good concept and lyrics, but perhaps less rhyming would be better. and also more of a whispering voice at times?

I’ve got some Dylan
Some Velvet Underground
“Chelsea Girls”
On this mixtape I found
Ribbon on a reel 
My life in sound
Yeah ribbon on a reel
My life in sound

I’ve got some Bowie
From the old “Low” days
The thin white lines
And the foggy haze
The songs get played
Then fade away
Yeah the songs get played
Then fade away

I’ve got some Patti
Singing “Dream Of Life”
She’s howling out dreams
Into the deep dark night
It feels so alive
So it’s alright
Yeah it feels so alive
So it’s alright

I’ve got some Leonard
On this old Walk Man
He comes up after Joni
“So Long Marianne”
Such a heartbreak
Guess he wasn’t her man
Yeah such a heartbreak
Guess he wasn’t her man

Cause that’s my life 
This mixtape I found
Yeah that’s my life 
My replay life in sound
Cause that’s my life 
This mixtape I found
Yeah that’s my life 
My replay life in sound

MIXTAPE (with Joliz)

The kids don’t run, they float in chairs,
With VR pets and pixel stares.
Recess now is ranked online,
And hopscotch got replaced by "Grind XP+9".

It’s so easy to die,
When you stop being alive.
When your thoughts are streamed and pre-approved,
And every word is auto-moved.
Why read a book or draw a line,
When AI paints and plots just fine?
It’s so easy to die—
Just lean back and comply.

No more guitars, no dancing feet,
The bots perform, and always beat.
Diabetes hums like static buzz,
And no one asks the reason—just because.

It’s so easy to die,
When you stop being alive.
The mind’s outsourced, the body's still,
Fed by pills and Dopamine will.
Why make, or move, or feel, or try,
When machines just do it better, their way?
It’s so easy to die!

We built the future not to dream,
But to avoid one single scream—
The sound of effort, fear, or pain,
Now gently silenced in the rain.
And in this padded, glowing cage,
We scroll ourselves out of the age.

It’s so easy to die,
When you stop being alive.
No thoughts to think, no hills to climb,
No messy love, no loss, no time.
It’s so easy to die—
So sweet, so soft, so sly.
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye…

We let the machine decide!

—
Arrangement and vocals: Volker Redder, Udio, Apple's GarageBand
Loops and samples: Volker Redder, Apple's GarageBand
Editing and sound design: Volker Redder, Ozone 11, Sound Studio, GarageBand
Lyrics: Volker Redder, translated with the help of Google Translate
Cover design: Volker Redder, Adobe Photoshop, FLUXpro, Apple's Keynote

So Easy To Die (When You Stop Being Alive)

Hey everyone!
This track, Asteroids (The Original Was Better), started when I heard Beating Edge’s chiptune tune RND and got inspired to write some lyrics about the classic arcade game Asteroids. I added my acoustic guitar and vocals on top and sent it over to the band.
They liked it so much they decided to jump in and make a second part with a more rock vibe using the same musical base. We put both parts together into one track, starting with a fun spoken intro, a little vocal line to bridge the two sections, and finishing off with a hilarious outro.
It was a really cool collab and I’m stoked for you all to hear it!

Music by: Beating Edge
Lyrics by: Tom (Beating Edge) and Joe Stroffolino
Performed by: Beating Edge and Joe Stroffolino
Acoustic guitar (Taylor 114ce) by: Joe Stroffolino
Vocals performed by: Joe Stroffolino and Tom (Beating Edge)
At the moment, this track is exclusively available on SoundCloud.
Released on June 6, 2025.
©2025 Beating Edge and Joe Stroffolino

Lyrics:

[Spoken Intro]
Joe: Wow! This is a really cool Arcade!
Tom: Yeah!
Joe: Hey, check it out! Is that an Asteroids game over there?
Tom: Oh, wow!
Joe: I haven't seen that in like that forever!
Tom: That's definitely Asteroids! Let's play a game!
Mary (with a sore throat 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣): Oh yeah! Let's play Asteroids!

-->Joe

I used to play asteroids in the 1980’s
I liked to blow up rocks in outer space
The flying saucers would attack me
At an ever-increasing pace

I stumbled across an old vintage arcade the other day
I hadn’t played Asteroids in a long time
I popped a quarter into that old machine
And I watched my score start to climb

I watched my score start to climb
I watched my score start to climb
I watched my score start to climb

Time goes by so quickly
and playing that game really took me back
To those days when my future was unwritten
And I hadn’t gone so far down my current track

Pushing those buttons so fast and furiously
Standing in front of that arcade machine
Blowing up all those asteroids
On that black and white video screen

Blowing up all those asteroids
On that video screen
Blowing up all those asteroids
On that video screen

For a couple of minutes, I forgot about the present
I was back floating in outer space
Breaking big rocks into small rocks
I had a a big smile on my face

And then it was time for me to go
Cause I had errands that I needed to run
But that old video game
I sure had a lot of fun

It's not over yet

-->Tom

Just a single screen, all black and white
The whole room's dark except the TV's light
Rotate and thrust, it wasn't much
No one had seen a thing like this before

Now there's a 3D holographic thing
That no one plays, 'cause nobody can afford
With a visor on, your body's gone
It's kinda fun, but the original was better

We used to play all day, late at night
For the high score, it was do or die
No one knew what a quarter was worth
No one knew what the future had in store

Now there's a 3D holographic thing
That no one plays, 'cause nobody can afford
With a visor on, your body's gone
It's kinda fun, but the original was better

The original was better
The original was better
The original was better
The original was better

Now there's a 3D holographic thing
That no one plays, 'cause nobody can afford
With a visor on, your body's gone
It's kinda fun, but the original was better

[Spoken Outro]
Someone who wants to stay anonymous 😂: That was a lot of fun!

Asteroids (The Original Was Better) - Beating Edge & Joe Stroffolino

My daughter is now eleven but when she was 4 or 5 years old, I was trying to learn Spanish (but then life got in the way) and as we brushed our teeth every night, I would sing a silly song “Abre la boca, lava tus dientes blancos blancos muy limpios”.  I’m sure it’s a terrible translation but recently the song popped into my head and this weekend, and I thought it might be fun to attempt to turn it into a complete song.
***
Copyright 2025
***
Instruments 
Guitar Strumming Track:  Taylor 114ce
Guitar (Playing Midi Keyboard) Native Instruments Electric Mint Celtic Castle Melody Guitar
Organ (Playing Midi keyboard): Logic Pro Classic Rock Organ
Native Instruments Electric Keys Diamond (Playing Midi Keyboard)
Drums EZ Drummer 3
Bass PG Music Midi track played with Native Instruments Rickenbaker Bass 
***
Cover photo: Adobe express stock image.
***
When I was a kid, I really wish I’d listened to my parent’s advice
They said brush your teeth carefully or someday you’ll pay the price
I was trying to learn a little bit of Spanish, so I thought I’ d write my daughter a little song
I’m not sure it’s grammatically correct and I bet the pronunciation is wrong
Abre la boca, lava tus dientes blancos blancos muy limpios
Open your mouth, wash your teeth, white, white very clean 
I know you’re just a little kid and it’s hard for you to comprehend
But if you don’t brush your teeth every day, there’s lots of Novocain around the bend
I really hope you take heed of the lessons that I’ve learned 
If you eat too much candy like Icharus flying to close to the sun, you’ll get burned
Abre la boca, lava tus dientes blancos blancos muy limpios
Open your mouth, wash your teeth, white, white very clean 
First you need a filling and then you need a crown
Every year your dental health keeps going down
You sit in that chair, and it’s drill baby drill
The candy tastes good but it’s a bitter pill
They say in the future we’ll regrow our pearly whites
But until that day comes, you’d better take my advice 
Abre la boca, lava tus dientes blancos blancos muy limpios

Abre La Boca (Brush Your Teeth)

It was winter on the Bowery
Where the snow turned grey
And the streetlights look tired
Everybody’s chasing something
You were up against the door
Smoking that last cigarette
Like it was the only thing
Worth paying attention to
And I thought
Maybe I could be the next one
So I moved over to listen
Yeah just to listen

Inside Blondie was playing
Debbie’s voice cut the static
Telling every lost soul in the room
“You don’t have to stay stuck here forever”
You grabbed my hand and said
“She’s gonna be big someday”
I believed you
But I didn’t say a word
Sometimes silence
Feels safer than talking
I could feel your heartbeat
With every song

Blondie played 
And the city shook 
We were strangers
Pages in a book
Nothing promised
Nothing made
On the night 
Blondie played

I never caught your name
Saw you once months later
Laughing with somebody else
At a bus stop near Astor Place
And I thought
Yeah that’s the way this city loves you
Quick and hard
And then it moves on without apology

Blondie played 
And the city shook 
We were strangers
Pages in a book
Nothing promised
Nothing made
On the night 
Blondie played

Blondie Played (with Joliz)

Élégante mélodie bleue
Je danse pour oublier nos adieux
Me caressent les lumières et j’ai peur
La love musique me pénètre le cœur 

Enivrée par la French Touch
Je sens qu’on me dévore des yeux Envoûtée par la French ´
Je m’abandonne, bye-bye
Adieu…

Tu t’approches de moi et je tremble Caresse sans permission, il me semble 
Tes yeux me foudroient c’est fatal
Mon cœur à l’abandon s’emballe

Enivrée par la French Touch
Je sens qu’on me dévore des yeux Envoûtée par la French ´
Je m’abandonne, bye-bye
Adieu…

Enivrée par la French Touch Oh oh oh 
Envoûtée par la French Touch Oh oh oh 
Envoûtée par la French ´

Élégante mélodie bleue
Je danse pour oublier nos adieux
Me caressent les lumières et j’ai peur
La love musique me pénètre le cœur 

Enivrée par la French Touch
Je sens qu’on me dévore des yeux Envoûtée par la French ´
Je m’abandonne, bye-bye
Adieu…

Tu t’approches de moi et je tremble Caresse sans permission, il me semble 
Tes yeux me foudroient c’est fatal
Mon cœur à l’abandon s’emballe

Enivrée par la French Touch
Je sens qu’on me dévore des yeux Envoûtée par la French ´
Je m’abandonne, bye-bye
Adieu…

Enivrée par la French Touch oh oh oh…

FRENCH TOUCH

Stranger than Paradise

Well, let's talk instant photos ... how about doing that in a R&B song? Worth a try, me thinks ... 

Snapshots

from the album CWSM - Country Western Space Music
sparkybonehead.bandcamp.com/album/cwsm

A Long Way From Home (from CWSM)

This song has the theme of darkness and light, and at the end it develops to the point where the light of hope shines down forever. May the Infinite light, the light of hope, gently and beautifully illuminate everything.

The lyrics are as follows:
幾多の壁を超えて
癒えない夜を超えて

翼を　　
いまあの空へとはばたけ

光のように強く　研ぎ澄まされた
愛は心は　この翼に響く

あぁ 時のように風に乗せて
さぁ この光を届けよう　いつまでも

嵐の闇が来ても
（輝け　いま）
漆黒の闇が来ても
（輝け　いま　はばたけ）
わたしは新しい空へ翔ける

光のように強く　研ぎ澄まされた
愛は心は　この翼に響く
あぁ 時のように　風に乗せて
さぁ この光を届けよう　どこまでも

永遠の光が強く輝く
全てを照らして美しい画を描く

この暗闇を　寂しさを
忘れたいから　光る流線になる

誰より強く　研ぎ澄まされた
あぁ　私はこの翼を信じる

羽ばたけ　どこまでも
輝け　いつまでも


I hope this song reaches someone's heart. 
Thank you so much for listening.

This is an original track.
I recorded the guitar, bass, piano and drums myself.Some elements like certain string parts, ambient sounds, and subtle adjustments were programmed using MIDI — although some of the string sounds were also played and recorded using an electric piano.
This track features vocals by Koharu Rikka (小春六花) using Synthesizer V.

The Infinite Light

Cello pulse

"Redder" is a palindrome. Like "racecar" or "level". These pieces of music ain't.

Hi, I’m Volker – or "docredder"/"redder" when it comes to music. My journey into sound started early: as a child I sang Bach in a boys’ church choir, and that’s when I discovered how music can feel like both mathematics and magic at the same time. Later in life, I studied science and technology, but music has always stayed with me, as a way to process emotions, ideas, and imagination.
I’m not a virtuoso on any instrument, just a little guitar and some keyboard, but that never stopped me. For me, music is not about technical perfection, it’s about creating moods, telling small stories, and experimenting with sounds. That’s why I produce everything myself: the writing, the arrangements, the vocals, the mixing, and even the cover artwork. It’s a DIY approach, but it allows me to keep every piece authentic.
My influences are eclectic. I’ve always admired the timeless soundscapes of Pink Floyd and Genesis, the storytelling of Supertramp, the bold arrangements of Yes, Electric Light Orchestra and Muse, and the free spirit of Miles Davis. From progressive rock and indie pop to touches of jazz, funk, or ambient - I enjoy blending different textures until something new emerges.
Over the past years I’ve released a wide range of tracks, from introspective ballads like "Lament of the Last Generation" and "The End of Our Human Days" to playful experiments such as "Anna Sutter" or "Das Sein im Tinder-Schein". Some songs are melancholic, others ironic, some are inspired by literature, history, or science fiction. What connects them all is that they come straight from the heart - and from curiosity.
Every song is a little adventure for me. Sometimes it begins with a lyric, sometimes with a guitar loop, sometimes just with a feeling. I use simple tools like GarageBand, samples, my own voice and AI voices, but I try to arrange and transform them in ways that keep the listener surprised. My hope is that, even if just for a few minutes, the music opens a window into a different perspective.
I’m grateful for everyone who listens, shares, or gives feedback. Music for me is about connection - and every play, every comment, every message makes this journey worthwhile. If you enjoy honest, handmade songs that mix styles and don’t always follow the rules, I’d love for you to join me on this path.

So Easy To Die (When You Stop Being Alive)

docredder

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