Witchtape

On that sunny and cold morning in early March, the little witch was relaxing on a dry patch of moss after completing the daily inspection round of her forest, saying ‘good morning’ to all the animals and birds.  Within seconds after lying down, her eyelids grew heavy and she drifted away in a blissful sleep.  Soon she was in the middle of her witchy dreamworld, flying away from the enchanted forest in the presence of her trusted friend the Eurasian eagle-owl and heading towards the surreal and mysterious world of the humans.  Since the persecutions of the 16th Century, witches have kept their distance from humans.  A pure being like a witch is in any case not capable to understand the typical human vices like greed, jealousy, discrimination and buying fake soundcloud plays.  For witches, humans look like heartless monsters.  So as a precaution, from the very first day in her forest at age 9, she kept people out of the woods with the help of all forest animals.  But now, a decade later, she slowly had become more and more curious about the human world, which – according to some other young witches – is not all bad and even contains a surprising amount of beauty.
On that day, the girl flew straight to the nearest airport.  For years, she had been watching these silver birds fly high in the sky, wondering what their purpose was and from where they came.  Before touching down, the witch cast an invisibility spell over herself and over her friend the eagle-owl so that they could land discretely near a little bush next to the runway of the airport.  From the thickets, she observed the planes taking off with the loudest roar she had ever heard (in the witch’s forests the loudest noise is the crow’s caw).  But after a while she got kind of used to all the noise and even started to admire the elegant beauty of the airplanes.  A couple of hours later she became more confident and slipped into the arrival hall of the airport.  At first the girl was overwhelmed by the bustle of all these people in a hurry, so she observed the place from a quiet corner of the hall.  When she saw the smiling humans giving so many hugs and kisses to each other in the arrival hall, it dawned to the witch that humans maybe weren’t all mean and bad after all.  The girl also noticed that many people were buying a black-colored beverage from a shop with the logo of a green mermaid.  She saw the drink pouring out of a magic machine.  So she got curious and asked her friend the eagle-owl to stealthily snatch away one cup of this brew (which was the only option given the fact that witches don’t use money).  After that, the girl held the warm cup tightly in her hands and savored the unique smell, before taking a small sip from the mysterious black drink.  It was a moment she would never forget … the very first coffee of her whole life … so tasty and intense.
After that, the witch decided to sneak out of the airport and fly back to the safety of her enchanted forest.  From that day onwards, her friend the eagle owl flew to the airport on every Sunday, bringing back every time a magic cup of warm coffee for the little witch … each time creating one moment of pure magic in the enchanted forest …

Connect with the wizards : 
https://soundcloud.com/tobertober-1
https://soundcloud.com/mellowcast
https://soundcloud.com/alletanzen

Cover Artwork : Irina Alexandrovna (Ironika)

Witchtape #90 | Guest Wizards : Tober&Tober

Witchtape #91 | Guest Wizz : Funky Chap

That morning, the little witch woke up a few minutes before sunrise in a frosty forest.  With her eyes still half-open from a good night’s sleep, her heart suddenly skipped a beat from excitement when she realized it was the day of the Spring Equinox, which meant her wizard was coming to visit her.  Contrary to popular belief, witches and wizards are truly romantic beings, although they rarely meet.  So each year during the spring equinox, all stars align and everywhere on the planet couples of witches and wizards get together.
During her daily inspection round of the forest, the girl made all necessary arrangements to organize the customary game of hide-and-seek.  Of course, all forest animals were part of the conspiracy, and so was the tree nymph, who had never seen the wizard before.
The tradition is that the witch hides somewhere deep inside the woods and the wizard has to find her.  The last 2 years, the plan of the girl always quickly fell through with her lover managing to find her in a matter of minutes, despite hiding in the top of the highest tree or under a pile of dry leaves.  So this year she needed a better plan.  After weeks of thinking, she decided to simply hide in plain sight in the middle of the center clearing of the forest, speculating that the wizard would search everywhere, except in the most obvious place.
This year, the spring equinox coincided with a beautiful half-moon, with light and darkness perfectly balancing each other out.  This gave the little witch the idea to cast a spell over one half of the forest, so that the Southern part was full of flowers and singing birds while the Northern half was still frozen and silent.
At noon, an owl passed the news that the wizard had arrived in the forest so the witch quickly installed herself on a dry patch of moss in the center glade, while a couple of dunnocks decorated the girl’s long brown hair with little white flowers.  
This year, the hiding plan worked so well that after 3 hours of ransacking the woods, the wizards still hadn’t found his girl.  The giant wizz had a really tough time plodding through the muddy sections of the forest.  Finally, he found the pond which the badgers had dug for the nymph a few months earlier.  It struck him that this water body didn’t exist the last time, so he was almost 100% sure the little witch was hiding below the water surface.  It is a known fact that witches can stay under water for hours, so that looked like the perfect hiding spot.  The wizard slipped out of his clothes and waded into the pool.  He quickly sensed a female presence in the water, so his heart started to throb very fast from excitement.  Unfortunately for him, the girl in the water was the nymph and not the witch.  And nymphs are known for their fierce temperament, so after a brief but fiery encounter he made a quick getaway out of the water, apologizing at length to the nymph while hiding behind a tree, shivering from the cold until a group of helpful badgers brought back his clothes.
After an owl reported these events to the little witch, she started to chuckle so loud that she gave away her position.  After that it was only a matter of minutes before the wizard found the witch.  Her heart jumped from joy as she looked up to her giant (2m40 tall) lover of pure African blood, while his heart raced when he looked into the little (1m58) European witch’s mesmerizing green eyes.  Soon her soft snow-white skin touched his silky pitch-black skin while they engaged in the most tender embrace the forest had ever seen.  After their passionate welcome kiss, the intertwined couple observed the beautiful half-moon rising high in the sky, while the sun went down to announce an unforgettable starry night …

Connect with the wizz :
https://soundcloud.com/funky-chap
https://soundcloud.com/sunset-grooves

Artwork by Irina Alexandrovna (Ironika)

Witchtape #91 | Guest Wizz : Funky Chap

That morning, the little witch woke up a few minutes before sunrise in a frosty forest.  Actually, it was rather a frosty half-forest as it was only freezing cold in the Northern section of the woods.  This  was the result of a freeze spell which had gone awry.  The girl had cast this spell over one half of the forest as a prank for her wizard, during his annual spring equinox visit from Africa to his beloved witch.  It was the first time that she had cast such a spell and it worked way better than she had expected.  This was yet another indication that – despite her young age - she was already a really powerful witch who still had a lot of trouble to dose her forces.  The result was that the Southern half of the forest had already passed the spring awakening and was buzzing with activity, with all birds and animals frenetically making nests, while the Northern half of the forest was still in a silent snowy winter slumber.  Also the teenage nymph (who hails from South-Asia) was shivering from the cold while performing her life-long mission to protect the little tree, which was destined to live over a thousand years and become the future mother tree of the forest.
Meanwhile it was already early April and - while walking through the sun-lit Southern section of the forest - the little witch saw a male blackbird with his beak full of earthworms, meaning the first little blackbirds had hatched.  So now it was clear … winter should end in the Northern section immediately!!  At that moment, the witch got into the mood to light the annual Spring bonfire and the girl’s intuition told her to do it right next to the tiny future mother tree.  This meant that the little nymph could also join in the party, as she is self-confined to a radius of 100 yards from the little tree which she is protecting day and night.
So with the help of some badgers and squirrels, the girls collected a pile of firewood, after which – with an elegant hand movement - the young witch created a floating spark to set it ablaze.  Soon both the witch and nymph felt the pleasant warmth of the yellow flames, which brought them in the right mood for a long, tender hug.  The witch felt the nymph’s heartbeat and both hearts started to beat spontaneously in sync.  After opening her eyes, the girl saw that the mother tree was also pulsating, emitting a pinkish glow, perfectly in sync with the heartbeats of both girls.  Gradually, the light became stronger and a few minutes later, it had become so intense that with every pulse, a pink concentric circle rippled through the snow, eventually travelling all the way to the outer edges of the forest.  Meanwhile, both girls – after slipping out of their white dresses -  held each other even firmer, feeling each other’s heartbeat even more intensely, while the snow started to melt and waterdrops were dripping down from the twigs of all surrounding trees, causing a flash drip shower all over the woods.  The air and the soil quickly warmed up in the whole Northern half of the forest.  When one hour later the witch and nymph finally loosened their grip on each other, all the snow had gone and the whole forest was full of fresh green leaves.  Spring had finally awakened …

Connect with the wizard : 
https://soundcloud.com/soul-balm

Artwork by Irina Alexandrovna (Ironika)

Witchtape #92 | Guest Wizz : Soul Balm

Just close your eyes and let yourself drift away in a daydream.  The start of this mix is rather subdued, but the music will quickly gain momentum and lead you to places in your dreamworld you’ve never explored before…

This mixtape is for promotional use only.  Check out the artists or record labels for more information.  All tracks plucked from Beatport.

Tracklist :
1.	Kora, Adrien – Nuit d’Afrique (original mix)  [Kindisch]
2.	Neil Flynn – Louise (original mix)  [Lossless]
3.	Blancah – Learning To Fly (Kris Davis groove remix)  [Steyoyoke]
4.	Kora – OVO (original mix)  [Kindisch]

Dubai skyline picture by Nicole Luettecke

Witchtape #02 | Dreamy Mix by Hekske

Hi,
I’m extremely excited to announce Swiss artist DomDom as guest wizz with a very special podcast, by far the deepest ever on my channel.
As I already explained in the description of Witchtape #07, the first hearing of a guest mix is always a particularly intense experience for me.  This time I listened to the podcast while simultaneously chatting with the artist.  So I could give live feedback and share my thoughts track by track.  The first thing I told him was that I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed by the first track (which did disappoint the DJ a bit), but slowly the mix grabbed me by the neck, dragging me deeper and deeper and especially the second part really left me in a state of pure ecstasy… while I made a mystic inner voyage through the Middle East and Andalusia and some other faraway places I couldn’t pinpoint exactly.  And it was only at the end that I realized that the first track was also crucial for the storyline, to create the right mood for the rest.  This is clearly one of these podcasts which need to be listened to in one go.  Only then you’ll be able to capture the whole story.
Anyway, after that I became so fascinated by this mix that I listened to it again.  And again and again (as channel owner I always have a head start over the rest of the world).  And the amazing thing was that each and every time the experience seemed to go deeper than the previous time.  It was as if I was walking in circles through this mystic soundscape, yet each time I discovered something new.
Amazing.
Peace & Hugs
Hekske

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/omom2605

Oh yeah, I took the picture of the majestic tree on the 18th of November 2017 in Mariakerke (Ghent, Belgium).

This podcast is the result of pure love of music and is for promotional use only.  No commercial intentions.

Witchtape #12 | Guest Wizz : DomDom

Witchtape #29 | ‘El bosque oscuro’ by Arkadiusz

That day the little witch walked through the forest for her daily inspection round. She felt intensely happy when she saw all these species of plants and animals thriving and blending into a unique ecosystem – something which was far from being the case on the day she arrived in the forest as a child, now 10 years ago. Yet there was one part of the woods which wasn’t doing well. It was also the only section of the forest where there were traces of past human activity : concrete bunkers, trenches and craters. A peaceful being like a witch couldn’t understand what had happened, but surely some fierce fighting must have taken place there. While nature was gradually reclaiming this area and the bunkers became overgrown with moss, recovery was slow and the witch sensed the presence of some dark energy. There were still no flowers or bird’s nests or rabbit holes in that particular area. She was especially worried about the little oak tree which she planted a few months earlier in the middle of this dark section. This little tree is full of potential as it is destined to live for 1000 years and over time become one of the mother trees of the forest ecosystem, yet at that moment it was still small and fragile. But that day her attention was caught by some unusual activity around the little tree. It turned out to be a group of badgers who were digging frenetically several burrows in the ground. This filled the young witch with joy, as these were the very first badgers she ever saw in her forest. And she had heard a lot about their reputation : badgers are very peaceful when left alone, but they’ll defend themselves ferociously when they’re under threat. Even wolves avoid trouble with badgers.
The witch cautiously approached one of the badgers and greeted him politely. The animal immediately blew his whistle and within seconds all badgers converged in front of the witch, 11 in total. They seemed to know that there was a witch protecting this forest and they were very friendly towards her. The badgers explained that they wanted to settle in this forest and the witch showed her gratitude towards these ebullient animals. They even allowed her to play and cuddle with them. After a while she asked what they were digging and the leader of the badgers replied that they were constructing a sett. The witch had never heard of this word, and the animal explained that this is an elaborate system of burrows and tunnels and they are planning to use it for the next few decades. The little witch noticed that the burrows formed a near-perfect circle around the little tree and she made clear to the badgers that this tiny oak tree is destined to become a very important mother tree. When she pointed towards the tiny tree, the 11 badgers looked synchronously at it, and then synchronously back at the witch and the determined look on their faces made it clear that nothing or nobody would ever be allowed to harm that little tree. And the witch knew they would defend it with a ferocity which only badgers can harness.
And from that day onwards, the witch would come and visit the badgers every day as they continued expanding their sprawling underground complex, while the little oak tree grew everyday a little bigger in the safest place of the forest, right in the middle of the sett…
(story continues in Witchtape #31)

Connect with the artist :
Arkadiusz [Afterhour Sounds / KollektiV LiEBe e.V.]
https://soundcloud.com/arkadiusz-dmytrow
https://www.facebook.com/arkadiusz.official/?ref=tn_tnmn
https://soundcloud.com/afterhour-sounds
https://soundcloud.com/kollektiv-liebe

Photo credits :  Ondrej Prosicky

Podcast 2018

Witchtape #29 | Guest Wizz : Arkadiusz

Witchtape #32 | Guest Witch : Samsara

(Story continued from Witchtape #30)
The little witch was just too excited to participate in the very first witch coven of her young life, in the presence of two elder witches.  It was even the first time she met with other witches but within minutes she already felt a strong bond uniting the three women.  
At one point, the eldest witch led the other two into her forest, where they collected herbs, berries, flowers, mushrooms and even minerals.  Back at the center glade, the two experienced witches started brewing some kind of soup in a small cauldron, using all the ingredients they had picked in the forest.  A few hours later, the brew was ready and it turned out to be some kind of ink, and the two senior witches looked at the young novice with a conspiring smile on their faces.  They started singing a mystic song with a soft voice, while gently helping the young witch out of her clothes.  The girl was so much at ease in the presence of her 2 sisters witch that she didn’t feel shy at all.  The eldest witch took a crow’s feather, dipped it into the freshly made ink and drew a mysterious symbol on the girl’s left hand, then another one on her forearm, continuing on her shoulder before repeating the same ritual on her right arm.  Meanwhile the other witch drew a series of symbols on the feet and legs of the little witch.  The girl sensed that these symbols were very powerful and she had a tingling feeling at the spots which had been painted, while the other women continued drawing lines and elaborate shapes all over her body, before the eldest witch added a finishing touch by drawing a delicate symbol on the girl’s forehead.  After completing this ritual, the young witch looked at all these symbols all over her body.  She had never seen anything like this and didn’t have the slightest clue about the deeper meaning of all these mystic signs.
After finishing with the young novice, it was time to paint flash tattoos on the middle-aged witch.  The old woman gave a feather to the girl.  She didn’t explain anything but encouraged the little witch to draw just something.  The girl hesitated as she didn’t have the slightest clue what to draw, but after a while she found the courage to touch the skin with the tip of the feather, and she quickly noticed that the feather seemed to know which shape to draw and her hands just followed the movements of the magic pen, while it drew symbol after symbol on the witch’s skin.
Finally it was the eldest witch’s turn to get a paint job, and the young witch was amazed how easy it was to draw all these symbols as she just needed to tune in to the energy of the feather.  At one point she loosened her grip on the pen but then it immediately stopped moving.  That moment she understood that this magic pen only works when it is being held firmly by a real witch.
After completing the third witch, they all looked at each other and observed all these mystic symbols.  The little witch noticed that all 3 women were covered in exactly the same way and she felt more than ever connected and with her 2 new soulmates.  She felt incredibly energized and she even had the impression that all these symbols on her skin were glowing softly, especially the one on her forehead.  At that moment, she couldn’t realize that this was only the start and she would soon get a taste of the real power of these symbols…

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/samsarazuerich
https://www.facebook.com/samsarazuerich
https://soundcloud.com/thethirdeyefusion

Photo credits : Navistock

Witchtape #32 | Guest Witch : Samsara

(Story continued from Witchtape #33)
After slowly waking up from a blissful sleep (which seemed to have lasted an eternity), the little witch was led to a pond by the two elder witches.  The girl was really excited when she saw that peaceful body of water, which was something she didn’t have in her own forest (it only featured a muddy swamp and a little stream but not such a cool little lake).  The witches walked cautiously side by side into the clear water.  The young novice felt the water rising up her legs, while the witches waded further and further away from the shore, until the water was at waist-height.  The water was pretty chilly but definitely not unpleasant, yet the cold sent a few shivers through her body.  The 3 women waded deeper and deeper until only their heads were above the surface.  The little witch had never swum in her whole life, yet she wasn’t the least bit afraid.  The eldest witch smiled at the young novice and took a dive into the lake, followed by the other senior witch.  The little witch hesitated for one moment, then she took a deep breath and dived into the water too.  She had never swum before, but witches know how to swim by instinct.  She soon became enchanted by the sheer beauty of the underwater world and got totally immersed into this aquamarine universe, simply enjoying the soothing feeling of water flowing over her skin, while her long brown hair got gently swept around into all kinds of directions.  After a while, she realized that she didn’t feel the urge to breathe (witches are known to be capable to stay underwater for over half an hour).  Soon the girl got accompanied by a few little fishes and also some small freshwater crabs and enjoyed their company so much, that she lost sight of the other 2 witches.  She was all alone in the water now, yet she wasn’t worried at all, just enjoying this mesmerizing submerged world full of beautiful plants and little creatures.  The little witch even became so much at ease that she relaxed every muscle of her body and it felt as if she was weightless while her body was being tossed around in slow motion by the shifting currents.  She felt a deep connection with the lake and with all the living beings around her, and in such a state of relaxation that she hardly noticed that the currents slowly dragged her deeper and deeper into the blue water, while there was still no trace of her two sisters witch.  It slowly dawned to the girl that this lake was much bigger and deeper than it had seemed when she was still looking at it from the shore…
(To be continued in witchtape #34)

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/fruiterama

Part of the Seaside Trip crew :  
https://soundcloud.com/rolandsons-seasidetrip

Rockettothesky - Grizzly Man (Kalandra Cover) @kalandra
Rising Appalachia & Human Experience - Mississippi
Aluna - Ayahuanina (Tomanka Remix)
Kora & Adrien - Nuit d’Afrique vs Arutani - I Lost Myself in You ft. Ru
Of Norway - It’s You (Bernstein Remix)
Iorie - Fool
Valleys Echo - Partners in Crime
Arutani ft. Zazou - Daydreaming
Haunted Water - Human Being ft. Anna Lena (Matata Remix)
Kyrill & Redford - Mutterkorn (Ninze & Okaxy Remix)
Daniel Bortz - Misery (Nu and Pauli vs. Acid Remix)
Treibgut - Eigengrau (Iorie Recolour)
Zimmer – Lost Your Mind (Christian Löffler Remix)
Menke - Nattskärra (Christian Löffler Remix)
Kalandra - Virkelighetens Etterklang @kalandra

Photo credits : Willyam Bradberry

Witchtape #35 | Guest Wizz : Fruiterama

Witchtape #46 | Guest Wizz : Nico Tober

For most people, by far the most memorable activity from their school years is the customary foreign trip in the final year of senior high school, which feels more like some kind of pilgrimage or rite of passage.  In Belgium this trip is generally a tour of Italy or England.  But this is the story of a truly extraordinary school trip, to a country which doesn’t exist anymore, visiting cities which have by now changed beyond recognition.  This is part 1 of the story of a visit to a lost world… East-Germany before the Wall came down.

‘Before that school trip to the German Democratic Republic, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.  In those Cold War days Europe was sharply divided in 2 blocks, with capitalist democracies in the West and communist regimes in the East.  These were two completely separate parallel worlds and in the West we didn’t really know how life was like on the other side of the ‘Iron Curtain’.  We never saw TV programs or listened to music from the so-called ‘Eastern Block’.  The only time we got a glimpse of that hidden world on TV was during sports events, like athletics or swimming.  The - mostly female - athletes never smiled and won nearly all the events… and we all sensed they systematically used performance-enhancing drugs, so we all hated them.  
All these countries were repressive dictatorships which did not tolerate any dissent and tried to brainwash the population continuously, while most essential goods were scarce and many people tried to flee to the West… which was almost impossible since the communist regimes constructed an almost impenetrable fence over the full length of the border, with the Berlin Wall being the most famous section of this ‘iron curtain’.  In the TV news there were regularly reports of people being shot and killed by the border troops when trying to flee to the West.  
And it was towards this very border that I was heading together with my schoolmates.  It was a pleasant (but long) bus ride over the state-of-the-art highways of West-Germany all the way to one of the rare German-German border crossings, named Wartha-Herleshausen.  The mood in the bus changed gradually as we came closer to the Iron Curtain, and we were all curious (and a bit tense) to see the heavily fortified border, which included an electrified barbed-wire fence surrounded by land mine fields and guard towers.  And that’s the place where the bus (carrying 60 Belgian school girls) ground to a halt on that cold April day in the year 1987.  We knew that the border controls were notoriously strict, but it would even be worse than expected… (more details in the next episode).
The passage of the border would be the distinctly uncomfortable start of what would become an intense and unforgettable ‘rollercoaster of emotions’ tour around that parallel universe on the other side of the iron curtain… spreading peace & love from West to East and back…’
(To be continued in Witchtape #47)

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/nico-tober

KataHaifisch : 
https://soundcloud.com/katahaifisch

photo credits :  Chockdee Romkaew

Traktor Rec

Witchtape #46 | Guest Wizz : Nico Tober

Witchtape #48 | Guest Wizz : TantRut

Like all other days, the artist went for his early morning walk with his faithful dog in a remote area of the scenic Swedish island of Brännö.  It was the morning after a short Scandinavian ‘Midsommar’ night and last evening he spent a long time to observe the rising full moon in the company of his trusted dog.  And that night he had a strange but pleasant dream about 3 witches converging on this island for their monthly coven.  Surprisingly the witches were wearing long white dresses and their energy was not the least bit dark.  The first witch was still in her teens and had very long brown hair.  The second, red-haired witch was in her prime (which is somewhere near 120 years of age), while the third witch was old and grey and she’s already roaming around since the dark days of the Middle Ages.
The three women flew in from 3 different directions and performed a whole series of mystic ceremonies and dances, while not speaking a single word to each other (witches are not talkative by nature).  At one point, they slipped out of their white dresses and started to dance under the stars.  This would go on for many hours until they reached a natural state of trance (without using any substances).  The dancing gradually became more and more energetic and especially the youngest witch got really wild at times, while the oldest witch had a more energy-preserving style, but yet she managed to keep on dancing all night long without interruption.  At daybreak, they stopped dancing and performed some mystic closing ceremonies, before flying away in the direction from where they came.
This coven took place at a distinctly beautiful and impressive spot on Brännö which the artist and his dog were nearing at that very moment during their early morning walk.  At first sight the spot looked the same like on any other day, although there was an unusually big concentration of sheep (who roam freely around the island).  Suddenly the ‘Epagneul Breton’ dog stopped in his tracks and sniffed in the air… then he ran straight to the scenic spot.  Normally he’s very obedient but this time he ignored the restraining calls of his owner and kept on running towards the sheep.  Strangely, the animals didn’t get frightened and soon the dog found himself in the middle of the flock.  When the artist entered the witch’s zone, he felt an unusual calm descending over him, while he noticed that all the sheep looked very peaceful and even slightly hypnotized.  At one moment, something magic happened and he suddenly felt how he became one with the sun and the moon and the stars and planet Earth… and even with the sheep who surrounded him.  It must have lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
At that moment he saw his dog sniffing at an object which was lying on the ground.  The artist picked it up and he saw that it was a thin braid of long hair, and when touching it, he felt an indescribable softness.  At closer inspection, it appeared to consist of three kinds of hair… some hairs were very long and brown, while others had a ginger color and there were also a few grey hairs in between.
The artist decided to take the braid home, but when he neared his house he felt it didn’t feel right to take it inside.  So he hung it on a tree in the garden and saw it sweep gently in the wind.  After just a few minutes, he saw a dunnock land on the same branch and after observing the thing briefly, she resolutely picked it up with her beak and flew straight to a small nearby bush where she was making a tidily crafted nest.  This was pretty amazing given the fact that dunnocks are quite rare on this windy island.
The next morning, the artist checked out the nest and found 3 beautiful blue eggs…

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/tantrut

Photo credits : Baronb @shutterstock

Never leave the island

Witchtape #48 | Guest Wizz : TantRut

Witchtape #51 | Guest Wizz : Disfunctional Disco

(Story continued from Witchtape #45)
The little witch was already flying for countless hours over an endless desert, steadily following her inner compass into South/South-Eastern direction.  She was starting to feel tired from all that flying.  Her head grew heavy and her sight grew dim.  She had to stop for the night.  Luckily, she was nearing the other side of the desert as she spotted a few shrubs in the distance.  After a while, she saw some patches of grass and a few beautiful giant trees as she flew over the African savanna.  On her right side there was a breathtaking sunset unfolding… it was high time to land and find a safe place to spend the night.  The witch saw no humans which meant the place was safe.  She landed at the foot of a majestic tree, but didn’t have much time to savor the glorious sunset, as a few hungry lions were stealthily approaching her, observing the witch from close quarter, preparing for a decisive lethal strike.  But while looking at the witch, a feeling of tenderness took hold of the lionesses.  Instead of attacking, they walked slowly into the direction of the girl, who started to talk with a soft voice to the queens of the savanna.  This drew the attention of even more lions and soon they were all lying at the feet of the witch, while she played and frolicked with a bunch of lion cubs - who especially loved to play with the girl’s long hair (the hair of a young witch is of an indescribable softness).  The leader of the pride welcomed the young witch and ordered the other animals to prepare a soft bed of grass for the exhausted girl.  And soon the little witch drifted into a blissful sleep in the middle of a circle of lions, whom had never ever experienced a similarly peaceful presence in the savanna… (to be continued in Witchtape #52)

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/disfunctional_disco

Photo credits : Илона Матюшкина (aka Lunaanoli)

Fun contest : who is the first to recognize the American Rock Classic of which a few phrases of the lyrics have been ripped into the story? :)

Witchtape #51 | Guest Wizz : Disfunctional Disco

Witchtape #61 | Guest Wizz : Baba Sikander

(Story continued from Witchtape #60)
The little witch was enjoying a very welcome shower under the waterfall at the foot of the mountain.  She was soon shivering from the ice-cold melting water from the glaciers of Mount Hermon, soaking wet and feeling stripped to the bone while at the same time feeling purified by the crystal clear water which was slowly on its way southwards to the lowest place on planet earth… the Dead Sea.  The witch of the North was soon joined by a young teenage witch from the desert in the East and a 6000-year old witch from the Mediterranean shore on the West.  Soon they let themselves float in the water while holding each other in a tender embrace with their legs intertwining.  Despite the freezing cold water, the little witch soon warmed up by the close contact with the two other women.  Her body even started to glow as she felt the youthful energy of the desert witch enter through her skin, where it merged with the immense wisdom of the elder witch.  Soon she felt their powerful collective kundalini schingeling flow through her body, while the 3 women floated towards the middle of the river where they slowly started sinking in a slow spiraling movement, which became faster and faster while the 3 intertwined witches sank deeper and deeper into the abyss.  Yet the little witch felt perfectly at ease in the loving presence of her two sisters witch, while the spiraling movement became faster and faster.  At one point, she didn’t feel the bodies of the other witches anymore.  It was as if the three of them merged into one superbeing and the little witch felt young and old at the same time, black and white, north and south and east and west fused together into one single underwater vortex, while the girl completely lost her sense of time and space.  She had no clue how long they continued spinning around.  Maybe minutes, maybe hours, maybe weeks… until all of a sudden the spiral slowed down and the witches slowly returned back to life… back to reality…
(To be continued in Witchtape #65)

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/babasikander
https://www.facebook.com/babasikander.music/

Photo credits : lpedan

Witchtape #61 | Guest Wizz : Baba Sikander

This is the third episode of a true story of a school trip to a lost world… East Germany just before the wall came down… (episodes 1 and 2 in Witchtapes 46 and 47)

We were happy to leave the town Erfurt behind us, where my classmates and I had spent our very first night on the other side of the iron curtain.  For all of us Erfurt was an eerie ghost town with empty streets, covered in thick fog and the air was so polluted that some of my classmates even had trouble to breathe.  On top of that, the hotel was a shabby place with brown tap water and horrible food, including a murky substance which was supposed to be yoghurt (which I ate but most of my classmates went on a voluntary hunger strike, probably hoping things would get better the next few days).  Actually, we felt so uncomfortable in Erfurt that we all wanted to go back to Belgium.
It was a long and shaky bus ride from Erfurt to Dresden in the outermost south-eastern corner of the German Democratic Republic.  Actually, we rode on a very bumpy concrete highway which had been built by the Nazi regime in the 1930s and hadn’t seen much repairs in the next 50 years.  The mood of the schoolgirls was getting better while the sun started to shine.  And we were slowly getting used to the sight of all these primitive Trabant cars on the road.  But when entering the City of Dresden, something broke down in the front suspension of the bus (it turned out that it couldn’t be repaired in East Germany, which meant that a few days later the bus would crawl at a slow pace from Dresden to Berlin before finally getting the much-needed repairs in West-Berlin).  When entering Dresden, I was shocked to see that there were still some buildings in ruin and visibly blackened by the allied fire-bombing of 1945, which was already 42 years earlier.  
Luckily, after getting out of the bus it became immediately clear that this city was a surprisingly vibrant and pleasant place.  Up to that moment, we didn’t interact much with the locals.  We thought that was pretty normal in communist countries, where people from the West (even 17 year old schoolgirls) were regarded suspiciously and we thought it was more or less forbidden for the locals to talk with tourists from the West.  And we also believed that the population of all communist countries had been brainwashed with propaganda, so I couldn’t imagine that it was possible to have a pleasant conversation with the locals.
Luckily, in Dresden we quickly found out this was not the case.  To our great surprise, the local people were really nice and friendly towards us… and visibly warmer and more laid-back than the West-Germans.  Their mentality was even pretty similar to the Belgian style, so it was very easy to connect and we chatted (in our broken German) with lots of lovely and sweet teenage girls and boys, who were apparently very eager to get in touch with foreigners.  This made our stay in Dresden very pleasant and all the Belgian schoolgirls started to feel very much at ease.  The hotel was way better than the one back in Erfurt and although they also served the same peculiar substance named ‘yoghurt’, all my class mates finally got hungry again and spontaneously gave up their hunger strike.
The town of Dresden was really beautiful, at least the part of the historical center which had already been rebuilt… some old building were still being reconstructed while the most famous church (the Frauenkirche) was still a pile of rubble back then.  Actually, reconstruction of this church would only start after the reunification of Germany and fortunately this beautiful monument has now been fully restored in all its glory, symbolically completing the rise from the ashes of the beautiful and vibrant city of Dresden…

Mix self-produced by https://soundcloud.com/feinheitsbrei

Photo : Kunsthofpassage, Neustadt, Dresden
Photo credits : frantic00

Witchtape #63 | Guest Wizz : Feinheitsbrei

Witchtape #64 | Guest Wizz : éner

(Story continued from Witchtape #31)
That morning the little witch was in a frisky mood when performing her daily inspection round in her forest.  It was one of the first days of March and while walking barefoot in the ice-cold mud, she sensed that spring was slowly awakening, with all the birds vigorously singing their best songs at dawn.  The young witch started to sing a sweet song while walking gracefully through the woods, making sure not to trample any snow drops or crocus flowers.  But then all of a sudden she froze while her heart skipped a beat.  In the middle of the still leafless forest she spotted a completely green tree which hadn’t been there one day before.  She quickly realized this was the little oak tree which she planted 2 years earlier (in witchtape #22).  This tiny tree was destined to become the mother tree of the forest and was poised to live for over a thousand years.  Yet, during the two years after planting, it had barely grown taller, although the badgers (who had dug an elaborate network of burrows and tunnels around the tree) had reported some intense root activity during the winter.  The roots of the future mother tree were easy to recognize as they emitted a pleasant pinkish glow in the dark tunnels of the badgers sett.
The girl cautiously approached the tree and noticed it had grown prodigiously during the last 24 hours and on top of that it was fully covered with fresh green leaves.  This was in complete contrast with all the surrounding trees which were still without leaves.  She stretched out her hand, and when touching the tree, hundreds of blue flowers magically started to bloom simultaneously all over the tree (which is quite amazing given the fact that oak trees are not supposed to bear blue flowers).  And more amazingly, the immaculately white dress of the witch had changed into a beautiful blue color and flowers were blooming on her dress and even in her long brown hair, while the branches of the tree started to move and some twigs hugged the girl tenderly.  The witch and the tree engaged in a tender embrace, and all of a sudden the girl felt connected with every living being and every stone of the whole forest, experiencing an overwhelming amount of endless love.  Meanwhile all birds had stopped singing and held their breath…
(To be continued…)

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/ener-music
https://soundcloud.com/deep-smooth-podcast
https://soundcloud.com/faultierdisko

Photo credits : Irina Alexandrovna

Witchtape #64 | Guest Wizz : éner

Witchtape #66 | Guest Wizz : Stelzenläufer

After a short but hectic flight, the little witch touched down in an unfamiliar forest.  A few minutes earlier, an owl – in a state of near-panic – flew to the witch’s forest and had begged her for help.  It turned out many animals of this nearby forest were very sick from a mystery illness and some animals had even died during the last few days.  To make things worse, every day this illness was infecting more and more animals at an increasing rate, making all forest dwellers desperate.  Luckily, an old owl knew there was a young witch in a nearby forest and that’s how she arrived here.  The girl immediately realized it was crucial to separate the healthy from the sick animals and isolate them in a remote corner of the woods.  And she understood this forest was located too close to the human world, which meant it was suffering from all kinds of pollution, including noise pollution, which caused stress to the animals and weakened their immune system.  So the little witch started to sing a sweet song, which cancelled out the noise pollution and brought all animals into a state of blissful hypnosis.  The soothing voice of the witch had an instant effect on the sick animals, and they all started to recover.  And the sweet presence of the girl also had a calming effect on the healthy animals and boosted their immune system, so that they didn’t fall ill.  The little witch also prepared a magic potion of spices and berries, and the vitamin-rich brew boosted their immune system even further.  And on top of that, she ordered all animals to get some sunlight every day and get enough sleep every night.  This made the animals quite a bit stronger.  Yet, this seemed to be a really vicious virus which meant complete rest was needed for full recovery.  The animals even had to continue resting for 5 days after the symptoms had gone, as this was a virus which took a long time to get completely out of their system.  During this time, the little witch continued singing with her sweet voice, accompanied by all the birds and eventually these sounds completely cancelled out all noise pollution and the whole forest seemed to calm down, finally – after over a century of turmoil - becoming once again an oasis of peace and quiet… And after all animals had been cured from the virus a few weeks later, they threw a big party which would last until well past midnight under a beautiful rising moon… 

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/stelzenlaeufermusic
https://soundcloud.com/faultierdisko

Photo credits : Ironika (Irina Alexandrovna)

Witchtape #66 | Guest Wizz : Stelzenläufer

Witchtape #70 | Guest Wizz : Ongun

(Story continued from Witchtape #61)
After a non-stop flight of 2 days and 1 night, the little witch was enjoying a very welcome shower under the waterfall at the foot of the mountain.  She started to shiver from the ice-cold melting water from the glaciers of Mount Hermon, while at the same time feeling purified by the crystal clear water which was slowly on its way southwards to the lowest place on planet earth… the Dead Sea.  A few minutes later, the little witch of the North was joined by a young teenage witch from the desert in the East and a 6000-year old witch from the Mediterranean shore on the West.  Soon they let themselves float in the river while holding each other in a tender embrace with their legs intertwining.  Despite the freezing cold water, the little witch soon warmed up by the close contact with the two other women.  Her body even started to glow as she felt the youthful energy of the desert witch enter through her skin, where it merged with the immense wisdom of the elder witch.  They floated gently on the water for a few minutes, before sinking deeper and deeper (of course witches can breathe under water).  The water became darker, and after a while the three witches got sucked into a cave, where the water was really murky.  Despite these inhospitable surroundings, the girl felt safe in the company of her two sisters witch, while they got swept away by the strong currents through the dark cave.  The little witch lost all notion of space and time in this dark abyss, only making sure not to lose her grip on her two companions.  Until finally, after what felt like an eternity, the current seemed to slow down while the water looked less murky.  A little later the water became even very clear, with a pleasant aquamarine color.  Gradually, underwater life came back and soon the 3 witches were in the middle of colorful little fish and lush green water plants.  The 3 women relaxed and loosened their grip on each other and started a spontaneous underwater ballet in the middle of this mesmerizing silent world.  It was so pleasant at the bottom of the lake, that the 3 witches were not the least bit in a hurry to get to the surface, which only happened quite a while later.  After resurfacing, the European girl was surprised to find herself in the middle of a vast lake, surrounded by majestic mountains.  The little witch looked to the North and recognized Mount Hermon far away in the distance, and she realized they must have travelled a vast distance through that endless dark cave.  The 3 witches swam to the shore where – to their great surprise – they found back their clothes which they had left behind at the foot of Mount Hermon.  Not that they were in a hurry to put their white dresses back on … they preferred to lie down in the grass and savor the wholesome energy of this holy lake, while their hair was drying in the soft sunlight (it was close to sunset).  The 3 women snuggled together while the little witch was wondering what would come next…
(To be continued in Witchtape #71).

Connect with the artist : https://soundcloud.com/ongunko

Photo credits : Cigdem Sean Cooper

Witchtape #70 | Guest Wizz : Ongun

Witchtape #71 | Guest Wizz : HΛKÏM

(Story continued from Witchtape #70)
After taking off from the slopes of Mount Hermon, the little witch flew in southern direction for a long, long time, guided by an Arab teenage witch who knew exactly where they were heading for.  The vegetation underneath them gradually became sparser until finally they were flying over an endless desert, while the scorching heat became almost unbearable.  She was relieved when they reached a majestic mountain range where temperatures were bearable and the desert made place for some patches of vegetation here and there.  A little later they dived into a narrow canyon which looked like a garden of Eden, and gently touched down in the middle of lush green surroundings at the foot of a cascade of waterfalls.  The witch could never have imagined that there were such beautiful green spots on the Arabian peninsula.  But she didn’t have much time to savor the splendid nature as she was soon surrounded by 7 ebullient little girls in long white dresses, who were dancing and yelling from joy after seeing the European witch.  All the girls had long and shiny black hair, and sparkling black eyes.
The teenage Arab witch explained that these little girls were all the witch-apprentices and that she – at age 14 – was the oldest witch on the peninsula.  This came as a surprise for their visitor, as witches tend to be much older in Europe, sometimes 500 years or more.  She quickly realized that Arabia is the land of the future, with a  vibrant, talented and very young population.  All the girls knew they wanted to become witches, but there was nobody to teach them as there were no elder witches on the peninsula.  
So the little witch spent many hours with the girls, teaching them about the non-violent nature of witches and the strict prohibition of black magic, and most of all, the unconditional love and dedication to mother nature and planet earth.  And she taught the girls their very first secret spell.  When sunset was nearing, they all took a bath in a beautiful natural pond with crystal clear water which had been carved out in the bedrock by a little stream.  All the girls were happy they could finally cool down from the sweltering heat.  And after that cleansing bath, all the girls got dressed in long black clothes and head scarf.  Now they were ready for their very first mission, while looking down to a dusty town in the distance.  Until a few decades ago, it was still a pleasant green oasis but now all the trees had been cut down to make place for buildings, turning the town into a hot, polluted and unpleasant place.
But all that was to change in a few hours’ time.  All the little witches were holding a pouch with a precious load of palm tree seeds.  When everybody was asleep, the girls sneaked into town, gently planting the seeds at the most suitable places before uttering the magic spell they had learned earlier that day.  
The next morning, the city dwellers couldn’t believe their eyes.  The whole town was full with beautiful palm trees, giving shadow to the people and purifying the polluted air.  The children ran on the streets and played and danced under the trees.  From the first day onwards, it was clear that a cool microclimate had settled over the area and everybody realized that the dusty town had turned into a pleasant green oasis once again.  And all the inhabitants swore that they would protect the trees and even plant many more trees in a circle around the town, making this place a green paradise in the middle of the Arabian desert…

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/hakimusik

Witchtape #71 | Guest Wizz : HΛKÏM

Witchtape #78 | Guest Wizz : AVM

(Story continued from Witchtapes 16-22-29-31)

That morning the little witch was in a frisky mood when performing her daily inspection round in her forest.  It was the very day of the autumn equinox and this brought a new energy to the whole ecosystem, with some leaves already turning yellow and quite a few birds came to kiss the girl goodbye before flying away in southern direction for their annual migration.  As always, the witch visited the badgers who had dug an elaborate system of tunnels and burrows to protect the tiny oak tree she had planted two years ago.  This little tree was destined to live for 1000 years and become the future mother tree of the forest, yet at that moment it was still tiny and vulnerable, but luckily the badgers did an excellent job to keep all threats away from the oh-so-important little tree.  As always, the badgers were in a cheerful and ebullient mood when they saw the witch arriving, but that day the girl found their behavior a little bit strange.  It was as if they all had a conspiring smile on their faces and they seemed to be hiding something from the young witch.  The girl shrugged of these thoughts and continued walking, but when she looked in the direction of the future mother tree, her heart suddenly skipped a beat …
Next to the tiny tree, on a soft bed of moss there was a little girl sleeping.  Obviously she couldn’t be human as all people are systematically intercepted and chased out of the woods by the guard animals.  The witch cautiously came closer to the sleeping beauty, who looked distinctly Asian.  Then it dawned to her that she must be a forest nymph who came all the way from South-East Asia to stay at this very place for her whole life to protect the future mother tree.  The little witch decided to lie down next to the sleeping girl and almost instantly she became overwhelmed by the pure unspoiled energy of the sleeping nymph, who must have been completely exhausted from the epic trip from South-East Asia all the way to this pristine forest in North-Western Europe.  But most of all, the witch was completely reassured and she knew that the future mother tree would be perfectly safe from now on …

(to be continued in Witchtape #..)

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/a-v-m

Photo credits : GOLFX / shutterstock

Witchtape #78 | Guest Wizz : AVM

Witchtape #89 | Guest Wizz : kueksen

That February morning the little witch made her daily inspection tour around the bitter cold forest.  It’s been for over one week that the temperatures were around -10°C every morning, but the girl didn’t mind as the whole forest was covered under a beautiful carpet of snow while the winter sun was shining under a glorious blue sky.  She particularly enjoyed the soft cracking sounds as her bare feet cautiously treaded on the immaculate snow carpet, while she was continuously peering down to spot animal tracks in the snow.  She found all kinds of footprints : rabbits, deer, wild boars and even the odd lone wolf track.  The witch was so absorbed by all her tracking activities, that she didn’t notice the spectacular rise in temperature, while the wind had shifted from the North-East to the South.  She only noticed it when  the first green patches of moss popped up from underneath in the melting snow carpet.  The frozen soil soon turned into a pool of mud, but the barefoot girl didn’t mind her feet getting muddy.  Her heart started to beat intensely while she ran nimbly to the Southern edge of the forest.  Such a sudden rise in temperature could only mean one thing :  her wizard had returned from his epic journey to his ancestral lands in Africa …

Connect with the wizard : 
https://soundcloud.com/kueksen

Photo credits : Irina Alexandrovna (Ironika)

Witchtape

majestroh