Moog Subharmonicon (chords) & DFAM (bells) with my DIY Minimoog clone (bass), all run through an Alesis Quadraverb – and some more FX in post.

Slumber

ALBUM OUT ON CASSETTE with DOWNLOAD LINK SEPTEMBER 2025

Chansons éléctriques. 
Warm, soft, analog, human.


Camillo Büchelmeier, München.


My name is Camillo. 
ZUKUNFTSMUSIK is my music project founded in 2023. 
I play on modular, analog and vintage gear and I also delicately create my own sounddesigns by sampling from old cassettes and experimenting with old drum machines.

I had jazz piano lessons as a teenager and began playing on synthesizers in 1985. Also then, I did various experiments with multitrack recording of household tools and built some electronical as well as mechanical soundgenerators. 

But then later in life I became a photographer.
In January 2022, I have experienced a severe post-covid syndrome in coincidence with heavy burnout - and my healing process led me back into making music. 

My music is inspired by timbres and by harmonical structures as from Jean-Jaques Perrey, Vladimir Cosma, Francis Lai, Pierre Bachelet or Michel Legrand. 
One might also recognize some general influences of KRAFTWERK, YELLO,  JEAN MICHEL JARRE, DAF, MANUEL GOETTSCHING or EBERHARD SCHOENER.

I am a composer and producer of instrumental music in several genres, including ambient soundscapes, electronica, orchestral and chamber music.  

Musical influences include John Coltrane, Igor Stravinsky, Gustav Holst, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Tangerine Dream, Robert Prince, Frank Zappa, Brian Eno, Heinrich Ignaz, Franz von Biber.

My Method of Composing and Producing
------------------------------------------
I'm sharing my method of composing and producing music recordings in case other composer-producers like me might find ideas worth exploring in their own work. I use this method for Classical, Avant-Pop or Neo-Folk Instrumental genres, not for Ambient and Soundscape pieces. Non-composers might find this explanation interesting, but having a bit of music theory background will definitely help. I consider myself a humble learner when it comes to music theory. 

I owe a debt of gratitude to British musician and educator Gareth Green, whose Music Matters online courses and free YouTube lessons have taught me so much over the past few years. Thanks to his instruction, I’ve moved from struggling to compose music by trial and error to something more enjoyable and productive. The knowledge I've gained has taken my work in new and expanding directions. As the saying goes, “Theory is not a cage — it’s a map. It doesn’t make the journey for you, but it keeps you from getting lost.” 

When I start a new piece, I begin by choosing a key, and picking a scale drawn from one of these sources:
 
1) Western Tonal / Functional Harmony - major or minor chords I II III IV V VI VII
2) Modal Harmony - Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, etc.
3) Slonimsky's "Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns" 
4) Messiaen’s "Seven Modes of Limited Transposition" 

For many pieces, I also decide on a progression, one as a simple as I IV V, or something more elaborate.  

Next I create a "scales and progressions" piano track in my DAW (digital audio workstation software) and enter the chords I to VII in my chosen key. These harmonized scales serve as a basis for writing multipart harmonies and finding pivot chords for key modulations. 

At the start, I know what instruments I want to use, making adjustments along the way. I tend to write chord parts first, then melodies created through a mix of improvisation and direct input in the DAW. Sometimes I start with a melody.

I develop melodies and variations of a phrase by some combination of: a) passing it from one instrument to another, transposing it by an interval that sounds pleasing, b) reversing it, c) inverting it around the tonic (first) note of the scale. These are well-known methods. 

After completing a section, I choose another scale and maybe a new key and repeat the process until I have a draft of the entire piece. Then I export a recording and listen to it “offline”, take notes of errors and new ideas, and incorporate them back into the piece. Often this “compose / listen / compose” cycle is repeated many times. These iterative cycles include adding new ideas, polishing transitions between sections, changing the arrangement, and incorporating expressive details like accents, and articulations (staccato, sustain, portato etc.). I’m often working several different pieces at once. 

Last is mixing and mastering: balancing the loudness between instruments and adjusting elements like reverb, compression, and equalization. I tend to mix as I compose, even though many producers frown on that approach. I find mixing as I go helps me envision the completed piece and make adjustments to the choice of instruments; it self-inspires me when the piece is starting to sound good.  At the end I do a final mix, but as the saying goes, “A mix is never finished — it’s surrendered.”

In the end, this method gives me a basis for exploration and creativity and helps me stay focused. The goal is always to make a piece of music that feels expressive, cohesive, and emotionally resonant.

In deepest connection:
Child of Nature: @childofnature
The Forest Army: @theforestarmy
Amanitalinda: @amanitalinda
Heidi K: @heidijks
Jeamland & Bolt: @jeamland-bolt
The Earth Love: @theearthlove
Jörg: @joerxworx
Martin: @m_ja

Main DAW :  Studio one pro 7    Mixcraft pro 10 studio    Ability pro 5

On my way down the endless rabbit hole into sonic wonderland...

J.-E. Berendt: "Nada Brahma: the world is sound".  
Claus Bury: "The engineer pursues a goal and considers what means he can use to achieve it. 
The artist is not initially subject to any specific purpose. Only he is allowed to do totally crazy things."
Kenny Werner: "If you make music out of the world of thought, you miss the whole wonder of music."
"Music is not an art form with clear boundaries, but rather what we want to perceive as such."
Navacky (Poland):
"The most important thing for me is to create music that I feel, not stick to any particular genre."

Slumber

Jo Nauversen