Composed in Remembrance of Cosmic Ray Cromie

Rememberance - Ray - Cromie

Ramsey Island

Like Carl Sagan said, float like a mote of dust :)

Float Like Dust

further from the sky

Cover of the classic 80s tune from Tears for Fears. An iconic smash hit in the synthpop genre, written by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, and produced by Chris Hughes, appearing on their Songs From the Big Chair, a great album! Orzabal was quoted as saying (about the song) "It is a romance song that goes a bit perverse at the end." Ha ha. Always loved this tune, so I thought it would be a challenge to try to catch the vibe and imitate some of the sounds given meagre production resources. Lead vocals from Karaoke, and moi in backups; also in chant backups Chris Adamidis, and Jeanette Kennett. I'm responsible for the other schmozzle ;)--- all instruments, programming and production.

Head over Heels (by Tears for Fears)

RESET~RESTART

This is the second track of an instrumental project I've entitled "It's All Greek to Me", as I explore the myths and legends of Ancient Greece.

I'm using Ancient Greek instruments featured in the 'Ancient Worlds VST Library from Big Fish Audio', underpinned with classical orchestral instruments. There are some very interesting sounds in it that do seem to evoke a time long ago.

Background

According to Greek mythology, Sirens were dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Despite modern iconography depicting the Sirens as mermaids, early Greek art depicted them as part woman, part bird.

For this piece a Greek galley is introduced with a steady drum pulse and some Greek instruments to set the scene. We start with the Pan Flute supported by the Strings (Lyre and Kithara). Cymbal rolls represent the waves. The melody then passes to the Flogera and Alto Flute and a lone Siren voice before all three make an appearance. From then on they all act in counterpoint to each other. 

As the Sirens continue to charm the sailors, the Samvyke is introduced (another stringed instrument) as a sort of controlled tension that slowly gets a bit more frantic as the track starts to build. French Horns and Percussion herald the full fury of the Sirens unleashed on the luckless sailors. Helpless to resist, their boat is dashed upon the rocks. 

As the ship begins to break up on the rocky shore the track goes much smaller with a mournful solo cello, supported by the other strings. I wanted a melancholic ending  and the descending figure is supposed to represent the sinking of the boat alongside an almost funeral drum pulse, it just leads down and down into the depths of the sea. More lives have been lost to this peril of the ancient world.

Instrumentation Used

Greek Stringed Instruments - Lyre, Kithara, Samvyke
Greek Wind Instruments - Kavali, Flogera, Pan Flute 
Greek Percussion - Bendir

In addition to the ancient instruments above the track also features :-

Orchestral CS Strings (Albion One - Spitfire)
Violin Ensemble (Octave Long)(Chris Hein Strings)
Viola Ensemble (Octave Long and Flautando)(Chris Hein Strings)
Cello Ensemble (Long)(Chris Hein Strings)
Bass Ensemble (Octave Long)(Chris Hein Strings)
Solo Cello (Chris Hein Strings)
Alto Flute (Chris Hein Winds)
French Horn Ensemble (Chris Hein Brass)
Trombone Ensemble (Chris Hein Brass)
Tuba (Chris Hein Brass)

'The Sirens' - Shevannai vocal library (Eduardo Tarilonte)

XXL Percussion(Albion One - Spitfire)
Rolled Cymbals (Albion One - Spitfire)
St Peter's Choir (Halion 6)
Boat Breaking FX (Halion 6)

The Sirens (It's All Greek to Me)

All Instruments & Vocals by Martin Reed,
Composed & Arranged by Noel Gallagher,
Produced by Martin Reed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9yV1ta9Lq8

Up In The Sky - INC VIDEO

Here’s my latest song with piano, vocals, electric piano, erhu, koto, and synths! Thanks a million to my lovely Sander for this gorgeous master. @wane-of-summer 😊❤️❤️❤️🎶🎹🎤🎵🎼

A Million Reasons...

Flow ! - enjoy :-) ...... photo: Fabrício Severo on unsplash

flow

The Blue Storm, Where Love Is Waiting For YOU

Blue Storm

After updating my new time travel profile pic, I figured it was also time to refresh the bio. The amount of world-class talent on the Cloud never ceases to amaze me. I don’t say that lightly – I’ve learned so much from so many of you. There are artists here I genuinely consider among the best musical talents I’ve heard anywhere. And I have heard a ton of music.
I’m a lifelong music addict. For me, music can be transformative, cathartic, joyful, and intellectual – often all at once. My taste? Almost anything done well. Almost. My own music is eclectic: from acoustic guitar pieces to jazz fusion, to prog/alternative/psychedelic rock, to electronica.
What really keeps me here, though, is the community – the interaction, and the sense of connection that somehow forms even when we never meet in person. The goodwill and respect are something special, and I don’t take that for granted.
Finally, regarding recording – if you’re still reading! – my humble studio hasn’t changed in 15 years. I’m even still running Windows 7 to support my old Steinberg DAW. No AI tools – just me, I like to control the physical process at every step, from idea, to playing, editing, mixing, and final production.

Head over Heels (by Tears for Fears)

Steve Matthews