Against the Modern World

Long Live Death (Against the Modern World Version)

man in the box

The Way Through

Feather(demo)

My aim with (neo)- psychedelia
Is to be free of formal song structures. 
To allow emotions, both dark and light, to express themselves and reveal deeper images and messages from the subconscious and from soul. (Soul inspired music btw is not always pretty and polite)
I like to create atmospheres in which to hang out for a time
No barriers so I can then hybridise with other genres
I'm open to everything from Bach to Billy Idol (excepting Strauss waltzes and fairground organs... however I'm open to persuasion)
Hopefully to surprise and to disorientate. To use minimalist repeating phrases which build and give a hypnotic vibe or groove
Psychedelia teaches us that there is no rush, it's not the end that matters it's the process of getting there, that is my true goal
But I also bear in mind the imperative to be relevant 
The late 60's early 70's gave us so many great musical gifts (Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa etc the list is very long) and I for one am happy to keep unwrapping them
I highly value improvisation and jamming (but I have a no noodling policy). Instrumental music has a vocabulary of emotions with which I'm always mindful that there is a story encoded. 
I always record the first take as this is where magic, beyond the mind, can instantly emerge. An out of key, "mistake" is redefined as an accidental note or a borrowed chord a "surprise" and can liberate the piece from predictability. A degree of disharmony and musical tension are often necessary within a piece so that the subsequent release into harmony and joy is a highlighted sense of relief and spaciousness 
It's not so much about striving for technical perfection, it's about first and foremost serving the song.
I love that a piece can literally emerge from the tone of a single note, lightly asking "I wonder where this will take me?"
This keeps me guessing and ever curious 
In musical flow states, I am sometimes transcended into subtler realms of spirit. I've met some of my muses there... it can be very ecstatic 
Life on this planet, when observed for long enough, consists of periods of challenge leading to more settled blissful states... but one can only ever acknowledge these and keep on moving through, cycle after cycle.
Sometimes the pain and the bliss are simultaneous.
Psychedelia is here to remind us, usually with a mixture of compassion and gentle non insistent wisdom, that we are all equally valid and as important as one another.
The generation of this music doesn't require me to be in any specific state, prior to playing, in order to engage with it.

The Way Through

Chimera Riddle (alt rock and psychedelia)

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