℗© Copyright Ian Stokes. All Rights Reserved
Recorded, mixed and mastered in Logic.
Guitar played: Taylor 714CE in standard tuning 
Photography: Thanks go to Nigel and Libby Hume at Hume Photography.
Song Notes and Lyrics:
This song imagines one of those occasions when you by chance find yourself in a place where there is some great live music that somehow just seems right.....
Lyrics:
Somewhere in New York City
Or was it down in New Orleans 
Could have been in San Francisco
Or maybe it was all a dream
I was walking by an old blues bar-room 
When I heard somebody playing with some style
So I bought myself an ice cold beer
And listened for a while

Looked like he’d lived a whole life-time
Beard gone silver grey
The people in the place seemed spellbound
Happy just to hear him play
At home on stage under the spotlight 
Keeping time with his heel on the floor
I bought myself another beer
I stayed and Iistened some more 

He wore a fine silk waistcoat
Jacket on the back of his seat
Hat pulled down to his cheekbone
Boots tapping out that beat

He played until the bar-room closed
Right sound right time right place
He walked off into the night
With his old leather guitar case
Never knew his name
Don’t even know if he still plays
But I’ll picture that stage and hear that sound
For the rest…of my days

He wore a fine silk waistcoat
Jacket on the back of his seat
Hat pulled down to his cheekbone
Boots tapping out that beat

Fine Silk Waistcoat

Espíritos

The words behind this song of ABBA is very different to the title, which is very appropriate during this years Olympic Games.
So I was tempted to create this instrumental cover.
Hope you enjoy the experience.

The Winner Takes It All-tribute to ABBA

Cast of Characters:

J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- organ, electric piano, drums, synth sax, synth bass, composition, and arrangement 
Llanpsych-- @llanpsych -- Tez – guitar
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– guitar, production, mix, and mastering
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–ehru 
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – lap steel

This ripe piece of funk started with JJ essentially composing it on the e. Piano, organ, drums, synth sax, ands synth bass. He had the Eclectic Collective in mind when he did so, though. JJ actually is playing his drum kit on this one, so funkily that we decided to keep his drums in there. That didn't leave a whole lot of room for Ken to get in on it, but he managed to add a really cool ehru part. The ehru is a two stringed Asian violin with a distinct high percussive sound. JJ's bass line was so well played and solid, we decided to keep it in there, too, which also left Josh searching for a place in the mix. He decided to go last with the lap slide to anchor the foundation of the blues idiom. But he did that after Stephen and Tez cast their spells on the song with their magical guitars. Tez can be heard with the trippy, delay-heavy staccato lines, and Stephen with the silky smooth crying blues lines throughout. 
  Of course, every great song needs a great mixer and producer, and we're lucky enough to have Stephen to do the honors on this one for us.
  This song represents The Eclectic Collective at our funky finest, and we always enjoy and appreciate when JJ starts a song for us. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it. 
  If you really dig it, and have read the whole way to the bottom, please consider sharing this, too. We all appreciate your ears and support.

Sly Willy Blues (Eclectic Collective)

Banishment 135 BPM

Cast of Characters:

Llanpsych-- @llanpsych -- Tez – foundational acoustic and electric guitars, distorted electric guitar, and the seed idea
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– 5-string banjo solo, electric guitar
Mistermark – @the user-432503709 – Mark – vocals, lyrics, high organ, toy piano, percussion, sound effects, production, editing, mix
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- low organ, piano, synth flute, sound effects
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums, percussion 
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – 4-string fretless bass
Composition – The Eclectic Collective

This song began its life as a hauntinly exquisite guitar chord progression that Tez came up with and shared with the rest of us. He also stacked a couple of other guitar tracks in there for good measure. Ken was first up, adding his drums, then later his pots and pans percussion. As he was doing that, Josh was coming up with his bass line, and they did their little dance of back and forth until the rhythm section was set. Mark came in around the same time, though, and added his unique, Waitsian vocals with the lyrics that he wrote for it, too. He also added some really amazing organ parts, a toy piano which you can hear right after the bajo solo, and percussion that add a solid foundation for his voice and add magic throughout the song. Stephen followed shortly after with the big stroke guitar chords, and also came up with the amazing banjo solo you hear in there, too. Last, but not least, JJ came in with his organ and electric piano to seal the deal with the melodies and ambience. Then he and Mark added the cool sound effects you hear throughout, too.
  Every great song needs a great producer, and Mark filled the duty on this one. He has proved himself to be a masterful editor, producer, and mixer, and we are lucky to have him as part of the team.
  This one is an homage to Tom Waits in a deliberate way. We're all big fans, and tried to do something in his unique style. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.
 
Original lyrics by Mistermark:
I got something hidden in my closet 
that I don’t want you to see 
A little like a shady deposit
And it’s bound to incriminate me

Well now some might call it a skeleton 
Like a raincoat filled with bones
See I been hangin’ it there since I don’t know when
And I just can’t leave it alone

Me and Bill rolling bones in a gambling hall 
I threw snake eyes but Bill counted three
I took his accusation just a little too far 
Then everybody went quiet as they stared at me

Now the finger bone’s connected to the trigger
And the hand bone’s connected to me
And every day my secret’s gettin’ bigger
Soon enough I’ll be swinging from a tree

Coz I got something hidden in my closet 
that I don’t want you to see 
I done made a shady deposit
And it’s bound to incriminate me

Well now some might call it a skeleton 
Like a raincoat filled with bones
See I been hiding it there since I don’t know when
And I just can’t leave it alone
(repeat)

Bones - The Eclectic Collective

Cast of Characters:

Roy Roy – @user-967672349 – Roy – foundational guitar, composition, and arrangement
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- organ, electric piano, synth sax, synth strings, synth brass, production, and mix
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– whah guitar, and mastering
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums, percussion 
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – 4-string fretless bass

This song began as a well developed, funky disco idea Roy came up with on his guitar, and shared with JJ. JJ added a wonderfully complex orchestration of various keys, including brass, strings, and the sax solo you hear towards the end. 
  JJ invited Stephen Stephen first, who came up with the funky ass wah guitar that also carries the groove. Of course, JJ realized that this is a disco song, so he enlisted Ken to come up with one of his awesome beats to carry it along. JJ had a rudimentary bass line that he played himself, but decided to get Josh to do the honors instead. So, Josh came up with a totally new bass line designed to shake your cheeks.
Once it was in the can, we decided to ask have JJ mix it for us. This is a first time JJ has mixed a song for The Eclectic Collective, and we were all impressed with his work. Stephen mastered it, as he is a master masterer. 
  We're all really impressed and delighted with the experience of working with Roy and his music. He is a very talented artist with a lot of great music to check out on his page, too.
  We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it, and that it makes you shake your hips while you're doing the dishes, too!

Shag Carpet-Eclectic Collective

Mango Sunrise

My car is broken. ( 1994 ) Eddy Mango - Margareta Theorin ( Eddy )

Splitz (2021) Anthology CD2 Track 04

Fighting

codenamed 17 III

Latest Updates: 
I do not use AI on any of my work, just blood sweat and tears, and a lot of emotion/feelings. The reason I have so much music on SC is that I love making music and it is my life. Also I love to share my work with you all, please enjoy.
Have recently discovered some old tracks which I did back in 2009 but have never been previously released or worked on further. Decided to let them see the light of day, unedited and unpolished. Hope you enjoy them and can see where my humble beginnings started.
Also new for Autumn 2025, a collection of classical piano pieces which I composed back in 2010, in memory of my late father who inspired me to play the keyboard in the first place. Under the title of Magician In Private, hope you will allow my indulgence into a special world of just simple piano, no frills.
Please checkout my vast collection of playlists. All my best music is on there in one place. Is free to listen to or sleep with.
From 1st June 2025, celebrating 10 years of KORG KRONOS music with lots of brand new music showcasing the wonders of this iconic workstation in all it's glory. Also as a nod to the release of the KRONOS 3, which will take KORG into the next generation.
All my albums in full quality are available on Bandcamp, please check out the link below.
Have recently taken a short holiday to recharge my batteries and top up my creative juices. Thank you to all my followers for your continued support and encouragement, means the world to me.
Over 10K minutes uploaded, over 1500 tracks - am sure there is something in there for everybody to enjoy. I love making music. Hope it matters to you.
Am posting some Jarre sounding pieces as homage to my lifelong hero of electronic music, using some of the sounds and instruments he has used along the way. Jar of Jarre is my collection of memorable sounds which have changed the way we appreciate modern electro.
Keep an eye out for my new collection of 2024 Remastered best of tracks, coming soon.
New year, new start. Back on the search for good music and inspiration. Will be featuring a lot of my older work remastered this year, seems like a long time since I began my composing journey back in 2000.
Happy New Year to all my followers, May 2025 be filled with musical magic. 
Thank you for all your kind comments and support throughout 2024 I do appreciate it. Stay safe and love each other.
All my remastered best tunes from 2015 to 2023 are now available to buy on Bandcamp.
Am back to making regular music now but sorry no Christmas songs this year. This time of year is very hard for me as it is when my father became very ill and died in the new year 2010. I still miss him very much but hope he would be proud of my musical journey, he is my number one inspiration.
Just a quick personal note on AI and music. I think it is not a good thing for the creative side of music and a lot of it comes without feelings or soul. Creativity is a gift, and should be greatly valued, cherished and nurtured. Music is what makes us human and can never be replaced by a computer.
Finished remastering up to and including 2023 now. Has been a mammoth task but well worth the effort. Next year I shall be working on a remastered series of my pre KORG days 2000 to 2008, in 8 volumes, as well as celebrating in style my 10 years of KRONOS magic, can't wait for 2025.
Have now amassed over 1000 tracks on SC (that's over 8000 minutes of music) and it has been a blast sharing them with you all. Next year 2025, marks the 10th anniversary of the start of my KORG journey.
Am currently putting together a remastered Anthology collection of all my best tracks from 2015 onwards. 2015 consists of a 3 volume set (Now available on Bandcamp). 2016 consists of a 4 volume set. (Also available on Bandcamp). 2017 consists of a 4 volume set. (Available on Bandcamp) 2018 consists of a 4 volume set. (Also available on Bandcamp). 2019 consists of a 4 volume set. (Now available on Bandcamp). 2020 consists of a 3 volume set (now available on Bandcamp).
If you would like to listen to more of Magician, especially retro older tracks please checkout Bandcamp (see link below).
Have recently been rediscovering some of my older music pre KORG days and remastering for uploading to my cloud. Hope you like. Seems such a long time ago now.
I have been lucky to have music in my life, and now the time to explore how it can affect other people. I have discovered many new talented artists on SC and am happy to encourage and support their work; from small beginnings come great things. Please be inspired to be your best, inspire others too, encourage those who lack the inner courage to move forward, and together we can make music make a difference in all our lives.
Am spending a lot more time on my music now since retiring from work in July 2020. Always learning new techniques and honing my craft. Am comfortable now with all chord sequences throughout the scales and loving improvising with the help of my mighty KORG still. Am still trying to give my full support and encouragement to all SC users and some latest (you know who you are), are developing nicely. Be good to one another, be gracious to others, leave your ego out of your life and above all else remember there is always someone worse off than yourself. 
Please be kind to each other, to be happy with our lot without jealousy or greed; to give without asking the cost; to love as if there is no tomorrow; to share and inspire others who may be less fortunate than us; most of all to enjoy life for the joy of living, for we know not what the morning brings - stay safe my friends, be strong and always stay positive; remember life changes - DON'T let it change you!!  
Music is my life - has helped me through many dark places, is a big part of who I am. I put my heart and soul into every single piece of music I produce. I have found many wonderful friends on SC and many exciting talented people.  Been writing and producing music now for 40 years plus. Specialised in electronic based orchestral compositions. I have created my own genre which I call 'electrorchestration'.
Favourite artists/bands include Gary Numan, Little Boots, Jools Holland, Eno, Edgar Froese (1944-2015), Jordan Rudess, Kebu, Madis, Keith Emerson (1944-2016), Rick Wakeman, Richard Wright (1943-2008), Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, M83, Public Service Broadcasting, Dream Theater, ELP, Yes and Mystery to name but a few.
Click on link below to Bandcamp for more music from my collection

Splitz (2021) Anthology CD2 Track 04

Magi©ian™ (Making music make a difference)