Collaborations

Celebrating my 1st year on SoundCloud with this amazing collaboration!

My music from 1997 meets with words from 2013

Jenny Dyer - https://soundcloud.com/jaydee25 - lyrics, consulting
Debbie Deijkers - https://soundcloud.com/thingsfromthepast - composition of vocals part and singing
Lee Lucas - https://soundcloud.com/lee-lucas - consulting
Igor - composing all the music, all the  instruments, idea to use the line "What doesn't kill you..." as a start line in lyrics, mix and  production

I invented the main riff and the chord progression in 1997. In 2008 I had started recording it as an instrumental. The main idea at that time was a duel between 2 guitars using 2 famous fuzz pedals: DoD FX32 Classic Fuzz (the best fuzz pedal ever) and Ibanez L.A. Metal (which also a fuzz and the worst fuzz ever according to HarmonyCentral.com reviews). As you can see L.A.Metal is not so bad :-)

I put it on a shelf until Jun 2013 when I rediscovered it and was excited with its sound myself. So I started asking people here on SC for opinions and help and that led to this great collaboration. I asked Jenny if this should be a song starting with a line "What doesn't kill you makes you stronge"( I read it in a fantasy book). 

Unexpectedly, Jenny came up with a lirics which she wrote in 1 night! And I believe this was the first time when she wrote lyrics when music already existed. I contacted Lee Lucas and he was very helpful, had been reviewing many intermediate versions and made many invaluable suggestions how to improve the music. Finally Debbie composed so brilliant vocal part over my music and with such a freedom have sung the lyrics.

Many thanks to Jenny, Debbie and Lee for making this possible.

== Actually, the third part of the recorded material remained edited out and unused: banjo, melody theme whistled like in Sergio Leone movies, surfing guitars: on some step the demo had a wild west feel and looked like "box full of surprises" - something new were constantly popping up. I plan to create another intro and someday release unused material as a short instrumental.==


-------------------------------------
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

You've got to hold it together 
Ride out that stormy weather
If there doesn't seem to be an end
Just be patient my dear friend
No one gets out of the world alive
We're all gonna die
We have to make the best of what we've got
Good things will come out of this bad lot

What doesn't kill you 
Makes you stronger
You just have to wait 
A little longer
Believe me
I should know 
Been so far down 
You wouldn't want to know

I've been on that sinking ship
I was loosing my grip
Just going through the motion
Battling waves in that big ocean.

Made myself get out of bed each day
Go about things in the normal way
Prayed for my life to turn around
I got back on solid ground

Oh, What doesn't kill you 
Makes you stronger
You just have to wait 
A little longer
Believe me
I should know 
Been so far down 
You wouldn't want to know

You've just got to hold it together
Ride out this stormy weather
You've got to hold it together
Things will get better

What doesn't kill you 
Makes you stronger
You just have to wait 
A little longer
Believe me
I should know 
Been so far down 
You wouldn't want to know

Lyrics copyright Jenny Dyer June 2013
Music copyright Igor Maximov 1997 - 2014
Vocal melody copyright Debbie Deijkers 2013

What doesn't kill you (Fuzzy Logic). Collaboration with BigmamaDee and Jenny Dyer

https://soundcloud.com/harmonicajack - harmonicas
Igor - idea, rhythm guitar, mix, production.

Re-posting a sketch we did with Jack 2 weeks ago:
https://soundcloud.com/harmonicajack/rolling-and-tumbling-igor-m-ft-jack

Have plans to extend this with a solo guitar section .

Please also listen to Jack music here: https://soundcloud.com/harmonicajack

Rumbling And Tumbling (ft. Harmonica Jack)

:-)Guess what is my favorite movie?

@harmonicajack - harmonicas
Igor  - whistling!!! Composition, all the music, all the rest instruments, mix and production
Lee Lucas - @lee-lucas - idea to apply harmonica here

I invented the main riff and the chord progression in 1997.

The main idea is a duel between 2 guitars using 2 famous fuzz pedals: DoD FX32 Classic Fuzz (the best fuzz pedal ever) and Ibanez L.A. Metal (which also a fuzz and the worst fuzz ever according to HarmonyCentral.com reviews). As you can see L.A.Metal is not so bad :-)

The second idea is to demonstrate how banjo nicely lays over fuzzed guitar. That part was recorded a year ago and it seems this idea is becoming a trend on SC.

When the song https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/fuzzy-logic-version-2 was released, too many good materials with Wild West flavor which really excite me: banjo, whistling and "surf"-like guitars were edited out.

So I remembered Lee's idea about harmonica and asked Jack for help. The key of C#m is not very convenient scale for a harp and Jack did a astonishing job nicely fitting to Spaghetti Western feel of the composition.


Fuzzy Logic: Wild West instrumental(with harmonica, banjo, whistling). Ft. Harmonica Jack

Heidi-Marie Arapa - https://soundcloud.com/heidi-marie-arapa - accordion, dobro chords and slide, and composition of respective parts
Igor M. -  original composition, all the rest instruments, overall mix , production and whistling ;-)

this thing unexpectedly has become an "on-demand" open collaboration project. 

Despite there already a whole bunch of instruments, Frau Heidi-Marie managed to put there 2 more and their parts fit perfectly well and she did it in 1 or 2 hours. For comparison, the whole song was evolving gradually for 15 years.

I would say that dobro chords in intro and coda ideally reflect that experiments Morricone did with a choir long time ago in the movie soundtracks.

I did my best to put this new material into my mix, so many similar sounding instruments will be distinguishable.

Previously released versions of this theme featuring vocals or harmonica:
with vocals ft. BigMamaDee @thingsfromthepast:
https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/fuzzy-logic-version-2

with Harmonica Jack @harmonicajack:
https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/fuzzy-logic-wild-west-instrumental-with-banjo-and-whistling-ft-harmonica-jack-2

So, thanks a lot to Heidi-Marie for this fantastic additions allowing to release a 3rd version. Please also visit her post of this song and comment her work on accordion and dobro there https://soundcloud.com/tosanetworkworldwide/fuzzy-logic-wild-west-2-ft-frau-heidi-marie-on-accordion-dobro


Fuzzy Logic, Wild West version 2(ft. frau Heidi-Marie - accordion and slide dobro)

Nothing special, this track was on Jack's page for a while. Just want to post it on my page.

@harmonicajack - harmonica, mix
Igor - idea, guitar

Single guitar part and the story - https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/afterbirth-baby-blues-part-1

Baby Blues (Ft Harmonica Jack)

Gave a try to open collaboartion invite https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney/strings-improvisation-open-collab-invite

Original track by Megan McCarthy - strings
Guitar part by Igor M. - (no edit)
A bit of mixing/mastering by Igor M.

Many thanks to Megan for this wonderful lovely music.

For some reason I thought that I had to improvise too, so after one or two runs along the original track I recorded it. 

Hope I'm not much out of original tune, but at least it has culmination  :-)

And probably I will made another, "mature" take.

Here is a playlist of all the participants in this open collaboration:
https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney/sets/strings-improv-open-collab

I haven't listened to them before I made my record.

Fallen tears of μετάνοια (Strings Improvisation by Megan McCarthy, guitar improvisation by Igor M.)

Eddy Timmermans: idea to combine Eddy's  and Igor's versions on Megan's Strings Improvisation

Original track by Megan McCarthy @megsmusicjourney - strings
Orchestration by Eddy Timmermans @eddytimmermansmusic
Guitar part by Igor M. @project-managers-trio
Mixing/Production by Igor M.

Thanks to Megan for initial inspiration with this strings theme.
Thanks to Eddy, who put forward the idea to mix his and mine versions together. The only thing I did: I asked Eddy to mix it by myself.

Previous solo versions:
https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/strings-and-guitar-double-improvisation-by-megan-mccarthy-ft-igor-m

https://soundcloud.com/eddytimmermansmusic/forbidden-love-collab-with-megan-mccarthy-based-on-the-strings-improvisation

https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney/strings-improvisation-open-collab-invite

Three together (Megan - Igor - Eddy) on the strings improvisation

Original music by https://soundcloud.com/eddytimmermansmusic  https://soundcloud.com/eddytimmermansmusic/on-the-way-to-tomorrow-new
Guitars added by Igor

Thank you, Eddy, for this fantastic and inspirational music.

Mother and Father, Daughter and Son (collab of Eddy Timmermans and Igor M.)

Original composition and absolutely amazing acoustic guitar performance by Larry "Da Blu Room" Hansen. https://soundcloud.com/dabluroom

 Additional orchestration by Igor M. (for a change, no guitars by Igor this time)

Just imaging a guitar player is siting on Alpine grassland surrounded by mountains with a horn player on each one. There is a small church nearby and children given with percussion instruments are running around playing :-)

Recently, Mr.Jamie Rhind kindly provided me with a bagpipes part, which he recorded in a wink. I will integrated it into the mix and release soon :-)

Original Larry's track is here - https://soundcloud.com/dabluroom/chasin-my-own-tail

Chasin' My Own Tail - Alpine Version (guitar by Larry "DaBluRoom" Hansen, orchestration by Igor M.)

Fivos Valachis: original composition, piano performance
Igor M.: Symphonic Rock arrangement, orchestration and lead guitar

Actually, there are stories from that Age much more appealing to me, such as a story about Adrian and Natalia or  about a woman named Wisdom with her daughters Creed, Hope and Love, than the story about Antinoos and Emperor Hadrian. 
 
However, my friend Fivos composed a compelling and inspiring music. So, thank you, Fivos, for this wonderful opportunity to participate in such an international project. 

I would like also to devote my arrangement as a humble tribute to Jon Lord whose works "Concerto For Group and Orchestra", "Sarabande" and "Gemini Suite" are one of my most important musical influences.

Well, imaging a stage with maestro Fivos Valachis on the pianoforte with Project managers band nearby. All of them surrounded by Symphonic Orchestra (basses, celli, horns, tromboons, various percussion) and let's Rock!  

Please also check other works in this open collaboration project - 
https://soundcloud.com/fivosvalachis/sets/antinoos-project-request

Triptych of Love - Pathos (By Fivos Valachis, Symphonic Rock arrangement by Igor M.)

This track has been possible thanks to the help of artists from USA/Russia/Germany/France on the base of a simple base track with leading ideas of giving tribute to French authors/composers Maxime Leforestier and Claude Nougaro's wonderful melodies (see links herebelow) supporting awareness on important issues at their time ...and nowadays still it seems .... Further melodic routes were found by all through musical interactions ... 
I feel I owe so much recognition to these great artists who understood my first musical ideas ...and pushed them to a height I would never had imagined :)

@kat330 for her singing (I love her idea of evoking native americans incantations)
@joerxworx whose sax is so soulful and who plays so well with other instruments (clarinet in particular which he understands and plays very well ;-)
@project-managers-trio : (Igor) for his amazing satrianesque/pagesque guitar solos 
@jules-keys-1 : for his amazing duduk play (armenian oboe)
https://soundcloud.com/johnbodi : for fantastic classic/jazzy colors added with the piano
Wonderful graphic image from : JT Lindroos


I'm the one behind all this, I play all other real (including rythmic guitar and my brother's old trumpet ! ..) or vst instruments ..; I  have been so happy to mix everyone's inputs 
Steph
@ddjohn

Places we were born : 
-  in the village of Salem in a land called Indiana (Kathleen "kat330" )
- in the small town of Nizhnie Sergy,  South Ural mountains area (Igor)
- In Köln, one of the major European metropolitan areas, located on both sides of the Rhine River, in southeastern Westphalia (Jörg)
- John was born in Szeged, the "city of sunshine", in the Great Southern Plane, on the banks of river Tisza.
- Stéphane was born  in Lyon, between Paris and Marseille, in the Rhône-Alpes region,  where the Rhône and Saône rivers converge 


 OUR sources of inspiration : 
Claude Nougaro : 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n63woek9vzc 
Maxime Leforestier 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8dJQEF4cSk
Led Zeppelin : www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ed98_le…n-kashmir_music
The Beatles
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVf5Cr4M-F8
Joe Jackson (at the very end ! !)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oDAkmfoAgA
Joe Satriani 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c0WVU3tXBE

and my SC friends Barry and Chris !
https://soundcloud.com/chris-pendergraft/love-star-ep-ft-the-inconsistent-jukebox

Born Somewhere (Né quelque part)- feat Kathleen, Igor, Jörg, John &  Julien

Just a joke. A bit of fun in hard times.

Thanks Tom for your outstanding playing. Maybe I will do a real blues version of it some day :-)

Get Back to Saint-Petersburg (Tom Adam's Hello Chicago open collab))

Megan McCarthy https://soundcloud.com/megsmusicjourney - original piano improvisation "Sadness" (Open Collaboration) == Thank you, Megan, for this wonderful melody!

Igor - orchestration, guitars, production, enhancing the piano sound.

In memory of 224 passengers and the crew of Metrojet Flight 9268 heading from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg and disintegrated by a bomb above the northern Sinai on 31 October 2015. Also in memory of recent Paris events and all the victims of recent "hybrid" wars.

I believe there is an evil power at work in the world deliberately overthrowing stable countries one after another and turning them into bloody chaos. And that chaos spreads over borders further and further. Lives of millions of people means nothing to those who make such schemes.

For a year and a half I have this feeling deep inside. On the surface I can smile, can live normal life, but I feel it. There is no hope for peace. Only grief.

Grief.There is no hope for peace. (Contemplation over Megan McCarthy's piano piece)

The sound of the destruction of ancient ruins and historical symbols remind us that barbary is striking again...history seems to repeat itself... endlessly...since the dawn of humanity... under constantly renewed forms .. peace and chaos...will that circle ever brake one day ?

The original musical ideas were further developped with my very talented friends Igor (https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio) at the guitar, and Julien (https://soundcloud.com/jules-keys-1) at the duduk ...to whom am very grateful for pushing further these ideas forward and bringing beautiful expressive new colors ... thank you for your listening to this imaginary trip in time and space.

Lead guitar and Mastering :https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio
Duduk : https://soundcloud.com/jules-keys-1
I took care of the rest 

PS -  I'd like to  thank here my friend Chris for one of his magnificent tracks which inspired me greatly 
https://soundcloud.com/chris-pendergraft/the-royal-chamber-psyche-orchestra-sacrifice

Echoes of World Chaos

Just picked up a wonderful acoustic piece https://soundcloud.com/ddjohn/no-words-just-chords by my friend Steph and added spontaneous solo guitar. Evening relaxation.

Also I enhanced original track with my mastering, so Steph's acoustic guitar sounds brighter and drums really rock.

Flying away! (Collaboration with DDJohn)

Original composition long time ago: 
Andrew (@osteopat): chord progressions, riffs, intro guitar solo, vocal melody, arrangement for guitar
Igor:  Lyrics, arrangement for guitar
 
This track (c) 2017-2019:
Maria Smailova (@insinistra): performed vocals
Andrew (@osteopat):  composed and performed 2nd and 3rd guitar solos;
Igor: arrangement of orchestral, piano, base and drum parts , symphonic intro and outro sections; performed rhythm guitar part and intro guitar solo, mixing and mastering;


  
It started a long time ago when 2 cadets of a military academy were spending all their free time playing cheap acoustic guitars and imagining advanced heavy arrangements. So, we dreamed of starting our hard-n-heavy band. This song was a pure electric guitar piece with Andrew on vocals and guitar "duels" in the middle as in Power Metal style.

A couple of years ago I decided to re-arrange it as a Symphonic Metal piece and, maybe a bit, re-worked vocals part to fit female range following modern fashion. It was not an easy task to find a vocalist, but finally, Maria Smailova - soprano and composer of Insinistra band - contributed her amazing  vocals into this project (Please check their pure and dark Sympho-Metal style tracks with lyrics in English on their SC page @insinistra and their exellent collection of acoustic covers on thier YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwGXJx49UkjujJKygLCLjSg). 

It's also really amazing that Andrew found time and performed 2 freshly composed solos for the middle section. In the style of our old guitar duels. And we haven't played together for almost 2 decades.

So, thanks a lot to both Andrew and Maria for making this song happen in a new form. Another example of our song from that early era is here https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/in-the-shadows-of-things

Verse 1:
With the scarlet signature of dawn,
The world's been crisscrossed.
Over the hills there, in the distance,
Again a purple feast is ongoing

Two waves've come running
They are armor-clad
All the spaces and worlds 
Have been put to fire

Chorus:
Ah! How beautiful is the battle for life
The battle for life bursts into the sky
Like a whirlwind a lightning beam 
Rips it up
Between the torn clouds

Verse 2:
But like a reflection
Between the walls of houses
The battle is ongoing between us
For thousands of centuries
The rivers of blood ruin again 
The shores of life
Everyone sees a new enemy
In a friend

Chorus:
Ah, how terrifying is the battle for life
It's a roar of the battle for life
The eruption of evil has shaken the earth 
As an autocratic judge
Is the Battle for Life

Куплет 1:
Красным росчерком зари
Перечёркнут мир
За холмами там, вдали,
Вновь багряный пир -
Две волны сбегаются
Вжатые в броню
Все пространства и миры
Преданы огню

Припев 1
А-а, как прекрасна битва за жизнь
В небо врывается битва за жизнь
Вихрем её разрывает молнии луч
Среди разорванных туч

Куплет 2:
Но как отражение 
Среди стен домов
Бой идёт меж нами
Тысячи веков
Реки крови снова рушат
Жизни берега
Каждый видит в друге
Нового врага

Припев 2:
А-а, как ужасна битва за жизнь
Это грохочет битва за жизнь
От извержения зла содрогнулась земля
Как самовластный судья
Битва за жизнь

Battle For Life (Битва за Жизнь) ft.Maria Smailova and Andrew Barokho. Lyrics translated

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita........
Je meurs de soif aupres de la fontaine......

Songwriter. Kitchen guitarist with inclination for orchestration and arrangement. Poet in the past.

I occasionally post solo works of "the other manager", my friend, drummer and self-taught keyboard player Maxim K.

My spotlight :-)
https://soundcloud.com/project-managers-trio/when-i-come-home-to-you