Because the Spotlight itself only has 5 positions, this playlist is used as "honorable mentions" - Tracks are not exactly ranked, but higher up this list means I recommend you listen to first.

I do update this list regularly - this includes track orders.

Spotlight Alumni (recommended listens!)

New track, a bit experimental recording. Cleaned up mix for transparency.

lyrics:

I don't need to dwell in sorrow
don't you make believe that this is mine
pushing back on all the times decried
that things were not as fine as gas alight

ah, and I will count the numbers, low and high
turn the book another time
another point on the horizon
and what is past is past the point to turn

Cinders of Creation

❤️ @Bandcamp

Decry

EDIT: now has a video attached to it: https://youtu.be/oVSkU-s56pc

This tune just happened today. It's a re-hash of several versions of this song, recycling an old EMX pattern, combined with an on-the-fly improv drumbeat, some experimentally recorded guitar parts and a Ravish Sitar to take the place of a part originally played on a synth.

Well, I suspect your ears may start bleeding, but this track will be injected into a short movie of sorts, soon. Keep an eye out! But not literally.


lyrics:

the dying dark hours
turn over the sun
this fright of dying
dusk loving sons of hell

existential dread
method of madness
unbiased probing
another skin to shed

fourth wall missing
unclaimed events
denied possibilities
the messages unsent

where the unfortunate dwell
where the exit fell
none appraised
the bar again raised

where the unfortunate dwell
under fire and into hell
burning turning shadows lurking
into the tunnels of where the unfortunate dwell

Where The Unfortunate Dwell carrion version

Where The Unfortunate Dwell Carrion edition

Spacious wavy instrumental aiming to invoke imagery of ancient worlds and dreamscapes filled with mythological wonder.

Regardless of whether that works for you, here it is.

Enjoy!


EDIT: the percussive elements, the 'bass' and the main melody are sampled from actual acoustic instruments that mostly serve a display function in my house, normally - but they are functional. The synth and brass are from a professional soundbank.
track built in Maschine+

Circe

Messing about with old equipment. Can you guess which device was used to create this?

Just having a good laidback time, nothing fancy.

Plus no lyrics so nothing to post here either.

This, however: https://youtu.be/s--vjlFYB90

Enjoy!

Chillbound

So I made a re-recording of an old track of mine, dating from 1995. I more or less used the same ingredients as I did back then, except now with the proper equipment I had to substitute for back in the day.

The old version is not online anywhere, so you have to do with this 2021 remake.

Hope you enjoy!


lyrics:

This black sunday morning
Inside some unknown's room
Somehow without warning
Reality died at noon

Under a darker spell
The witch-dress, witch slide off
Her gazing gates to hell
They'll kill me out of love

Kill me out of love

She taught me how to feel
She talked about illusion
Said only truth is real
Like a fix, come fugue, confusion

Can she see?

Now feelings subside
Out here in the cold sky
Logic killed, nothing's real
Why is it I can't feel?

I can't feel!

Under A Darker Spell

Presenting a new entry for the myth-wave catalog.

Hope you enjoy!

file v2.2

video: https://youtu.be/zc6GFrI11tw

Arachne

Got a new toy, had to play with it,
but also wanted to build something of a song, because repertoire;
and I was inspired by many things I have listened to over the past weeks.

I have to come to the point of happy uplifting music yet, so you will have to do with this:


It's a song about some dark places a mind can be in... The protagonist may not be of this world, in fact. Or he never fit in...


lyrics

look for me in the shadows
look for me in the rain
cannot find in the mirror
cannot run down the drain

hold it up for a cover
give me something to taste
I need to see you tomorrow
everything else is a waste

looking out of the window
shattered worlds made out of glass
here I am set out to wander
if we only had something to last

I get it
I loved it
and wanted too much


mix v3.0

Unrequited

Originally recorded this in 2017 but I learned a thing or two about mixing and mastering since then. Also I have better tools to perform said mixing and mastering more adequately. So I went back to the recording and fixed the drums, guitars, bass, vocals, overall mix and mastering treatment.

Especially this track for the run at the time was in need of it (I am happy with the other tracks for the most part).

enjoy!


lyrics

firing shots into the unknown
already lost inside a dead zone
no walls at all to run into
no prayers and thoughts that can reach you
a realm of fading memory
like slipping away under the sea
with a side of anxiety

forever life under construction
poised to rake the interaction
the fallen cry to reroll dice
but it all went down with the other lies
and none to witness the sacrifice

Long Shot (2021 remix)

I noticed some action on a rehearsal studio version of this track here on SoundCloud, so I thought to upload a tighter version of it

As the band UMF dissolved, I really wanted to carry over some of the songs to the new band (now called Laybow), in particular this one, so I recorded a half decent version of it and pitched it.

It was picked up and has been a setlist favourite for a long time now, albeit the lyrics and solo bit have slightly changed.

I put this 2013 recording through a bit modern treatment.

lyrics:

ready to take it
whatever you're saying
maybe I'll make it
maybe you'll break it

wanna play?
not today!
wanna play?
stop screwing around!

leave me hanging
broken record spinning
somehow it's fitting
I'm not used to winning

wanna play?
not today!
wanna play?
stop screwing around!

... oh make me stay
and take me out
and do me proud
and let me down
stop screwing around

let me down
let me down
do me proud
stop screwing around
let me down
let me down
do me proud
stop screwing around

Skrew (band-pitch demo version from 2013) 2021 Remix

Reworked mix for the Overland album (https://ffm.to/overland)
and here's a lyric video: https://youtu.be/Bq5LZAaUcb8

This is a 2012 recording of a 1993 track - very early composition which proved pivotal the musical direction I would take. This track is a frequent revisit and I have recorded a later version, but the 2012 version is the rockiest of them all.

Retreated, remixed, remastered it almost sounds as new. Refurbished, if you will. All in 2021 for the release of the Overland album.
The earlier version of this track was already on my profile, but this one has now taken it's place.

lyrics:

fall ye through a wall of brick, could ye be such a heretic
yeah I know in your head you're sick but must ye be such a lunatic
so you say yes I am a freak as I kiss on your skin so bleak
let me dance upon your fire, let me feel your black and dire
and you say you are turning cold - let me see all your cards unfold
show me paths and then I could, don't lose grip now if I would be...

screaming in the haze... feeling little daze...
trapped in a maze... thrown away my face...

jump in front of the three eyed shadow of the night
maybe sing standing in the midst of the wailing tracks of never missed
there you were upon my fire over waves of desire
he told me so - a won't you try her - and I thought he was a liar!
I rather sing instead of talk,
I rather dance instead of walk
gimme gimme till I overflow
rather be high instead of low

screaming in the haze... feeling little daze...
trapped in a maze... thrown away my face...

you think I don't know you... don't I know you?

Thrown Away My Face

Thrown Away My Face (2021 remix)

As part of the remix/rework spree I'm on - this one was up next
did some things to the drum track because it bothered me, and now it doesn't. It's got a drummy style thing about it now.

lyrics:

all the devils and the beasts now have gathered for the feast
behold the naked human meat - surely they won't eat the least
but the angel's left outside though this hell is opened wide
to her mercy long has died, escape the darkness she has tried
now she sees her dying moon - see her dancing in the gloom
through the mist and through this room
watch the angel's flower bloom

where the streets are shades, where the demon waits
the angel turns out to be strong, she embraces the angel song
and the calling from afar, see the rationale at war
feelings that were, feelings that are - bound together in a star

she is here for you to see, she is here for you to be
she holds the love that we all seek beneath the black, beneath the bleak

she is breaking through the glass - follow the footprints on the grass
float with the smoke through the sky - a-where the angel hides
and right here, up above, she's still crying out for love
she is sick of all the lies, she is sick not knowing why

and no, I can't believe - all the visions I receive
but the truth it must be real, I taught the angel to feel

here it is and here's it plain, now the angel's not the same
she knows now that she can see, I taught the angel to feel

the angel - feel

Angel (reborn again)

Feeling kinda eighties - yet also more modern; remixed version with renewed freshness, giving the drums a more lively character and cleaned up the synths a bit.

lyrics:

She embraces life as if it is a dream.
She believes in that what she knows at least is real.
She takes no risk, and takes it slow, all the time, weighing all these signals,
the calls, the touch of understanding.
A sweet and subtle shrugging off - the old rebellion;
she has scars enough.
She draws her own path - this expression of that passion held inside.

Bella Robotica (2021 remix)

Track consisting of 1 bass, 1 guitar, 1 drum and heavily processed vocals, this is arguably a bit of an album filler. Started out jamming and it turned into this, didn't really go ahead and polish it (like, making the drums more interesting, and so)

I remixed it in a functional/minimal style this year to be included on the Overland album, and now making it public here on the Cloud as well to bridge the time until I can actively work on new material again.

I like the lyrics, mostly:

grinding out the foresight
moon is up and fullbright
feeding back on the insight
burning taste of the mind

final words are spoken
prayers of dead and omen
giving hell a token
of passing by, unbroken

save for skies on fire
narrowing the wire
slowly fade the choir
angels too expire

Angels Too Expire (2021 remix)

This atmospheric and reflective piece is a spiritual successor to Under A Darker Spell (also on my profile).

It was already on Spotify and Bandcamp and such, but had not set it to Public on Soundcloud. Well, it's here now :)

https://open.spotify.com/track/2hxjecqCOU11VFWRWVrK4m


lyrics:

She wears a dress of purple and black
She moves way through and she dreams she's back
To the place where she could shine like gold
Now her diamond eye - she makes freeze and fold

Till she looks upon another stranger here
Who carries lights and tastes the silver fear
Draws an inch closer as the haze sets in
She feeds back the fire to the chain within

Until the light, until the light

She's a hungry thing but she's a captive instead
Could not be locked away, could not unscrew her head
She's a naked sweet but the spring's times ead
Fulfill unlock the clear path onto the endless bed!

Until the light, until the light

Until The Light (2021 remix)

I made a Vampire Movie in a glitchy moviemaker program. This is the soundtrack. The thing from the thing can be viewed here:

https://youtu.be/Y_uC-Q5CQdI

"Professor Von Diggelen receives a vision of an active Vampire Lord. He proceeds to hunt him down."

🎥 watch the movie

Vampire Movie Soundtrack

dedicated to Lebo 1977-11-11 - 2021-12-22

original text from time of upload:
Had a great rehearsal session last night. Well, the performance wasn't that great, but it was the first time in a long time since we got to play with an acoustic drum kit and amps out loud. And I got to record it too on a nifty Zoom H8 multitrack recorder.

So here is mixed down but otherwise unedited "My Dark Side" in all it's livey flawness.

me: vocals & guitar
PP: bass
Lebo: drums

About Lebo:
https://shuffle-alkmaar.nl/interview-lebo-als-je-liever-een-vrouw-wil-zijn/

Session nov 5th 2021

My Dark Side

My Dark Side (live session)

An all fresh and new experimental bit, even though it's technically a new take on a pre-millenial song of mine. Here's the video that we are pretty stoked about: https://youtu.be/NODyGroE2D4

it's kind of an atmospheric piece.

lyrics:

give me love to kill the hate
give me hate to kill the lie
won't you dare to change your sides
turn the darkness into light

when it's fierce and then it comes
change will twist and turn it on
find a mind - declining heart
push and pull until it's gone

this I know is mine
the song of six to nine
we could but spill the wine
run further down the line

here, now, mine, so fine

can you hear the death bell ring?
can you feel the scorpion sting?

here, now, mine, so fine

Love Hate Lie

In memory of my dear friend Lebo, also drummer of the live band Laybow, here's another track of what turned out to be her final music session.

This is a live session played on nov. 5th 2021.  Lebo passed away on dec. 22nd 2021.

Though we may enjoy her energy embedded in her legacy and memories and in many different other ways, we will never get to interact with her directly again. And that will be missed tremendously. But she WILL be celebrated, this is not a question. 

The picture is her giving a 'goodnight kiss' as a funny pic to the bass player's son, a couple of years ago. This photo brings a smile to my face as it's full of joyful vibes.

me: guitar and voice
PP: bass
Lebo: drums

Polaroid (live 2021-11-05)

It came to pass that I heard a track by @AudioBake and was inspired to build it out a bit. It turned into this - added melodic guitar part and vocals.
Hope I don't offend anyone ;)

lyrics:

America - home of the free
To turn your life into a mockery
Born and raised to make belief
That the privileged few will set you free

With the bombs bursting in air
Gas lights up just about everywhere
Invoke scarcity for cryptic shift
Export more lies for a power grift

Sowing fears to reap the tears
The promise drags it's tail in stale defeat
Cut yourself till you no longer bleed
The sacrifice still cannot meet your needs

"America the beautiful, America will save us all,
America the Glory Hole, America will eat your soul!"

America - got love for me??
Give it all up for you is a one-way street
America - say What to me??
Reverting all God's children back to beasts

original track: https://soundcloud.com/audiobake/america-devours-its-children

Audiobake's America Devours It's Children - PuppetXeno interpretation

For the occasion, I reworked this thing a little. It's a track from the archives but I always enjoy this one for the energy. Nothing too serious though :)

lyrics:

ah hear the phone rings
time for a night out
fragile hearts await to break like glass on
classy smiles and
aerosol touch of plastic warmth
enthusiastic spasms of a lovelife on the thresh
of lifting off

she paints her face down with red and sticky glue
wrapped around her eyes it looks like
wings of butterflies
look at all the flesh displayed
all this ecstasy unveiled
"run away with me," her body screams,
"you will be pleased to please, please me"

she's a happy valentine
such a happy valentine

kisses, hugs and funny talk
electrifies the air
look at her attention span,
"what with who and why and where?"
a gazillion pretty friends to give her
all the love she needs
in the centre of the universe she says:
"it's just ol' silly little
ME"

it's a happy valentine
such a happy valentine

Happy Valentine redux

Having to create distraction from current world affairs...

If for myself then also maybe for others.

To carry a message of peace, and love... 

Be more human - be more than this, world.

https://youtu.be/TxRLNbsb0Tg

lyrics:

love will only care for
the freedom tasting of more
the peaceful offering
removes all suffering

human senses rated
never thought it faded
don't believe it's wasted
or till the end it waited

ancient retrospects
forward lead the tracks
in honest interaction
and spirits that will last...

never thought it faded
don't believe it's wasted
or till the end it waited

RE: Solve

Hi, 
While my studio room is being rebuilt, I only have limited access to my equipment and not nearly enough time to create lots of new stuff.

I did find the time to go through my archives and thought to remix this little piece.
It's an original 4-track cassette recording from 1997 (I think), I retreated the individual tracks with fancy VST's and ran the guitar through an impulse response of my VS100 amp. It sounds much better now.

The studio room is really getting together, a couple more weeks and I'll have it up and running again. 

For now:


lyrics:

goodbye said the dreamer
my life is over here
in my own fantasies
my mind I cannot steer

I've been over the rainbow
travelled seven seas
seen black and white haired women
my mind thus now at ease

these thoughts they are a given
from depths within the stars
people all were watching
thoughts went into war

goodbye little dreamer
is crushing on the crowd
you see you have it all
this has just broken down your wall

these thoughts they are a given
from depths within the stars
people all were watching
thoughts went into war

I've been over the rainbow,
travelled seven sees
seen black and white haired women
my mind thus now at ease

goodbye little dreamer,
is crushing on the crowd
you see you have it all
this has just broken down your wall

goodbye said the dreamer
my life is over here
in my own fantasies
my mind I cannot steer

my mind is over here
my mind I cannot steer

goodbye little dreamer
startling the crowd
you see you have it all
let's break down the wall
break down the wall
broke down your wall

more From the Vaults

Dreamer's Goodbye

From Lebo's very final drum session, as it sadly turned out -
Taken from live session 2021-11-05 at Tjarda, room 5

Tom - guitar and voice
Peter Paul - bass
Lebo - drums

free download 🌹

Laybow - House of Spirits

Legacy track. Took me a while to find this one, I was looking specifically for it to give it some modern treatment.

I also tried to transcribe the lyrics, but I couldn't figure all of them out, so for now I will not post the lyrics. Maybe later.

Really That Divine

Encountering persona for linguistic reprogramming...

BandCamp link

Progress

Toying with the Maschine+ again, loads of fun!

The Exalted

Myth wave version of "Patterns" of which the original remake can be heard here: https://alicedeeper.bandcamp.com/track/patterns-1996-remake

So, yeah, that myth wave album is definitely coming.

Patterns (Myth Wave version)

Trippy track - the title referring more to the recording and mixing process rather than to the lyric content. The saga continues...


LYRICS: 

Talk to me, look at me, tell me what the feeling means.
Dead end streets, weary beats - hypnotic eyes stare into my mind.
Where are you? And what am I?
Bridges crossed, bones to grind,
Meaningful or senseless life. Forever lie awake at night!
Cannot cease to twist and turn. Cannot quench the inner burn!
Wounds don't heal, it's hell on earth. Expanding thoughts while the road is turning...

The Revenant

Smoke and Mirrors

https://youtu.be/SMniW7K2wzE

First experiment with new 808-tribute machine (RD8) and throwing in SY300 custom patches, having some nonlinear lyrics scrambled through.

Enjoy!


lyrics:

the world that shook it all
turned life into statistics
policies of flawed heuristics
laid waste to old control
laid waste to confidence
a strange dream that never ends
oblivious to evidence

asymptomatic pandemic
in a fraction of a second
and the world that shook it all
went up in the flames of a new arrival
enlightened to survival

now we sit and watch the stars circling the sky
the road is open
the path is bright

we sit and watch the stars circling the sky

New Arrival

So here's my first recording of 2021 - though (writing) the track had been in the works for a couple of months now.

Thought about keeping it instrumental, but lyrics add depth and I like how they turned out.

Enjoy,

lyrics:

not looking for a wasteful time, no
or waiting how to come alive at all

take it away, far from here
off and away, far from here

feed my eyes with beauty's sight, oh
does this mean to come alive at all?

take it away, far from here
off and away, along with me

heed the calling of the night
fit the system to your mind
past the curtain, delve inside
to the garden of delight

Come Alive

Hi, my name is Tom, and I enjoy making music.
Sometimes with friends, sometimes alone.
Sometimes in person, sometimes online. Creative freedom comes first, always.

This channel features music from the Alice Deeper music project, as well some tracks from the live band Laybow (see at the end of this text), as well as from some other side projects and collabs when they occur.

-----------

Always aiming to create something memorable and authentic. Because life. And what is >now< is the cascade of all physical processes - waveform collapse - with both future and past being a cloud of probability.

PuppetXeno is the core member of the Alice Deeper project.

"We make music not to promote our egos, but to draw you away from yours, and into a realm without judgment - a realm of perception and experience only."

key words: Rise - Reverberate - Feed back - Reciprocate

as is... The Support Scheme: I have started a second channel https://soundcloud.com/xeno-puppet on which I will repost tracks that I particularly enjoy and/or find very interesting. I do not repost tracks on my main channel. If you subscribe to my channel please consider subscribing to the other channel as well. 

I love hearing from you!

I put some effort in the Youtube channel too, see the link below.

-----------
In Memoriam: Lebohang Douma 11/11/1977 - 22/12/2021
great friend and drummer of the live band Laybow
-----------

PuppetXeno

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