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In loving memory of Paul Barros, April 4 1961 - April 16 2009.

Please distribute this page and song to anyone and everyone that knew my brother Paul Barros. As many of you may know, I am an electronic music composer here in New York City. In late 2009, six months after my brother's unexpected and sudden passing, I retreated to the Provence region of southwestern France for several weeks to regain equilibrium after the tragic events of that year. I spent my days outdoors in the yard of my rented house up on the hill, overlooking the valleys and mountains and vineyards that Cezanne once painted, breathing the country air infused with lavender and summer, attempting to grasp the loss of my beloved brother. I would wake up in the morning and set up a laptop computer, a small piano keyboard, and a set of speakers on a table in the grass and have my coffee, then begin writing music using advanced studio production software and techniques. I wrote/ produced, and engineered this song entirely from scratch in memory of my brother Paul. It took me over 1.5 years to consider it completed, and I'd like to share it with you today, exactly two years since he left us.

The elements within the song reflect parts of his character and life in many ways. The title "Sunset In Provence" literally correlates to the fact that I wrote the piece in Provence, often working until the sunset. But in a more figurative sense, Provence represents Paul's French side, and sunset represents the sunset of his life, suddenly, at the age of 48. It also describes my own acceptance of his "sunset" 6 months after his death during my time in France. I regarded Paul to have generally been a very relaxed, positive, charismatic individual with a sense of aesthetic that lulled you with his presence. Therefore the general feel and tempo of the song is positive, hazy, calm, blurred, and even almost lazy. The whispering voices throughout the song represent the secretive and mysterious side that Paul had throughout his life, and perhaps the whispers of others speaking about him behind his back, positively and negatively, which often happened. The effect of an old phonograph record playing, at the beginning and at the end, reflect Paul's love for nostalgia, vintage aesthetic, and quality. The effect lifts like a veil to reveal clarity in the music, representing a veil that sometimes fell and lifted from the clarity of his own life, as is the case with all of us. The opening notes borrow from the theme music of the television series "Sex In The City" which he liked, and often jokingly mimicked when visiting me in New York (nice restaurants, cosmopolitans, etc). Being half Brazilian, he was a lover of bossa nova. This shows in the piano melody that comes in at 4 minutes 38 seconds (a loose homage to "Mas Que Nada" by Jorge Ben), and also reflected in the bossa nova bass line of the song. The bass line also borrows from a song by I:Cube called "Adore", which Paul loved. The drums are sultry and jazzy, also a style of music that Paul would often play in his living room with his friends until late at night. The sudden change at 2 minutes 56 seconds, and again at 4 minutes 21 seconds, represent abrupt changes that one would often feel in dialogue with Paul - he could be unpredictable, but in a surprising and charming way. The chord progressions feature open 7th chords which Paul was always a fan of in the music he listened to, or played on his guitar. The chords also shift in a pattern between major and minor, reflecting dichotomy. The rest of the elements also have hidden meanings for me, which I will keep that way, but I hope that you as a listener get the sense that this piece attempts to be a musical embodiment of what my brother meant to me. Please feel free to email me any comments or thoughts you may have.

Paul, I hope you hear this song, and that you like it. I love you and think about you every day.

EBAR - Sunset In Provence

Beatport March 17, 2014
Sullivan Room Records
http://www.beatport.com/release/get-2-ghetto/1255772

Buy on Beatport

Kaiser Souzai - "Get 2 Ghetto" (Grass Is Greener Rmx)

Valentina QUATTRO

Concept and production: Valentina
Engineering and editing: Robin Sato

None - V.

Hothead - V.

Interview + tracklist: http://www.thefader.com/2017/02/14/fader-mix-bambii

FADER Mix: Bambii

Lane 8 Spring 2017 Mixtape

Windows Of Her Soul

Joy Inside My Tears

Grass Is Greener is EBAR and SR Serge.

www.beatport.com/artist/grass-is-greener/301155
www.facebook.com/GrassIsGreenerNYC
www.youtube.com/user/grassisgreenernyc
www.nervousnyc.com 
www.sullivanroom.com

Kaiser Souzai - "Get 2 Ghetto" (Grass Is Greener Rmx)

Grass Is Greener

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