This is the rough draft, demo and instrumental version of a track I'm working on. As I'll rework this version with someone else into a new song, and because a finished product is no more a product than a draft, there's no harm, and thus room for some benefit, in sharing.
Hope you enjoy.

Storm Before the Calm

From June 29th to August 5th 2019 I wrote and recorded one song everyday (and was lazy for two days) in Scansano, Italy. 
The result is a collection of instrumental songs that capture my moods in Tuscany, or when arriving/leaving the scenery. 
No instruments were harmed while recording. 
As ever, I hope you enjoy. 
Best when listening with a nice glass of any variant of Morellino di Scansano red wine.

Morellino

Morellino di Scansano

(Birth)day

Afternoon Train to Roma

Frye by the Pool

(K)nights

Estimated Time of Arrival

SUN
GEMINI, 25°25'56"
EIGHTH HOUSE
The sun determines your ego, identity, and "role" in life. It's the core of who you are, and is the sign you're most likely to already know. Your Sun is in Gemini, meaning you are fundamentally dynamic, quick-witted, eclectic, and curious. Fascinated by everything, your childlike energy is often scattered in a million directions. On a social level, this may come off as gossipy or flaky. It's in your eighth house, meaning you feel the need to distinguish yourself from others through darkness, taboos, rebirth, sex, and transformation.(www.costarastrology.com/natal-chart)

Gent

Your Sun is in Gemini

Thinkin' I should buy myself a boat
Roam the open waters, learn to let go 
And since I don't sail, I will let the vessel float,
Let the mind wander. 

Blow me off course, take me to the wide open water
don't care where we go

They tell me it's unwise to go, don't know what I'm doing away from the shore. 
On land like on water I wouldn't know what I'm doing, 
So why not give it a go?

Off Course

Too [sic] More Weeks

This EP carries a variety of songs, some written recently, others a year ago and some of them have been with me for a couple of years. They carry different stories, feelings and differ in the way their stories are told. Because I always write them on acoustic bass guitar, which leaves them very vulnerable and empty, the challenge to add more instruments, more body, without losing the sense of fragility was a hard one. This might be just a taste of a wider range of possibilities to engage in that challenge, but even so, I’ve done my very best. I recorded and mixed everything on my attic room in Ghent, and had to learn and overcome some things in the process. The reason for being this stubborn and sometimes stupid, for wanting to do everything myself, was that I wanted to deliver something that was truly mine. This sometimes means that the sound is more lo-fi, unprofessional and that the recordings are not flawless. But still, it’s all mine, and I genuinely hope you like it.
Deze EP draagt een variëteit aan nummers waarvan sommigen recent, anderen ongeveer een jaar oud en enkelen waar ik al jaren mee rond loop. Ze vertellen verschillende verhalen, dragen verschillende gevoelens, en verschillen ook in de manier waarop ze verteld worden. Omdat ik alle nummers schrijf op akoestische basgitaar, wat de nummers erg kwetsbaar en leeg maakt, was het de uitdaging om ze van meer partijen, meer body te voorzien, zonder die kwetsbaarheid compleet te laten verdwijnen. Deze EP toont waarschijnlijk maar een van de mogelijkheden om dat te proberen, maar ik heb mijn best gedaan. Alle opnames en mixing gebeurde op mijn zolderkamer in Gent en dat verliep niet altijd even vlot. De reden waarom ik dan toch zo koppig, en soms dom, alles alleen wilde doen was dat ik iets wou afleveren dat écht volledig van mijzelf is. Soms wil dat zeggen dat deze EP eerder lo-fi is, de mixing niet perfect en ook de opnames niet foutloos. Maar toch, het is allemaal van mij, en ik hoop oprecht dat je het goed vindt.  


Nathan Wittock

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