Broken Superficiality (2024) for Ensemble and Fixed Media

Taking influence/inspiration from the 50-year continuation and negative effects of Neo-Liberalism that was first trialled in Chile in 1973, and then widely adopted by the UK and US under Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan (and the subsequent leaders), with a lot of other countries following suit. Moving increasingly towards a privatised, individualistic, and ultra-consumerist world with a lack of state-funded/public protected services/amenities, I find that gradually as a society we are losing ourselves, becoming broken and detached from community and instead are pursuing more superficial endeavours and objectives. Taking this into account, I have opted to use effects and timbres that were widely used in the 1970s and 80s as the core of the piece, pairing it with live instruments that sound ‘glitzy’ and techniques to that deviate/distort the instruments' pitch and timbre.

Performed by Ensemble Klang 
Performed at Cloud 9 in Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht as part of Gaudeamus Festival 2024
Recorded by Gaudeamus Festival
Mixed by Peter Bell

Image - 'Metropolis' by George Grosz (1917)


Broken Superficiality (2024)

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Mak - Superficiality (EXTENDED MIX)

This song is a thought-provoking reflection on the disparity between the glamorous lives of the wealthy and famous, and the everyday struggles of the working class. The lyrics convey a sense of authenticity and humility, as we acknowledge the harsh realities of our own lives, while also recognizing the superficiality of the wealthy elite. The song's themes of perseverance, self-awareness, and the pursuit of one's own path resonate deeply, inviting listeners to reevaluate their own values and priorities.


LYRICS: 

[Verse 1:]
I wake up every morning, before the sun is high
I'm cleaning up after them, while they're flying by
Private jets and mansions, it's a life I'll never know
But I'm the one who's keeping it real, while they're living in a show 

[Chorus:]
Easy easy money, and the fame for free
They're living like royalty, while I'm just trying to be me
I'm working hard every day, while they're playing all night
Easy easy money, and the spotlight shining bright 

[Verse 2:]
I see them on the red carpet, with their perfect smiles and hair
But I'm the one who's keeping it real, without a single care
I'm driving my old van, while they're riding in their limousines
But at the end of the day, I'm the one who's feeling more serene 

[Chorus:]
Easy easy money, and the fame for free
They're living like royalty, while I'm just trying to be me
I'm working hard every day, while they're playing all night
Easy easy money, and the spotlight shining bright 

[Bridge:]
Maybe someday I'll make it big, and I'll be the one on stage
But until then, I'll keep on working, and turning the page
I'll keep on being me, and doing what I do best
And maybe someday, I'll find my own success 

[Chorus:]
Easy easy money, and the fame for free
They're living like royalty, while I'm just trying to be me
I'm working hard every day, while they're playing all night
Easy easy money, and the spotlight shining bright

Easy Money

This song is a thought-provoking commentary on the emptiness and superficiality of modern society, where people are often driven by vanity and conformity, rather than genuine spiritual connection and meaningful relationships. The lyrics paint a picture of a world where individuals are easily discarded and replaced, and where the pursuit of status and power has become a hollow substitute for true fulfillment. The song invites listeners to look beyond the surface level and seek a more authentic, soulful existence.


LYRICS: 

[Verse 1]
Not ghosts
But spiritless
The perfect imperfect souls
Of the faithful 

[Verse 2]
Lifeless children of the waving flag
Of the future and yesterday
Pathetically meandering
In charity and vanity 

[Chorus X2]
Thrown from the bandwagon
Others climb aboard
Come and see a new kingdom growing
Not ghosts souls


On The Bandwagon

E N T E R : https://makmusicofficial.com

Mak. An up and coming DJ, producer and vocalist whose name is currently being remarkably noticed in the electronic music scene with his dynamic tracks and their versatile nature ranging from original mixes to remixed versions, that are already part of set lists played by numerous DJs from Brazil and Abroad. Moreover, his collaborations with artists in a national and international scale brings fierce, powerful and groovy tracks, ready to make an extraordinary journey. 

During his musical career, Mak has made successful tours within Brazil and throughout the world in more than 30 countries in 5 continents. Currently, with his most recent project, igniting in his set an energetic and unique sound, stirring together a diverse tone into Bass House, Brazilian Bass, Future House, Tech House, and Progressive House. Mak creates that eccentric and uplifting vibe, which the audience indulges in the infinite magnificence of great music.

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Mak, DJ, produtor e cantor, é um dos nomes da cena eletrônica e se destaca com diversas  tracks originais e remixes que já são parte do set de Djs nas pistas do Brasil e do mundo, contando com colaborações de artistas entre Djs e cantores nacionais e internacionais. 
Ao longo de sua carreira musical, realizou tours pelo Brasil e mundo alcançando mais de 30 PAÍSES em 5 continentes, agora com seu novo projeto, traz em seu set um som explosivo e versátil, misturando sonoridades,  navegando entre o Bass House, Brazilian Bass, Future House, Tech House e progressive.

Patrick Ellis (b. 1994, UK) is a composer, performer and curator based in London. His music has been described as being "focused, intense and unrelenting" (Gaudeamus Jury, 2024), with much of his work utilising limited musical materials, small developments and juxtapositions.

He has worked with many acclaimed ensembles including Terra Invisus (UK), Ensemble Klang (NL), collective lovemusic (FR), XTRO Percussion (NL), the Residentie Orkest (NL), Kluster 5 (NL), Orkest de Ereprijs (NL), The Tantrum Saxophone Quartet (NL), The Spaceship Ensemble (NL), Kirkos (IE) and 315 Ensemble (US/UK), and has collaborated with soloists such as Kathryn Williams (flute), Huw Morgan (organ), Alfian Emir Adytia (cello), Dauphine Van der Velphen (saxophone), Chris Cresswell (electric guitar) and Carson Cooman (organ).

Upcoming projects include a new multimedia work exploring burnout within the classical music industry for the ensemble Standard Issue, a new piece for electric guitar and fixed media for Chris Cresswell, as well as a long-form collaboration with the French-Canadian cellists Laurence Gaudreau and Audréanne Filion.

Patrick's music has been presented at numerous festivals and concert series across the European, North American, Asia and Australasia, including, Gaudeamus Festival (NL), Festival Dag in de Branding (NL), November Music (NL), Rainy Days Festival (LU), Mittelfest and Mittelyoung Festival (IT), De Link Tilburg (NL), Lilium SoundArt (IT), Sundays at The Hugh Lane Gallery (IE), AżTak Festival (PL), New Music Now NL's Dag van de Componist (NL), Click Fest (US), Sounding Here (NL), Kirkos Ensemble's Biosphere Festival (IE), Union Musicale (IT), Mainly Slow Organ Music (UK), Kammer Klang (UK), the Frequency Series Chicago (US), Ideas of Noise Festival (UK) and the Harmos Plural Festival (PT).

In 2024, Patrick was nominated for the Gaudeamus Award and in 2022, he was the Artist in Residence for the AMPA Fontys/De Link Residency programme in Tilburg, The Netherlands. He has also been a part of the Psappha Composing For Piano Scheme in 2019-20, the 25th Edition of Orkest de Erepijs’ Young Composers Meeting and Kathryn Williams' innovative Coming Up for Air Project.

His music has been broadcast on Dutch radio stations, including NPO Radio 4, NPO Klassiek, Concertzender,and Stranded FM, as well as on the US station WCNY, and has been featured on releases from Birmingham Record Company and Huddersfield Contemporary Records.

Patrick is also the artistic director of Open Union, an electric guitar and modular synth duo with composer-performer colleague Peter Bell. Described by the treasured composer Howard Skempton as being 'sometimes subtle and unstable; sometimes rich and dense', the duo aims to build up strong collaborative relationships to create new works. Their current collaborators are Christine Cornwell, Wilson Leywantono, May Chi, Paolo Griffin and Seán Clancy. The duo have performed across the UK at events such as Ealing Extranormal, AMOK, Don't Mind Control, Birmingham Modular Organisation and CODA Festival. In 2025, they co-hosted a portrait concert with saxophonist David Zucchi featuring music by Paolo Griffin at the Hundred Years Gallery; earlier in the year, they supported Passepartout Duo at Centrala Space, Birmingham as part of their UK Tour, and in 2023, undertook a mini tour of The Netherlands as part of the Sounding Here concert series, where they performed at Splendor in Amsterdam and Batavierhuis in Rotterdam.

Alongside composing and performing, Patrick works as the creative director of PRXLUDES, an online contemporary music magazine, platform, and resource dedicated to the promotion of the work of emerging and early-career composers. Together, with the artistic director Zygmund de Somogyi and a team of contributors, they have written about over 125 composers, ensembles and music organisations from the UK and abroad. In 2025, they began hosting events, presenting Alex Groves' DANCE SUITE (performed by Zubin Kanga) as part of PRS Foundation New Music Biennial 2025. Recently, PRXLUDES have been awarded a multi-year partnership with The Hinrichsen Foundation in order to help platform emerging and early-career composers through a series of concerts, conversations, and commissions throughout the UK from 2025 to 2028.

He holds a Masters degree in composition from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag (Royal Conservatoire of The Hague) and a Bachelor's degree from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. His principal tutors have included Martijn Padding, Guus Janssen, Andrew Hamilton, Seán Clancy, Ed Bennett, Howard Skempton and Michael Wolters.

Songwriting has been a lifelong passion for me, dating back to elementary school when I first began crafting stories, poems, and eventually lyrics. As a former drummer in various bands, I always relied on others to bring my words to life musically. However, after a long hiatus from drumming, I decided to take the leap and learn to compose music to accompany my lyrics. Through classes and dedication, I've embarked on a new journey, breathing fresh life into old lyrics and penning new ones. You'll find a mix of older and newer works here. Especially for some of the lyrics. 

Music has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is being completely entranced by 'The Little Drummer Boy' as a very young child. There was something about the rhythm and the melody that just captivated me. I must have played it a thousand times, wearing the record out, and from that moment on, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to be a drummer and to create that magic for others. 

But I was too young then, and of course, I couldn't afford a drum set just yet. So, I turned to writing as a way to express myself. As I mentioned above, I started with stories, then poems, and eventually, lyrics. I found that writing was not only a way to tap into my creativity, but also a way to process my emotions and experiences. 

As I grew older, my love for music only deepened. I realized that music has this incredible power to transport us to different times and places, to evoke emotions and memories that we thought were long forgotten. It's a universal language that can bring people together like nothing else can. 

For me, writing lyrics is a cathartic experience. It's a way for me to tap into my emotions, to process the world around me, and to create something that I hope will resonate with others. And when I hear my words come to life in a song, it's truly magical. It's a feeling that never gets old, and it's what keeps me coming back to music time and time again. 

I love many genres of music and artists of many genres. And if you listen to some of my songs, you will find that I like to make songs of different genres as well as mix different genres into each song. One of my all-time favorite bands is Evanescence, and I have made a lot of songs where I have tried my best to emulate that sound. 

Now, I have recently started experimenting with new sounds. I never heard of glitch beats before I took music classes, and now I'm fascinated with the sound, so I have been experimenting with glitch beats recently. 

I hope you enjoy some of my songs. And thanks so much to everyone who has been listening so far. I truly appreciate it. I welcome constructive feedback to help me grow as an artist, and I appreciate your support. ❤️

BTW if you follow me, I will ALWAYS follow back. If I like your music, I will follow you, but if you don't follow me back within a week or so I will probably unfollow. The same goes for when I see someone listening to my music, I WILL follow, however, if they don't follow me back within a week or so, I'll unfollow, because I'm at my limit of follows and I want to follow back everyone who follows me. Did not know that SoundCloud limits us to following only 2000. 😢

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VickStiX's Artist Manifesto
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I am the static between truth and noise.
A pulse that cracks the silence open.
When the world forgets its conscience,
I remind it — one beat, one lyric, one spark.

I don’t shout to divide; I sing to awaken.
I don’t chase fame; I chase clarity.
My art is not a weapon — it’s a flare in the dark.
A signal to every soul that still believes in better.

Let the trolls rage, let the cowards hide.
They can’t drown out a voice that’s tuned to truth.
I will paint their lies in sound and light
until justice has a melody again.

Because protest is not anger — it’s hope with a megaphone.
And I was born to be loud.

🎶 VickStiX — Truth. Rhythm. Revolution.












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