This is my remix of a track from @archmageband2 called Workplace Challenges. It's my first time working with Rob Ulysses (@rob-ulysses) and Masha Solo (@masha-solo).

I built on the theme and concept that they had developed, but took this mix in a slightly different direction compared with their original piece which I hope you will be interested to also check out:
https://soundcloud.com/archmageband2/workplace-challenges-instrumental

I think my version here has maybe a bit of a darker vibe to it.

 It's been fun working with some new collaborators. We have more music in the works, so stay tuned!

Occupational Hazard - w/ Archmage Band

It's been nearly a year since I posted my first open collaboration, Earth and Sky. I've been meaning to give it another try and decided this experimental industrial downtempo piece would make an interesting offering to see if anyone might be inspired to adapt or remix? I'm dusting off the old Korg Volca Drum that I used on tons of tracks last year but haven't incorporated into any recent stuff in a while.

Stems can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12b2biJGg5dL2gATthvgI6CXVbzxxw8-x?usp=sharing

And we've got at least one response, woohoo! Here is a playlist that I will continue adding to: https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/social-fabric-collaborations

Please message me and let me know what you come up with if you decide to work with this one. Thanks and happy experimenting!

111 BPM and the key is more or less in A minor.

Social Fabric (Open Collaboration)

This is a simple quirky little beat that I really liked the sound of, so decided to post it as an open collab after I'd already connected with both Enigma Curry and Stonerjazz to make a couple alternate mixes -- you can check them out here...

PLAYLIST: https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/windswept-collabs

If you'd like to adapt the stems for yourself, you can download them all here. Just let me know if you make something with them and I'll add them to the running playlist. Cheers!

STEMS: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ArXRfRVPHxiqQ6E48mHVr9CUPX9_a5YA?usp=sharing

Windswept - OPEN COLLAB!

This is the second Windswept mix I've released. This one is in collaboration with STONERJAZZ @user-911083679 

Check out the other mixes here, including the original stripped down version which I'm posting as an open collab. It is a simple quirky little beat that I really liked the sound of. 

PLAYLIST: https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/windswept-collabs

If you'd like to adapt the stems for yourself, you can download them all here. Just let me know if you make something with them and I'll add them to the running playlist. Cheers!

STEMS: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ArXRfRVPHxiqQ6E48mHVr9CUPX9_a5YA?usp=sharing

Windswept - Stoner Tea Mix

Another collaboration with E.P Beats @lala-land-361191160, the second in 2 weeks! I'm happy to have this third response to my 'Windswept' Open Collab. Listen to the other two and check out the original track here: https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/windswept-collabs

If you are inspired, maybe you'll consider taking up the challenge and adding your own version. 

Windswept - the E.P. Beats Mix!

This was my third time working with the Eclectic Collective on a track. Unlike the other couple of times that were based around ideas that I came up with, this time I was just along for the ride! I was happy that Ken reached out and invited me, figuring I could help add some 80s style synth nostalgia to this fun piece. 

Cast of characters:
K2 and the Three [and the Four] -- @k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums, acoustic guitar, song and vocal melody composition
Joseph Shenton -- @joseph-shenton -- lyrics
Gaz Brownie — @user-755327533 — Gaz — vocals, vocal harmonies, and lyrics
one man verity show – @one-man-verity-show – Scotty – electric guitar intro
TexMex Shaman–@texmex-shaman –Stephen– Les Paul Custom electric guitar, mix, production, and mastering
Llanpsych–@llanpsych –Tez– Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar
Tea R. Sea @tea_are_sea -- Terry – low synthesizer
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 – Fender Precision bass and high synthesizer

This song began a few months ago as an idea Ken had to make the quintessential Gen X song. He structured the chords, beat to appeal to anyone of a certain age group, of which most of the folks in the band are a part. He even played wrote it on his acoustic guitar and came up with the vocal melody, which Gaz put a shine on for the final version. Once he had the form of the song down, he tapped the incredibly talented Joseph Shenton to write the lyrics. Gaz not only superbly sung four part harmonies for this, but the came up with the lyrics for the break parts, too. 

When he first envisioned it, Ken thought it would be fun to invite as many musicians as we could onto it. However, for whatever reason, it stalled out and sat untouched for a couple months, with just Stephen's foundational guitar, Scotty's thrilling guitar intro, Terry's lush, low end synth, and Josh's bass to hold it down. Then, Ken had the great idea to invite Gaz to sing it for us. His awesome vocal track inspired us to heat up the kiln again, and put some real effort into bringing it to life. On that note, Josh redid his bass part to match Ken's rocking drums, as well as added the high, melodic synth you hear throughout. Tez came in last with the fiery guitar fills and solo, which you can hear throughout, as well. 

Once it was all in the bag, we tapped Stephen to produce and mix it, which he did in his always pro manner. 

This is the first collab Eclectic Collective has done with Gaz, but we all hope it won't be the last. He is one of the finest singers on the Cloud, and we're honored that he would sprinkle his magic on this song with us. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Original lyrics by Joseph Stenton:

Where were you on those days gone by
Were you out by the tracks where the lone train whistle cries
Or kicking up rocks on those dusty roads of dirt
Or skating on streets paved with gold
Or wrestling upon the grass beneath endless sky

On days gone bye
On days gone by
To be back there again
For all its lows and for all its highs 

Where were you on those days gone by
Were you tugging at the stars too
In an attempt to release their light
Bonded by hours
To a brotherhood we believed would never die

On days gone bye
On days gone by
To be back there again
For all its lows and for all its highs 

Where were you on those days gone by
From within this dull petrification of time
Comes a crystalline memory
Of those long lost moments, now born free 
Of come what might, come what might be

On days gone bye
On days gone by
To be back there again
For all its lows and for all its highs 

Where were you on those days gone by
With a tape in the walkman
Playing the soundtrack of passing time
To these moments of our lives
That once burned bright but never died

On days gone bye
On days gone by
To be back there again
For all its lows and for all its highs 

Generation X - with Eclectic Collective ft. Gaz Brownie

I felt like this one needed the extra time to unfold and develop in the direction it wanted to go, could be my longest solo piece yet! My songwriting process has moved almost entirely to Ableton Live and I'm find it to be such an inspiring workflow. This is yet another recent track where I'm having fun weaving in the guitar.

Cover image: Norman Zabusky/Hilary Shames (CC BY 3.0)

Time and Space

@TexMex-Shaman and I are back in action once again with another heavier industrial track. This one is particularly uptempo, probably our fastest song yet. Stephen's guitarwork is next level on here! And he's got an especially cool part toward the end featuring the ebow.

Perceptual Window - A Texas Tea Production

This is the third Eclectic Collective track that started with an idea of mine. Check out the others here, as well as one that I plugged a synth line into with this gang (and another one of those is coming soon):
https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/tea-r-sea-eclectic-collective

Josh, Ken, Stephen, and the whole Eclectic Collective are incredibly welcoming and a joy to work with. I'm really looking forward to more collaborations with these great guys in the future! 

Here is Josh's write-up with more info on this fun track:

 Cast of characters:
Tea R. Sea @tea_are_sea -- Terry – Synthesizers, Ibanez electric guitar, beats, composition, mix, and production
TexMex Shaman–@texmex-shaman –Stephen– Fender Acoustasonic acoustic guitar and e-bow
K2 and the Three [and the Four] -- @k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1– Custom five-string fretless bass
Llanpsych–@llanpsych –Tez– Fender Stratocaster electric guitar
electric wah guitar
Cgmaness – @hiddenhands-760647700 – Chris – vocals, vocal harmonies, and lyrics

This song began its life as a skeleton of beats and synth created by Terry, who also added some crunchy electric guitar hits to it, too. Terry is a very skilled electronic music producer, and frequent collaborator with Stephen for a project they call Texas Tea. It's worth going to check out their other collabs, as well as Terry's solo projects on his and Stephen's page. 
  Even though Terry and Stephen work together frequently, Terry approached Josh with a couple of ideas, and Josh picked this one, so Terry started the project and invited the rest of the band to join in.
 
Stephen was the lead off hitter for this one, though, adding his magical and heavily processed acoustic guitar to the bridge in the middle, as well as textural guitar in the entire first half. He also added a couple of cool lines with his e-bow, which he used on his guitar. Ken was next up to bat, adding his always thrilling drums to compliment Terry's beats. Josh went to work next, now that he had a solid beat to work with, added his low-frequency five string fretless bass to it. Tez batted clean up, adding his thrillling Gilmore-esque guitar solo to the end of it. 

  Then, once the music was all finished, we turned it over to Chris so he could add his amazing, psychedelic vocals delivering his original lyrics throughout.
  Once we had everything recorded, we turned it over to Terry to mix, as it was his song to begin with. Terry is an excellent producer with a great ear. Stephen, who is our trained mixer gave him some key advice along the way, too, though.
  This is Eclectic Collective's third song with Terry, and we're always thrilled when he has something to offer us. He's a wonderful collaborator with tons of great songs on his page, that are all worth checking out. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.
  Oh, and it's worth mentioning that three of us on this have birthdays this week, too. Chris' was first, on Wednesday, Terry's was Thursday, and Josh's is Friday (today). So, this is an extra special celebratory song for all three of us. We're all so very grateful for our SoundCloud community, friends, and musical family. We appreciate all of you!

Original lyrics by Cgmaness:

Lost in inner space,
questions interlace,
often they're erased.
amnesia's saving grace.
...
Many rising up,
What do you think it means?
Anything at all?
Anything?
....................
Wonder if you feel,
any of this truth?
Root systems occur,
we are one from birth.
we are one.
....
Slow to realize,
something is in the skies.
I cannot be wise.
We are lied to.
Realize, it's all a ruse.
but, we ripple on.
we ripple on.
we are one.
...
And that's when we fell back into,
a very familiar feel.
but I know.
Just pinholes,
just pinholes. 
....
Many rising up,
what do you think it means?
....
Sometimes we have to let go!

Koala Tea

Continuing to evolve my Ableton setup, I've added the Push2 midi controller. I sent the first tune that I created with it over to @enigmacurry. I felt like it my initial composition was a bit too linear and it needed to be mixed up a little! He produced two amazing remixes. Here's the shorter one. 

Check out the epic 20-minute extended cut here:
https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/fractal-traffic-extended

Fractal Traffic B (slow cinematic mix) - w/ Enigma Curry

I was thrilled that @30GradX was interested in remixing this track of mine, originally released back in January:
https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/cleansing-rain

I think I prefer the re-worked version to the original! It's slowed down and incorporates some awesome samples from a few soundcloud friends, and it's given the time to really unfold in a hypnotic and meditative way. Hope you'll enjoy listening to it.

...includes samples from: 
Laar @user-325797522
Special Cecilia @specialececilia
IPG1 @ipg1
...thank you very much!

Cleansing Rain - 30GradX Mix

As I'd mentioned in the other version of this track, I sent some stems over to @enigmacurry and he produced to amazing mixes. I really wanted to release both of them even though this one is ridiculously long, I found Ryan's creative iterations and evolutions of the source material to be super fascinating on here.

Check out version B here:
https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/fractal-traffic-cinematic

Fractal Traffic A (epic extended mix) - w/ Enigma Curry

This is a fun little experimental jam that I got started and then looped in STONERJAZZ @user-911083679. It had been a little while since I collaborated with him-- it's always a blast and stretches my creativity in new directions!

Bassfingers

I can't seem to put down the guitar now that I've picked it back up! Played around with layering some kind of simple repetitive loops to create a hypnotic atmosphere on this one.

Image by Paul Bica (CC BY 2.0)

Sky Above Clouds

So nice that my longtime collaborator friend @dough-factory has returned to SoundCloud after a break of a couple years! This is our first track working together since then and it came together in a really cool way. I was inspired by Ryan's electronic drums and bass to lay down some rhythm guitar as well as a few synth leads. Then he came up with some awesome lyrics/vocals that I think captures the vibe of this piece quite well.

Keep an eye out for more from us, we are thinking of pulling together a whole album or EP over the coming months.

Dive

It's such an honor and joy to work with these two incredible artists! I have had the privilege of collaborating with Masa (Tot) a few times already, but it is my first making music with Khan. I hope you will enjoy this chilled out summer vibe.

Khan - @khan20233202 - Vocals & Lyrics
Tot - @tot-beat - Beat & Samples
Tea R. Sea - @tea_are_sea - Synth, Drums & Production


Lyrics (by Khan)

ON JULY

We met on July
We don’t know music come from and why
I can hear the storm is coming down down down
We don’t see but we see eye to eye
We can hear muses are coming down down down
We don’t see but we’re brotherhood

I saw fireworks tonight alone
I got the Big echo tonight and moon
I saw fireworks bring me to them
I feel paradise is here for me.

On July (Khan, Tot & Tea R. Sea)

Another awesome electronic collaboration with David a.k.a. @blackmarketbrains ! I love his minimal techno beats so asked him to send me one that included one of his cool old movie samples.I was inspired right away to lay down some melodic loops and even a bit of guitar.

Cover image is public domain, an illustration from an old edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Forge the Creature! w/ Black Market Brains

A little bit of a different flavor of Texas Tea collaboration for me and Stephen, @texmex-shaman ... this is the first time I sent him something that had guitar from me already in it. If you listen carefully my guitar parts are the very simple repeated 4 measure loops that kind of stack up on top of each other, mostly background elements. Stephen added some crazy cool low end atmospherics as well as some distorted wailing guitars on the higher end and of course the awesome meandering lead part that ebbs and flows through this piece. I created the beat and all the synth elements.

After sending his parts back to me, Stephen mentioned it kinda gave him a David Lynch vibe. Turns out we are both huge fans of Twin Peaks and pretty much all of this great artist's work, so had to tip our hats to him, but maybe only other fans will catch the references in the title and cover art.

Listen to all our collabs on the Texas Tea playlist: https://soundcloud.com/texmex-shaman/sets/texas-tea-sea

Photo by Bdelisle at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15816231, edited for color and contrast by me.

Got A Light? (A Texas Tea Production)

As I mentioned in another recent song post, @dough-factory and I have collaborated on a bunch of music in years past. This is the second recent song from us, eventually to be included on an upcoming album. 

Ryan came up with the original drums and bass seed of this song, sent it to me and I laid down some guitar and synth. He then arranged the pieces and added a killer vocal track. He also gets credit for the production work on this one. Thanks for listening, friends!

Here is a link our other recent track, Dive:
https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/dive


Terms

A new one from me and @Enigma-Curry! A bit meditative and I love the nostalgically oldschool synths that Ryan added to the mix. Some of his parts remind me of Boards of Canada.

Contrasts (extended mix)

My first solo song in a little bit…


Cover art by Henk Monster, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Antarctic Dark

Super impressed by my buddy @dough-factory 's rhyming skills on here! This one started out as a beat from Ryan, I added trippy synth, organ and guitar noodling then sent back to him. He mixed, arranged and added the killer vocals as well as some record skips that add a nice touch.

Faded (What a Day)

This is a bit of a spiritual sequel to me and Stephen's last track "Got A Light?" since it continues in a similar direction mood-wise. Once again I'm adding a little guitar into the mix. My parts are the very simple straightforward guitar picking and Stephen is doing all the complex shredding haha. I also produced the beat and electronic elements.

Black Coffee (A Texas Tea Production)

This is the 4th song we've produced so far to be featured on the forthcoming album from me and @dough-factory.

Ryan came up with the initial beat and ideas, sent to me and I developed it a bit with a bunch of melodic synth lines. Then he arranged and produced. I'm loving how it turned out, thanks for checking it out!

Rust

This is the third Texas Tea song from me and @texmex-shaman that has a super dark eerie mournful vibe to it. We are thinking of them as a kind of trilogy that began with "Got a Light", continued with "Black Coffee" and culminates with this one. Each title is a reference to David Lynch's Twin Peaks. In season 1 or 2 of that show, the main character Agent Cooper says that he takes his coffee "as black as the sky on a moonless night". The mood is kind of appropriate for the weather this time of year, at least in my part of the world!

Moonless Night (A Texas Tea Production)

Always a great experience making these experimental tunes with @enigmacurry. Usually I'll send Ryan a fairly simple arrangement of beats and synth melodies. By the time he is done rearranging and adding to the mix, it becomes a beautifully complex tapestry with lots of cool improvisational flourishes in terms of both musical performance and production techniques.

Afforestation

After taking a break from this story for a whole year, The Smoking Trout is so happy to share with you all the final chapter in our epic ongoing tale, the Quest for the Holy Dumpling! Thanks to all who've joined us on this fantastic ride, as either listeners or musicians. See credits below to learn about the crew who contributed to this memorable final episode. You'll also find links to our BandCamp and our earlier album, plus Jeff & Jo's incredible lyrics!

Stonerjazz @user-911083679 -- Lyrics, Vocals (intro/outro) Guitar (intro/middle)
Tot - @tot-beat -- Beat & Drums (intro/outro)
Tea R. Sea - @tea_are_sea -- Beat (middle), Synths (throughout), Production
Nadia Selvaggi - @nadiaselvaggi -- Vocals (middle)
TexMex Shaman @texmex-shaman -- Guitar & Guitar Special Effects, Mastering
Nic - @nic_nic_nic -- Vocals, Synths/Keys (middle)
Jo Richter @sonic-textures -- Lyrics, Melodion

-------------
Catch up with all 12 tracks in the Smoking Trout's now-complete concept album, Quest for the Holy Dumpling: on.soundcloud.com/FR63a

Listen to the Smoking Trout's first album, The Land of Zed (2021-2022): on.soundcloud.com/WB34q

Find us on BandCamp!  https://thesmokingtrout.bandcamp.com
-------------

Lyrics (by Stonerjazz & Jo Richter):

Everybody on the bus, Gus and Stu
and some others from Uriah, too, made up their minds
packed up their kinds and kith and kin
and decided unattachedly to pack it in
and Johnny, all nostalgic for the solitude of melancholic bedsheet ascetism, said
"We should go to Zed" and smiled in mild remembrance
"I saw a crack a couple light years back in the space time continuum,
with a sign that read, Zed, 50 miles straight ahead.
We might get there in time to liberate my lost accordion
from the clutches of the local patron
a relative of Mr Smith’, if I am not completely wrong.“

Uriah had a riot
when the dumplings disappeared
trampled by the herds of lust, desire
lampooned by the nerds of rust and fire
gobbled up by fast food throats and street flock trucks
and someone farted, burped and said they wanted seconds
and that was when the trouble started and ursurped the mental landscape
and who’s to blame but some minions from that moppet, Alfred Rufus Smith
who to his simian bewilderment was headed back to earth
in that stolen starship that he stole again, restole and stole for just another time
(the way rebirthing beings rack up karma by incarnating ceaselessly)
from the only holy spaceport of that karmic spacelord on the potted planet
frowned upon by Gus and Stu and all the riders of experience on the nirwana bus--

--"And so it was , they crossed the boundry into Zed, and landed lightly on the purple plain
and when they did, all the holograms on board the bus turned into real Girls and Boys
Would love to say thing turned out well but what the hell , who can tell
Uziel Wivress, Neal Nic and Nadia, jeff and Jo, Stephen Tot and Terry too enjoyed the view as the bus it hit the ground
in the golden grass near the end of June--
Gus and all the crew were happy to have arrived safe and sound
and without a scratch on that sacred patch of rock in space--

see the tarmac flotilla in karmic espandrilles
sharpen their common intuition
and like expanding armadillos
overcome respective inhibition
and cross across the crucial rift and ,riffing, raft the cosmic shift
and wake up in the place where Jonny is remembered as the bringer of the dumpling and the player
of the most beautiful instrument Divine --

Quest for the Holy Dumpling: The End of the Line

Here is the 5th song on the forthcoming album from me and @dough-factory, we started on this project over the summer and have so far put out the tracks Dive, Terms, Faded, and Rust. I came up with the initial idea, beat and synths/samples. Ryan added some parts to it, arranged, and mixed/mastered.

Stutter

First solo song in a while. Had to break out the guitar again. Actually this time I'm borrowing a friend's Gretsch, liking the way it sounds on here.

Cover art: Samaksh Wadhwa, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Cold Rain Blues

I was going to add the subtitle "Variations on a Theme Song". I sent a beat and some melodic stems to @EnigmaCurry and he pointed out that the main bassline sounds suspiciously similar to the theme song from an old cartoon that some of you may be familiar with. Haha, he kind of leaned into that with the opening piano line so we had to call it out in the title.

Go Go Gadget Synth Machine!

Hey friends, check out the "Smoking Trout on BandCamp" link below to get your own copy of the now complete Smoking Trout saga, The Quest for the Holy Dumpling!

New album Audio/Visual is now available on Spotify and for sale on BandCamp, features my favorite tracks from 2024-25. Releases to Spotify and other platforms on September 30th!

My genre influences include electronic, downtempo, lofi, experimental, rock, blues, indie, prog, post rock, ambient, synthwave, trip hop, and hip hop. 

My recent tunes are produced using Ableton Live, FabFilter suite plugins, and often feature synths like Pigments, Microfreak, and Minilogue XD. I'm also beginning to incorporate guitar a lot more!
 
Some of my major artist influences include Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, DJ Shadow, Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, the Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, M83, Godspeed you Black Emperor!, Mogwai, Animal Collective, Nicolas Jaar, Dirty Projectors, Massive Attack, Björk, Dan the Automator, Del, the Gorillaz, Reggie Watts, Ween, Neon Indian, Tycho, Ott, Shpongle, Danger Mouse, Built to Spill, Yo La Tengo, Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine, Pink Floyd, Modest Mouse, the Books, and too many others to list here.

Tea R. Sea

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