle en est totalement incapable. Je serai toujours au-dessus de ce qu'elle peut manipuler avec ses milliards de bits chauffés à 100 degrés…
Tous les secteurs d'activité sont déjà impactés. Il faut bien sûr évoluer avec son temps, car le progrès génère des choses très intéressantes et enrichissantes, mais l'intelligence artificielle n'en fait pas partie, et elle sera bientôt bien plus dangereuse pour l'humanité qu'une bombe atomique. Soyez-en conscients et soyez prudents !

Dangerous Artificial Intelligence

Produced in the
ARAPA Music Studio
Sydney - Australia

Familiar Changes

Bruce Klepper's beautiful piece "Chiaroscur" inspired me a few ideas about art that I wrote in French. I sang them over Bruce's instrumental, improvising some melodies and vocal harmonies, and here is the result. 

*** L'ART POUR L'ART ***

L'art pour l'art, ou l'art pour l'argent?
Car il faut bien vivre, il faut bien survivre.
C'est bien évident...
Parfois c'est bien clair.
Parfois ça dépend…
Pour atteindre les rêves il faut rester sur sa faim,
et jeuner souvent, et prier longtemps.  
On prie quand on cherche la réponse dans l'âme,
la beauté dans le geste, le génie dans le vent.
L'obsession qui nous prend de puiser le néant,
de parfaire une esquisse, de créer tâtonnant,
c'est ça l'art pour l'art
qui coule dans le sang.

L' Art Pour L' Art (based on Bruce Klepper Chiaroscur instrumental)

The great bass player Mirko Borach, aka Stringburner https://soundcloud.com/stringburner, sent his wonderful original piece called "Mysterious" to Julien Apelian https://soundcloud.com/jules-keys-1 and me to see if we could add our touch and instruments to his warm singing bass sounds. It is a track that is reminiscent of several typical seventies and early eighties bands and sounds, ranging from, for example, a Black Sabbath type oriental riff, to more Return to Forever-like sounds, to even a hint of the Doors in some of Julien's playing. We had great fun working together again, arranging parts and adding solos and the wonderful mixing and post production by Julien tops this collaboration off!

We hope you'll enjoy this fusion of styles and our playing on Mirko's original called ...Mysterious...

Music, drum programming & fretless bass by Mirko Borach https://soundcloud.com/stringburner
Keyboards, synths, Rhodes, arrangements, mixing and mastering by Julien Apelian https://soundcloud.com/jules-keys-1
Guitars and arrangements by Dan van den Berg
July 15th, 2015

Mysterious | by Mirko Borach, with Julien Apelian on keys & Dan van den Berg on guitar

Dawning of a Brighter Day

Now with Mirko Borach on fretless bass, check out this brilliant bass player: https://soundcloud.com/stringburner

At the dawn of a New Year to come I send this one out to all of you here truly wishing you clear and bright days to come. It was an intense year for me here, but also for many of my friends around the world with great many challenges and struggles. I am looking forward to making things better in the near future and felt the vibe yesterday with all the guys and girls at my firm. It feels good, let's keep it up!

About this rock instrumental: it was my first full recording with my newest Fender Elite Stratocaster, a joy to play and I much enjoyed this familiar, twangy sound I know so well from my youth when I just started playing on my Fender Squire JV-series. 
This track is built around a few different sections and cab settings, from clean to gritty to fuzz distortion, which leads to different moods, riffs and melodies. In a way playing this Fender pointed the way to my early playing style in more of a rock setting. Through the last years I recorded a few with this kind of feel ever so once in a while.

I sincerely hope you will enjoy this one and as always I appreciate all your likes, shares and comments!

-Dan

Recording data:
All music, guitars drum programming by Dan van den Berg, December 16, 2016
Guitar:
American Elite Stratocaster® HSS Shawbucker
Fretless bass by Mirko Borach, Stringburner, https://soundcloud.com/stringburner
Drum samples using Amplitube, SampleTank, editing in AURIA
Recorded with Amplitube, Auria
Mixing and Mastering in AURIA and Final Touch

A Brighter Day

A Brighter Day | Dan van den Berg, with Mirko Borach on bass

THE NEW ALBUM OF MY BAND THE HYPERSONIC FACTOR  CALLED BELEVOLENT BEASTS IS OUT NOW!  AVAILABLE ON ALL STREAMING SERVICES!
featuring:
Jason Rubenstein - Keyboards, Piano, compositions, arrangements and producer
Mirko Borach - Bass and compositions
Tom Hipskind - Drums
Dan van den Berg - Electric and Acoustic guitars, compositions, arrangements, synthesizers
https://thehypersonicfactor.bandcamp.com/album/benevolent-beasts



Check my SOLO Album here! https://danielvandenberg.bandcamp.com/album/short-tales-for-three-guitars

This site is for my musical avatar or alter ego. Architect/partner/company owner by day, I find myself playing guitar and writing these tracks in afterhours, at nights, evenings, when in need of a dose of guitar sounds. You will find a wide range of guitar oriented music, ranging from Jazz to Blues, Flamenco to Classical, Rock to Fusion. And many collaborations with some great musicians.

I have been playing guitar since I was 11 years old, largely self-taught and have tried different styles and instruments: Renaissance lute, flamenco guitar, classical guitar, steel string guitar and electric guitar with which I have been playing in styles ranging from rock and metal in my early years to classical music, some American Folk music, jazz rock, prog rock, flamenco nuevo and fusion.

It’s been a splendid time here so far, in collaborating with a lot of brilliant musicians on SoundCloud and sharing ideas and the passion for music. 
My collaborations are with musicians that I have a deep respect for and have a mutual appreciation for real instruments, and musical styles that focus on letting the instruments “shine”. 

Here is some technical data:
Currently I am using Amplitube and Auria on an iPad as DAW with Final Touch for mastering. For acoustic recording I use an Apogee microphone.

Guitars are:
Fender AMERICAN ELITE STRATOCASTER® HSS SHAWBUCKER, 2016
Fender Stratocaster Squire (first edition: JV-series)
Ibanez JS100, Joe Satriani model
Evh Frankie Striped MN Relic R/W/B

EVH 5150 Series Standard Stealth Black EB guitar
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS Olympic White RW
Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HSH 2PT CM Mahogany Natural
Paulino Bernabe, Taller de Guitarras, Model-50, 2001, classical concert guitar
Marín, Modelo Estudio /9 Calidad, 1997, Malaga, Spain, flamenco guitar
Joan Cashimira, modelo 145, spruce top w/ cocobolo sides and back, Gata de Gorgos (Alicante), 2015

I hope you will enjoy my music.

Daniël van den Berg
DanArchX

A Brighter Day | Dan van den Berg, with Mirko Borach on bass

Dan van den Berg

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