Beyond the Veiled Horizon (in collaboration with D Zeitlin)

Taken from the 'Beyond the Veiled Horizon' series of tracks

https://soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/beyond-the-veiled-horizon-series

Dee Zee and Mr B YouTube Channel 

https://www.youtube.com/@DeeZeeandMrB
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This track is part of an ongoing SoundCloud collaboration with accomplished keyboard player and Prog Rock enthusiast Dave Zeitlin.

Be sure to check out more of his music here :- @dee-zee

Once again, one of his instrumentals entitled "Beyond The Veiled Horizon" conjured up some imagery that inspired me to try and add something to his original track. I was thinking 'Ethno-Prog' mixing Prog Rock with a World sort of feel. 

The title and music suggested to me the mysterious world of a desert landscape with it's rhythms and music and I had the famous Led Zeppelin 'Kashmir' in my head too. John-Paul Jones added a strings arrangement to that track and I thought I could try something similar.

Since it's Prog Rock I wanted to get my electric guitar out and I feel I came up with some phrasing and a scale that works for the idea. I particularly like the solo section at the end featuring Dave. I didn't want to tread on his toes so I went for more melodic held notes and panned myself hard left and right to keep the separation. 

I used a fair amount of more exotic instruments from various parts of the world. The Persian Ney, Kavali - an End Blown Flute and percussion from ancient Greece and the fairly rare Indian Kanjira that is like a small tambourine. A bell tree, cymbal and water pumpkins were added into the mix too.

Finally, I sang in some vocal lines that I felt helped add to the immersion after doing a bit of research about Moroccan vocal phrases. You can buy VST instruments with samples of them but I thought it was more fun to sing in my own and have more control over the finished article as a result.

Be careful out there ... who knows what you might discover.

Instrumentation 
Drone - Dee Zee
Drone and Chords - Dee Zee
String Synth Intro - Dee Zee
Brass-Like Synth - Dee Zee
Percussion Organ - Dee Zee
Main Synth - Dee Zee
8-bit Pattern - Dee Zee
High Voice Synth - Dee Zee
80's-Style String Chords - Dee Zee
Drum Kit - Dee Zee
Guitar-like Riff - Dee Zee

Seistron Percussion - MrBouzouki
Bell Tree - MrBouzouki
Kavali - End Blown Flute - MrBouzouki
Ney - Persian End Blown Flute - MrBouzouki
Shaker Percussion - MrBouzouki
Kanjira - Indian Hand Drum - MrBouzouki
Water Pumpkins - MrBouzouki
Strings (VSL Appassionata Violins) - MrBouzouki
Electric Guitar - MrBouzouki
Cymbal - MrBouzouki
Ending Hits - MrBouzouki
Sung Vocal Phrases - MrBouzouki

Beyond the Veiled Horizon - in collaboration with D Zeitlin

Taken from the 'Beyond the Veiled Horizon' series of tracks

https://soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/beyond-the-veiled-horizon-series

Dee Zee and Mr B YouTube Channel 

https://www.youtube.com/@DeeZeeandMrB
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This track is is part of an ongoing  SoundCloud collaboration with accomplished keyboard player and Prog Rock enthusiast Dave Zeitlin.

Be sure to check out more of his music here :- @dee-zee

Dave had worked on an outline track for this with fairly ominous chords building into the actual storm section. It did sound quite stately rhythmically and in my head I could hear more of a driving pulse to reflect an oncoming storm and the storm itself.  The addition of more of an Eastern pulse utilising Darbuka and Rik in the early part and Davul in the ending added the feeling I was looking for. 

Some orchestral brass was added to the start of the storm section which gave it a bit of majesty and I also added a bit of string ensemble too.  I've often used the 'Eduardo Tarilonte', Shevannai vocal VST library in my music. The pure tones of 'Lara Ausensi' are perfect to add an element of mystery to a piece like this. 

Oud (a Middle Eastern short-neck lute) and Ney ( Persian End Blown Flute) add melodic interest and colour to the early part of this track. Use is also made of a Kanun (Qanun) a Middle Eastern stringed instrument, a type of zither.  This appears just before the storm hits. 

Dave had already supplied a solo section and I added some early electric guitar that morphed into more of a supporting riff when his solo started. It worked well that I could bring together electric and synth at the end of the storm alongside a final slightly dissonant chord on the brass. 

The overall piece is very much a weird hybrid of Eastern influences, Prog Rock and Orchestral instrumentation. I think we managed to capture some energy in this piece ... I  hope others think we did too. :-)  

Instrumentation

End Chords - Dee Zee
Lead  Synth - Dee Zee
Main String | Brass Chords - Dee Zee
Echo Chords - Dee Zee
Early Fx - Dee Zee
Piano Chords - Dee Zee
Block - Dee Zee
Timpani Pattern - Dee Zee 

Chris Hein French Horn Ensemble - MrBouzouki
Chris Hein Low Brass Ensemble - MrBouzouki
VSL Epic Horns - MrBouzouki
Chris Hein String Ensemble - MrBouzouki
Shevannai Vocal Library - MrBouzouki
Darbuka - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Rik - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Electric Guitar - MrBouzouki
Oud - MrBouzouki
Ney - End-blown Flute - MrBouzouki
Kanun - MrBouzouki
VSL Timpani - MrBouzouki
Albion Orchestra (Phasing Octadrone) - MrBouzouki

Into the Sandstorm - in collaboration with D Zeitlin

Taken from the 'Beyond the Veiled Horizon' series of tracks

soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/beyond-the-veiled-horizon-series

Dee Zee and Mr B YouTube Channel 

https://www.youtube.com/@DeeZeeandMrB
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This track is is part of an ongoing SoundCloud collaboration with accomplished keyboard player and Prog Rock enthusiast Dave Zeitlin.

Be sure to check out more of his music here :- @dee-zee

Ever since hearing the Armenian Duduk (a double reed instrument) in Narnia and Dune, I've wanted to include it in one of my pieces. This project with Dave gave me a perfect time for a slower piece of music set around a night at an oasis. We didn't want it to be just that, so we did decide to add in a dance section too in the middle of the piece. 

I had the idea of a traveller arriving at an oasis as the sun falls and pouring himself a cup of water.  Then after watching a dance there is the sound of two cups being filled and a female laugh, once again to the sultry sound of the Duduk and Strings. 

It is Ethno Prog though, so Dave got to work creating synthesiser parts as part of the dance section. I added in various rhythmic elements including Darbuka, Riq, Cymbals, Clapping and a Vocal part. I wanted to keep an eastern feel so I decided to use the Oud to add quasi bass guitar lines to the dance section of the piece. 

I feel all the disparate elements came together very well in the end and it drops the listener into the moment. 

Instrumentation

Intro Synth - Dee Zee
Arpeggio Synth - Dee Zee
Main Solo Synth - Dee Zee
Echo Lead Synth - Dee Zee

Pouring Water FX - MrBouzouki
Female Laugh FX - MrBouzouki
Bell Tree - MrBouzouki
Low Pedal (Smart Spheres) - MrBouzouki
Duduk - MrBouzouki
VSL Appassionata Violins - MrBouzouki
Full of Feeling Strings - MrBouzouki
EE Rhythm - MrBouzouki
Darbuka - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Cymbals - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Rik - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Clapping - MrBouzouki
Vox FX - MrBouzouki
Tam Tam - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Con Sordino Strings - MrBouzouki

A Night at the Oasis - in collaboration with D Zeitlin

Taken from the 'Beyond the Veiled Horizon' series of tracks

soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/beyond-the-veiled-horizon-series

Dee Zee and Mr B YouTube Channel 

https://www.youtube.com/@DeeZeeandMrB
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This track is part of an ongoing SoundCloud collaboration with accomplished keyboard player and Prog Rock enthusiast Dave Zeitlin.

Be sure to check out more of his music here :- @dee-zee
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Expedition Journal

10th June
The hieroglyphs are faded and unclear, but the riddle might be solved.

15th June 
A secret entrance, long buried in the sands of time, finally a way inside the Sphinx.

16th June
We hear the sound of an ancient mechanism and an opening appears. Stepping inside, we discover chambers of wondrous size and form, but all are empty. Our flickering torches show air still moves inside this wonder of the ancient world.
 
Suddenly we find ourselves in danger and running for a possible exit. A mechanical sound of rock sliding over ancient rock. We barely escape with our lives.

17th June
Our entrance and hurried exit are both now fully sealed from intruders. There will be no second chance.

Flying away in the helicopter, the enigmatic Sphinx looks on.

As it always has.

As it always will.

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Dave had worked hard to create a great template of ideas in a fully realised track. Whilst thinking of the title the idea was formed of making it an almost 'Indiana Jones type adventure' with explorers finding a secret way into the Sphinx. This resulted in the journal entry above to set the scene. 

I spent a fair bit of time getting the Phrygian Dominant scale under my fingers for the electric guitar work to contrast Dave's sinuous, winding synth lines.

The end result hopefully does lead the listener on the adventure, with a grand start, a way inside, wonder, peril then danger, before a hurried escape by a different exit as the Sphinx defeats the intruders and seals all the doorways forever. Finally a tiny reprise featuring a departing helicopter closes out the track.

Instrumentation

Low Drone - Dee Zee
Sinuous Synth Lead - Dee Zee
Low Pulse Synth - Dee Zee
Drum Ostinato Pattern - Dee Zee
Shimmer Synth - Dee Zee
Warm Rise Synth - Dee Zee
High Solo Synth Lead - Dee Zee
High Pedal Synth - Dee Zee
Ending Synth Lead - Dee Zee
Choir Synth - Dee Zee

HALion Spacious Strings - MrBouzouki
VSL Altair Strings - MrBouzouki
HALion Easy Modern Funk Bass - MrBouzouki
Electric Guitar - MrBouzouki
HALion String Swells - MrBouzouki
VSL Timpani - MrBouzouki
HALion Thunderstrom (Door FX) - MrBouzouki
Sliding Stones / Gear / Chains FX / Helicopter - MrBouzouki
HALion Odyssey Synth - MrBouzouki
Darbuka (Percussion) - MrBouzouki
Tombak (Percussion) - MrBouzouki
HALion St Peter's Choir - MrBouzouki

The Riddle of the Sphinx - in collaboration with D Zeitlin

Taken from the 'Beyond the Veiled Horizon' series of tracks

soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/beyond-the-veiled-horizon-series

Dee Zee and Mr B YouTube Channel 

https://www.youtube.com/@DeeZeeandMrB
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This track is part of an ongoing SoundCloud collaboration with accomplished keyboard player and Prog Rock enthusiast Dave Zeitlin.

Be sure to check out more of his music here :- @dee-zee

In my head I had the idea of the bazaar in this track being a mixing of cultures, ideas and the buying and selling of goods. Despite the heat, it is a place that never truly sleeps although it's mood changes throughout the day and into the evening. A meeting of minds, cultures, jarring, exciting and exotic.

With that in mind I thought of an initially busy track with discrete sections to denote different parts of the bazaar that also changes from day into evening. 

I created a basic intro and then let Dave weave some of his keyboards into the mix. I then set to work on trying to give the idea of entering new parts of the marketplace and in the end a simple tam-tam crash seemed to work well to suggest a new vista or mood as the listener moves through the track. Different darbuka rhythms really helped here and also changing up the featured instruments. 

The later part of the track is hopefully suggesting later in the day, as the temperature decreases and many vendors shut up shop for the day. But it never truly closes so the outro reprises the initial riff as it fades out.

Instrumentation

Rise Synth - Dee Zee
Brass Patch - Dee Zee
Sinuous Synth Lead - Dee Zee
Echo Synth - Dee Zee

Electric Guitar - MrBouzouki
Bass Guitar - MrBouzouki
Bowed Strings - HALion - MrBouzouki
VSL Celestial  Strings - MrBouzouki
Middle Eastern Strings - MrBouzouki
Ney - MrBouzouki
Kanun - MrBouzouki
Darbuka 1,2 and 3 - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Tam Tam - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Kanun and Oud Duo - MrBouzouki
Voltage Synth - HALion - MrBouzouki

Welcome To The Bazaar - in collaboration with D Zeitlin

A collection of songs, instrumentals and orchestral pieces charting my adventures in home studio recording and production.  All original compositions using voice, acoustic and electric guitar (sometimes using altered tunings), bouzouki, low and high whistles and MIDI instrumentation. 

I'm also using VST instrumentation to create classical compositions and integrating orchestral sounds into my songs and instrumentals.

Links to various instrumental projects and other Social Media links are available below.

The current collaborative YouTube channel with Dee Zee is here:-

https://www.youtube.com/@DeeZeeandMrB