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Deep Summer Mix #23   Best Of Deep House Chill Out Lounge Music 2016   Dj Drop G

Summer Special Mix 2016 - Best Of Deep House Sessions Music 2016 Chill Out Mix By Drop G

Witchtape #36 | Guest Wizz : zOnkh

Hi,
My new guest wizz comes from a really unusual place, in the middle of Siberia and so remote that the nearest ocean is thousands of kilometers away. Yet, this special place has its own mini-Ocean : the Baikal Lake. There’s not much doubt that this is by far the most special lake on this planet. First of all, it’s so big (31000 sq kilometers) that my little home country would just fit into it. More amazingly, at 1642 meters it’s the deepest lake on this world.  And at 35 million years, it’s by far the oldest lake on the earth. It is so vast that it contains 20% of all freshwater of this planet. And on top of that, the water is so pure that at some places you can see the bottom from the surface when it is 40 meters deep. This purity is also reflected in the appearance of the ice (which covers the lake in the Siberian winter), as it is incredibly transparent.
This place is so remote and so special, that i love to call it ‘Middle-Earth’, a hidden landlocked continent which is cut off from the rest of the World by mountains, deserts, marshes and ice fields.
And the Baikal lake can also boast of quite a few magical natural phenomena, like glowing orbs floating above the water, which have been spotted several times by fishermen.  Scientist believe that this can be explained by the self-ignition of natural methane gas, but the people living in the area are convinced that these are actually the spirits of the lake.  And some years during the winter, satellites have observed large circles on the ice, sometimes up to 7 kilometers across.  This is actually a huge bubble of slightly warmer water, spinning around like a liquid cyclone around one of the many submerged gas volcanoes.
Obviously, this remote place is so special and unique that it inevitably has an effect on the spirit of the people who live near this lake, and they are among the proudest and most special people on this planet (also in part due to the fact that they are descendants of nomadic ancestors).
And when listening tot his podcast, don’t forget that the maker is living in the middle of the Siberian Winter at this moment, which means the temperature never climbs above -20°C for months in a row and plunges to -30°C (on an average night) or even below -40°C (on really cold nights).  Yet, the cold will never touch the hearts of the wonderful inhabitants of Middle-Earth…
Enjoy! 
Hekske

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/zonkh
https://soundcloud.com/baikalnomads

Photo Credits : ‘Ice crystals of the labyrinth on lake Baikal. Russia’ by Kirill Sergeev

Witchtape #36 | Guest Wizz : zOnkh

Witchtape #40 | Guest Witch : Paboona

(Story continued from Witchtape #34)
It was already well past midnight on this full moon night and it had been a long and intense day for the little witch.  Barely 18 hours ago she had never seen another witch in her whole life (as she had been living all alone in her forest since her early childhood), but now she found herself in the loving presence of two elder witches while attending the very first witch coven of her young life.  It was getting a bit cold and the eldest witch had just lit up a campfire (with a few magic sparks).  Slowly the little witch – who had been really tired after this long day filled with mystic ceremonies – was starting to feel warm again.  She looked up at the full moon (which was really bright and yellow that night) and almost instantly she felt the subtle moon energy run through her whole body.  She experienced it in every cell and even had the impression that she was so fully charged that her long brown hair was standing upright (which wasn’t the case, but that’s how it felt).  Suddenly she heard some rhythmic music.  She looked around and noticed that the other witches didn’t seem to hear it.  Then she realized the music was only present in her head, yet touched her soul deeply.  Her body kept on heating up and she started to feel a bit uncomfortable in her clothes… until all of a sudden she reached her boiling point, jumped up, shook off all her clothes and started to dance in a state of ecstasy.  The two elder witches looked at this spectacle with amazement… and smiled briefly at each other while they observed the young girl going wild.  Clearly, this little novice was making progress much faster than expected, blossoming open from a shy reclusive girl into a real fiery witch in a matter of just a few hours.  And for the first time she was even leading the witch coven, as a forebode of things to come.  Of course the elder witches didn’t stay still for long… they also got up, shucked off their clothes as well and joined their little sister in her ecstatic dance, which would go on for many, many hours until finally the moon would disappear behind the horizon to make room for a particularly glorious sunrise.  When the first rays of sunlight touched their skin… the witches stopped dancing and the eldest witch started to sing an age-old sweet song with a soft voice.  She was soon joined by the other elder witch and even the young witch started to sing in harmony with her two sisters… singing effortlessly without realizing that nobody had ever taught her how to sing that song…
(To be continued in Witchtape #59)

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/paboona

~Mbuki Mvuki~

Witchtape #40 | Guest Witch : Paboona

Witchtape #41 | Guest Wizz : Anatolian Sessions

(Story continued from Witchtape #38)
It was a cold and sunny winter day, and the witch’s forest was covered in a white blanket of snow.  All the forest dwellers came back to life from their winter slumber by this magic snow carpet, and this included the little witch herself.  And exactly on that beautiful day, her wizard returned from an epic 8-month pilgrimage to the lands of his ancestors in Africa.  Like most witches and wizards, they have a peculiar way of greeting each other, and instead of hugging and kissing, they started a game of hide-and-seek in the snow-covered woods, with the young witch playfully running through the snow and climbing trees while the wizard was trying to catch her… not that he even came close as the little witch knew every square inch of her forest and in any case, she’s way faster and more agile than the giant wizard, as he’s over a century older and one foot taller than the nimble petite witch.
Soon the woods were filled with her playful giggles and his loud laughter, while the birds and animals of the forest followed the ebullient couple from a safe distance, making sure not to disturb the two lovers while at the same time they didn’t want to miss one second of this cheerful spectacle…
Finally, around dusk time they reached the far end of the forest and the witch jumped swiftly on a fallen tree, so that she was standing one foot above the ground… which meant that their eyes were at the same level.  The wizard stopped at 3 meters distance from the girl, still catching his breath and chuckling at the same time.  The mood turned more serious as he finally could look into her mesmerizing green eyes, soaking up her youthful energy, while at the same time, when looking at his grey beard, she felt that his wisdom had increased immensely during his long trip to the African continent.  It was getting a bit dark, and the wizard stretched out his hands and launched a few dozens of little floating lights in the air, which magically aligned themselves in a perfect circle around the two lovers.
Then the wizard slowly approached the smiling girl, and he saw a tear of joy rolling down her cheek, making it clear how much she had missed him.  Also he felt his eyes getting wet, while they both reached out their hands to each other.  All the animals and birds were holding their breath as they watched this endearing spectacle, trying their best not to make any noise and avoid disturbing the two lovebirds who were standing in the middle of this circle of little floating lights.  And finally… after what seemed to be an eternity, their lips touched and they exchanged the most tender kiss the forest had ever seen, making all the onlooking animals forget their vow of complete silence and a collective ‘Awwwwwwww’ descended upon the snow-covered magic forest… while the little lights slowly faded away, plunging the enchanted forest in complete darkness on this new moon night…
(To be continued in Witchtape #42)

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/anatoliansessions
https://www.facebook.com/anatoliansessions
https://www.instagram.com/anatoliansessions/

Witchtape #41 | Guest Wizz : Anatolian Sessions

(Story continued from Witchtape #41)
On a cold and sunny winter day, the magic forest woke up under an immaculately white snow carpet, which seemed to wake up all the forest dwellers from their winter slumber, and this included the witch herself. And just on that beautiful day, her wizard finally returned to the forest after an epic 8-month pilgrimage to the lands of his ancestors in Africa. Like most witches and wizards, they have a peculiar way of greeting, and instead of hugging and kissing each other straight away, they started a game of hide-and-seek in the snow-covered woods, which lasted for hours, with the giant venerable wizard not standing a chance to come anywhere near the nimble young witch. After a few hours, the girl decided that the teasing had lasted long enough and finally they were united, exchanging the most tender kiss the forest had ever seen. It was a breathtaking sight with the little witch in her immaculately white dress being united with the giant wizard, whose black clothes blended well with his pitch-dark skin, which had even become a few shades darker by the African sun. After a few minutes, they started to move slowly, while still hugging each other tenderly. It was the start of an elegant dance, with the wizard taking the lead while the black-and-white couple danced through the forest. The animals (who were watching this spectacle from a safe distance) had never seen the witch in such a sweet and docile mood, while she surrendered completely to the charismatic wizard. Meanwhile, the dance became faster and faster, and the couple was whirling around the trees, their bodies dissolving into a black-and-white blur. They were spinning so fast that it looked a bit like a dervish dance, while the couple stayed glued together and the long brown hair of the witch swirling around into all kinds of directions. A few minutes later, they were spinning so fast that they generated a snow tornado, and finally the only thing the spectators could see, was a whirlwind racing through the forest, while a strong wind started to blow through the woods, making all the animals and birds scramble for cover. And just when the tornado had grown into a deafening roar, it stalled in the middle of a clearing. The roar subsided and the snow tornado dissolved into a million snowflakes, which gently hit the ground. Finally, through the snow, the black and white colors of wizz and witch became visible again. All of a sudden the spectators realized that the couple had lost their clothes somewhere in the process and were buried waist-deep in the snow carpet, completely frozen in a close and tender black-and-white embrace, fused into one motionless living statue… The animals had never seen anything like this and held their breath…
(To be continued in Witchtape #44)

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/deepfilip

Witchtape #42 | Guest Wizz : Deep Filip

https://soundcloud.com/doubljuh
https://soundcloud.com/deep_storys

(Story written by The Doubljuh, English translation below)

Es war einmal ein weiser alter Zauberer. Er hatte einen langen Bart, der ihm bis zu den Knien reichte. Aufgrund eines missglückten Zaubers war dieser jedoch nicht schneeweiß, sondern Regenbogen-bunt. Deshalb hatte es der alte Greis schwer in der magischen Gemeinschaft. Beim alljährlichen Treffen im Kanutenwald war ihm dieses schwerwiegende Missgeschick passiert. Der alte Zauberer wollte bei der Zusammenkunft einen mystischen Trank brauen, der schon über Jahrtausende nicht mehr hergestellt wurde. Dieser Trank sollte die Kraft haben, zerstörte Landstriche binnen weniger Sekunden in den prächtigsten Farben erblühen zu lassen. Doch bei der Herstellung stolperte er und schüttete sich das Gebräu in seinen Bart. Dieser wurde sofort kunterbunt und kein Gegenzauber dieser Welt konnte diese Wirkung umkehren. Fort an lachten sich die anderen alten wiesen Männer schlapp, wenn sie den bunten Bart sahen.
Über die Jahre wurde der Zauberer mit dem kuriosen Bart immer schwermütiger. Ein weißer Bart ist für Männer seiner Zunft eminent wichtig und ein unerlässliches Merkmal. Seine Laune wurde immer schlechter und in seinen Gedanken zog Bitterkeit ein. Genauso wie das Herz erkrankte auch der Wald in dem er wohnte. Die Tiere des Waldes machten sich große Sorgen und trafen sich eines Tages zu einer Konferenz. Zuerst waren sie ratlos, bis das verrückte Wildschwein auf die Idee kam ein großes Fest für den Zauberer zu veranstalten. Die anderen Tiere stimmten zu und begannen sofort mit der Vorbereitung für die große Veranstaltung.
Der Zauberer saß wie immer auf einen alten abgestorbenen Baumstumpf und blies Trübsal, als er plötzlich in der Ferne eine Trompete hörte. Sie spielte eine fröhliche Melodie, die ihm irgendwie bekannt vorkam. Er stand auf und wollte die Quelle des Geräusches ergründen. Nach einiger Zeit fand er die Tiere des Waldes auf einer Lichtung. Dort angekommen bildeten die Tiere einen Kreis um den verwirrten Mann sangen für ihn. Tränen liefen alsbald über seine Augen, als er erkannte, dass die Tiere das alles für ihn machten. Der Mann mit den bunten Bart ließ sich auf den bunten Reigen ein und lachte, tanzte, scherzte und feierte mit den Tieren „all night long“! Pure Freude erfüllte das Herz des Zauberers und wie ein Wunder verwandelte sich der Wald in wenigen Sekunden in ein blühendes Paradies... und so hatte der Zauber letztendlich doch noch gewirkt und wer weiß, vielleicht war das auch das Geheimnis des Zaubers.

***

There once was a wise old wizard. He had a long beard which looked like an average wizard’s beard, apart from the fact that it was rainbow-colored instead of snow-white.  This unusual color was due to a mishap involving an ill-executed magic spell, which happened at the annual meeting in the canoe forest.  That day he attempted to brew an old magic potion to regenerate destitute forest areas within seconds and make flowers bloom in the most magnificent colors.  But unfortunately he fumbled and the brew poured over his beard, which became very colorful in a matter of seconds.
And to add insult to injury, there was no known antidote which could reverse this effect.  From then on, the poor wizard was the laughing stock of the magic community.

Over the years, the wizard became more and more melancholic.  A white beard is eminently important to men of his stature.   Like his heart, the forest in which he lived also fell ill.  The animals decided to do something to help the wizard and decided to organize a big surprise party.
When the wizard found out, tears rolled over his cheeks when he realized that the animals were doing it all for him.  The man felt revitalized and laughed, danced and celebrated with the animals "all night long"!  Pure joy filled his heart, and miraculously the forest transformed into a thriving paradise in just a few seconds.  And so the spell had finally worked…

Witchtape #43 | Guest Wizz : The Doubljuh

Witchtape #44 | Guest Wizz : Mușză

(Story continued from witchtape #42)
On a cold but beautiful winter day, the snow-covered forest was shaken up by the surprise arrival of the wizard, who returned from an epic trip to his ancestral lands on the African continent.  This meant that witch and wizard had finally been reunited after an 8-month separation and this unleashed a force the forest had never seen before, with both lovers swirling around the woods like a tornado which ended abruptly at dusk time, with witch and wizard being frozen in a petrified embrace, buried waist-deep in the snow.  The animals of the forest had never seen such a thing before and held their breath.  At first it wasn’t clear whether the couple was still alive or whether they had irreversibly been transformed into lifeless statues.  But it was clear that they had been locked into a frozen tender embrace, the witch’s pale skin contrasting completely with the wizard’s pitch-dark skin.  An eerie silence descended over the woods, while the last rays of sunlight faded away and the forest plunged into complete darkness on a moonless night.  The vibrant woods had never before been this silent, while all the animals were hoping to get a sign of life of the interlocked frozen lovers.  Then an owl heard the faint sound of a distant heartbeat.  Soon afterwards all the forest dwellers heard this beating sound too, even the ones who lived at the far end of the woods.  And slowly the heartbeat split into two pulses, a slower stronger beat and a faster, slightly weaker pulse.  The animals quickly guessed that these were the heartbeats of the wizard and the witch and soon they even felt tremors going through the ground and the trees with every pulse.  The whole forest seemed to be vibrating at the speed of both heartbeats, which seemed to run faster and faster, but stayed asynchronous.  That night, none of the animals were able to sleep as they were all resonating with the beating sounds which were echoing back and forth throughout the whole forest.  After midnight, these rhythmic beats got mixed with the sounds of falling drops of water.  It took a while before the animals realized that the winter cold was giving way to spring warmth and that the snow on the branches of the trees was melting rapidly.  This continued the whole night, while the heartbeats sped up and slowed down periodically.  It was only at daybreak that the pulsating sounds faded away and the forest became completely silent.  The animals were eagerly waiting for the first rays of sunlight because they sensed that the appearance of their surroundings had changed dramatically.  And finally, when the sun rose above the horizon, all the forest beings could see that all the snow was completely gone, and was replaced by a magic carpet of colorful flowers.  At that moment a lone bird started to sing and in a matter of seconds he was joined by all the birds of the forest, creating a deafening cacophony of songs which lasted a few minutes and ended as sudden as it started.  Only after that, the animals became curious about the witch and the wizard.  To their great relief, the two lovers were not frozen anymore - although they were still locked in a tender embrace while lying on the soft moss, while his hand stroked gently through her long brown hair.  The animals deemed it appropriate to give the couple some privacy and in any case, soon the animals’ attention turned towards their own priorities, and so the forest became filled with a chaotic bustle of birds frenetically building nests all over the place, rabbits digging new holes in the ground and owls searching for the most suitable hollow trees, while the air filled with a variety of fresh flower scents.  After a long and cold winter, spring had finally arrived…
(story to be continued with Witchtape #45)

Witchtape #44 | Guest Wizz : Mușză

Witchtape #47 | Guest Wizz : Daniel Steinfels

For most people, by far the most memorable activity from their school years is the customary foreign trip in the final year of senior high school, which is so much more than a simple trip and feels more like some kind of pilgrimage or rite of passage.  In Belgium this trip is generally a tour of Italy or England.  But this is the story of a truly extraordinary school trip, to a country which doesn’t exist anymore, visiting cities which have by now changed beyond recognition.  This is part 2 of the story of a tour by bus through a lost world… East-Germany before the Wall came down (story continued from Witchtape #46).

Wartha-Herleshausen was one of the rare German-German border crossings during the Cold War.  Leaving West-Germany was just a simple formality, but entering communist East-Germany would turn out to be a prolonged struggle.  The checkpoint on the East-German side of the No Man’s Land was located in the middle of a desolate and windy plain, where trees had been removed in order to make it impossible to hide anywhere.  We felt really uncomfortable in this inhospitable place and we even couldn’t count much on the reassuring presence of other people or vehicles.  Our bus stood there for 1,5 hours (during which we were not allowed to leave the bus) and during that time only a handful of vehicles crossed the Iron Curtain in either direction.  This was in sharp contrast with our return through Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin a few days later, which was actually a pretty busy place, but this remote border crossing simply felt like the most isolated place on the planet, full of mean-looking soldiers carrying guns (which is a thing we never saw in Belgium) and we knew they were trained to shoot and kill all citizens who were trying to flee to the West, which happened quite often all over the German-German border.  All the (usually very chatty and giggly) school girls fell completely silent in the middle of this intimidating place and the worst moment was when 2 border guards entered the bus and checked each and every passenger.  The standard check included a 15 second ice-cold stare straight into the eyes of each of the terrified school girls, during which the – seemingly emotionless - border guards seemed to check whether you were really the same person as on the picture of your passport.  I was really terrified by that stone cold gaze, and even now – over 30 years later – I still get shivers down my spine when thinking back to these awkward seconds.  We were all treated like enemies of the state and in our youthful innocence, none of use realized that a bus full of adorable 17 year-old schoolgirls actually was an irresistible charm offensive which would hit the local youth much harder than we could ever imagine.  We simply couldn’t fathom that we were actually undermining the state by spreading a simple message of peace, love and freedom just by our mere presence.  All this would slowly dawn to us in a few days’ time, during our subsequent passage through Dresden and East-Berlin…
(To be continued in Witchtape #63)

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/steinfels
https://www.facebook.com/daniel.steinfels.music
https://soundcloud.com/danielsteinfelsmusic

Witchtape #47 | Guest Wizz : Daniel Steinfels

Witchtape #49 | Guest Wizz : Sounds Of Deep Culture

The sage looked in awe at the majestic snow-capped mountain range which towered above him.  It looked absolutely impossible to climb these rugged mountains, yet his trusted guide owl made it clear that their path was going straight through this icy realm.  The epic journey of the sage had started one year earlier in South-East Asia, and on the way he had encountered a great number mystics and ascetics on his path, first crisscrossing the Indian subcontinent before spending several months in a Buddhist monastery in Tibet.  After that - as always following the directions from his faithful guide owl - the sage headed to the Northwest where he first crossed the vast and remote Tibetan plateau and endured the scorching heat of the inhospitable Taklamakan desert until he finally reached the foothills of the intimidatingly high Tian Shan mountain range.  After several days of climbing in misty conditions, he finally rose above the clouds and got an excellent view of the most elegant and majestic mountain peak he had ever seen, the Khan Tengri, a 7000 meter white giant which is located near the three-country point between China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.  The summit looked like a near-perfect pyramid and was even more beautiful than the Matterhorn in Switzerland.  The name ‘Khan Tengri’ means ‘King Heaven’ and that’s a well-deserved name, as looking at this giant felt for the sage like a supreme mystic experience and he clearly felt the force of the mountain deities and even the awesome force of the universe.  Despite the biting cold and the thin air, the sage soon reached a meditative state of bliss which lasted for several hours.  
It dawned to him that this majestic mountain marked the halfway point of his epic trip from South-East Asia to an enchanted forest in North-Western Europe.  After crossing the mountain pass, he descended towards Kazakhstan which was completely different from the barren high-altitude deserts which he had crossed during the last few months.  Actually, as he reached the lower altitudes, he found himself in the middle of a pleasant lush green landscape full with colorful flowers, crystal clear streams and deep-blue mountain lakes.  This hidden corner of Central-Asia simply felt like paradise on earth.  The local people looked quite different from the people on the Chinese side of the mountains and they clearly had both Asian and European blood running through their veins.  It was the first time that the sage felt that he was nearing his final destination in North-West Europe, although it would still take him over one year before he would finally reach the enchanted forest… (to be continued)

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/soundsofdeepculture
vk.com/soundsofdeepculture

Cover picture :  ‘Panorama of the Tian Shan mountains’ (credits : Krishna Wu)

Witchtape #49 | Guest Wizz : Sounds Of Deep Culture

Witchtape #50 | Guest Wizz : ΑRGÁVATHIÁ

(Story continued from Witchtape #49)
The sage – accompanied by his trusted guide owl - entered the forest with great caution, not knowing what to expect and completely oblivious of the fact that he was the very first human whom the spotter birds had allowed to enter into the witch’s forest.  Ever.  So this was the final destination of the sage’s pilgrimage, which started 2 years earlier in South-East Asia and along the road he connected with many different kinds of mysticism and spirituality in all corners of Asia, including an epic passage through the green valleys of Kazakhstan.  Yet his trusted owl kept on leading the sage westwards all the way to this forest in North-Western Europe.  From the outside, it looked like any other forest but within seconds after entering the woods, he sensed an unusually serene energy.  The forest animals were not shy at all, and they were very curious for these two unexpected visitors, with squirrels sniffing at the sage’s feet and when he stretched out his arm, a couple of perky little birds landed on his hand within seconds (not feeling the least bit intimidated by presence of the owl).  The pilgrim now took his time to savor the surroundings, with flowers of the most magnificent colors blooming everywhere and a variety of pleasant scents coming his way.  After a while he noticed that many animals were moving slowly into one particular direction, so he got curious and decided to follow this unusual procession.   The lush green woods gradually became denser and darker, before getting lighter and brighter again as he neared a glade deep in the forest.  The procession of animals ground to a halt while they all looked into the distance.  The sage looked into the same direction and what he saw left him completely petrified.  In a nearby clearing he saw a young girl – maybe still in her teens - with very long brown hair and an immaculately white dress frolic with some animals, including a couple of wolves.  The sage was unsure about what to do (hide or flee), but when he saw all the animals around him watching this spectacle in a relaxed mood, he decided it was OK to keep on observing this mystery girl while staying out of sight in order not to disturb her.  

(To be continued in Witchtape #55)

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/argavathia

Photo credits : Phant

Witchtape #50 | Guest Wizz : ΑRGÁVATHIÁ

Witchtape #51 | Guest Wizz : Disfunctional Disco

(Story continued from Witchtape #45)
The little witch was already flying for countless hours over an endless desert, steadily following her inner compass into South/South-Eastern direction.  She was starting to feel tired from all that flying.  Her head grew heavy and her sight grew dim.  She had to stop for the night.  Luckily, she was nearing the other side of the desert as she spotted a few shrubs in the distance.  After a while, she saw some patches of grass and a few beautiful giant trees as she flew over the African savanna.  On her right side there was a breathtaking sunset unfolding… it was high time to land and find a safe place to spend the night.  The witch saw no humans which meant the place was safe.  She landed at the foot of a majestic tree, but didn’t have much time to savor the glorious sunset, as a few hungry lions were stealthily approaching her, observing the witch from close quarter, preparing for a decisive lethal strike.  But while looking at the witch, a feeling of tenderness took hold of the lionesses.  Instead of attacking, they walked slowly into the direction of the girl, who started to talk with a soft voice to the queens of the savanna.  This drew the attention of even more lions and soon they were all lying at the feet of the witch, while she played and frolicked with a bunch of lion cubs - who especially loved to play with the girl’s long hair (the hair of a young witch is of an indescribable softness).  The leader of the pride welcomed the young witch and ordered the other animals to prepare a soft bed of grass for the exhausted girl.  And soon the little witch drifted into a blissful sleep in the middle of a circle of lions, whom had never ever experienced a similarly peaceful presence in the savanna… (to be continued in Witchtape #52)

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/disfunctional_disco

Photo credits : Илона Матюшкина (aka Lunaanoli)

Fun contest : who is the first to recognize the American Rock Classic of which a few phrases of the lyrics have been ripped into the story? :)

Witchtape #51 | Guest Wizz : Disfunctional Disco

Witchtape #52 | Guest Wizz : Louis de Sentenac

(Story continued from Witchtape #51)
After a deep, blissful sleep, the little witch woke up just before sunrise.  She quickly realized the little fluffy thing she was holding tenderly in her arms, was actually a lion cub and when looking around, she saw a lioness watching the two of them with endearment … clearly the cub’s mom.  Slowly it dawned to the girl that she had been sleeping in the middle of a circle of lions … easily the best possible protection in the savanna.  Despite being far away from her home forest in North-Western Europe, the little witch felt absolutely at ease.
Soon time had come to say goodbye to the friendly pride of lions and continue to fly into South/South-Eastern direction.  The girl flew over a wide variation of breathtaking landscapes, while the savanna gave way to forests and lakes and marshlands.  At one point, she saw several columns of black smoke rising up from the edge of a forest.  When she came closer, she realized the fires had been lit by humans in a deliberate effort to destroy the forest.  The little witch burst into tears at the sight of this senseless destruction.  Yet she followed her inner compass and continued to fly southwards, over a vast lush green forest.  The European girl had never seen such an immense forest, which was way bigger than all the forests of her homeland combined.  It was lush and green and full of majestic trees.  After flying over this rainforest for nearly one hour, the witch felt how her heart started to throb faster as her inner compass indicated that she was nearing her destination…
(To be continued)

Connect with the artist :
https://soundcloud.com/louis-de-sentenac

Witchtape #52 | Guest Wizz : Louis de Sentenac

Witchtape #54 | Guest Wizards : Dauw & Schemering

(Story continued from Witchtape #53)

After saying goodbye to the tiny little black witch in the middle of the African rain forest, the witch and wizard flew eastwards, following the equator.  The unspoiled forest underneath them was so vast that two hours later, they still hadn’t reached the edge.  It’s a little known fact that also wizards can fly, as their code of conduct dictates them to travel the world on foot, except when they’re in the company of a witch.  So it’s easy to understand that the young witch was a much more skillful flyer than the giant wizard, who hadn’t flown for nearly a century.  Soon the girl got into a playful mood and started to make some perfectly timed loopings and corkscrews around the clumsy wizard, while giggling and yelling the whole time without interruption.  Meanwhile the sun was going down and they were looking for a place to spend the night, when they saw the contours of a huge volcano light up in the soft evening twilight.  The couple climbed to a higher altitude, until they were above the tree line where they decided to land.  They touched down on a patch of soft moss, and soon they were lying in each other’s arms, finally reunited after 5 months of separation.  It was getting cold quickly, so the little white witch snuggled really close to the giant black wizard, caressing his grey beard while his hands enjoyed the incredible softness of a young witch’s hair.  Soon a majestic full moon rose above the horizon, while the witch and wizard listened to each other’s heartbeat, which was soon joined by the faint but bouncy heartbeat of the unborn new witch who was clearly enjoying the company of her father, as she refused to fall asleep.  It was well past midnight when the three of them fell asleep, under the soft moonlight, high up the slopes of a volcano which was towering above the pristine African rain forest.  They woke up before dawn, and became immediately spellbound by the myriad different colors of the morning twilight.  Slowly the mountain bathed in light and when the little witch looked at the wizard, she started to laugh when she saw dewdrops all over his long beard (after which he started to chuckle too).  Just seconds later, the first ray of sunlight hit the mountain and soon they were bathing in the sun, while the forest in the valley was still plunged in darkness.  Soon time had come to continue flying into the direction of the sun.  The wizard became very excited as he knew that they were nearing his home ground… the village where he was born and raised… the destination of their epic trip to the heart of Africa…

(To be continued in Witchtape #56)

Connect with the artists : 
https://soundcloud.com/schemering
https://soundcloud.com/dauwmuziek

Instagram
www.instagram.com/dauwmuziek/
www.instagram.com/schemering_/

Facebook
www.facebook.com/dauwmuziek/
www.facebook.com/Schemering1/

Photo credits :  Johannes Plenio

Witchtape #54 | Guest Wizards : Dauw & Schemering

Witchtape #58 | Guest Wizards : Missfeat

(Story continued from Witchtape #56)

Finally, after spending one night in the African rain forest in the loving presence of all sorts of exotic animals and trees, the little witch sensed that the time was finally right to fly the last mile to the village in the nearby clearing… the home village of her soon-to-be-husband wizard and – of course – her future parents-in-law.  The girl was very nervous, but not because of the prospect of meeting her in-laws but simply because the village was full of people, while so far the biggest crowd the solitary girl had ever seen, consisted of 3 witches, including herself.  
Soon afterwards the girl started flying at a gentle pace towards the village, which seemed deserted (the wizard had instructed the villagers to stay indoors in order not to unsettle their airborne guest).  The witch calmed down a bit when she saw a giant baobab tree in the middle of the village.  With a graceful movement, she touched down at the foot of the tree.  Immediately after her feet hit the ground, she heard some children erupting in cheers in the nearby building with a thatched roof, and soon afterwards she saw 8 schoolgirls getting out of the wooden building and running towards the witch while cheering enthusiastically.  They immediately hugged the European witch warmly and touched her pale-white skin as well as her incredibly soft long brown hair, which was not curly like their own hair.  The little girls were all between 7 and 10 years old.  They were all black, yet they had all distinctly different colors and appearances.  The witch felt a strong energy flowing back and forth during the group hug… she had never felt so much love.  Visibly the 8 children were all witches-in-the-making.
After a few minutes, the witch saw an elderly couple walking out of the school building.  The 8 girls all became quiet when they saw their school principals approaching.  
They explained that in the course of the last couple of years, the 8 girls had all by themselves found the way to this village from the 8 different corners of Africa, and after arriving they all said that they wanted to become a witch and protect the rain forests of the continent.  But actually nobody in the village knew exactly what they needed to teach these girls to become a witch, but they sensed a solution would appear out of the blue in due time.  So the elders of the villages, started teaching the kids about the plants and animals of the forest, and also about medicinal brews as well as the delicate celestial energies of the sun, the moon and the stars.  It soon became clear that all the 8 girls had a special mystic bond with the animals of the surrounding forest, and quite often one of the kids slipped out of the village to spend some time in the wilderness, where the friendly animals took care of them before bringing them back to the village at dusk time…

(Story to be continued in Witchtape #98)

Connect with the artists : 
https://soundcloud.com/missfeat
https://www.facebook.com/missfeat/
https://www.instagram.com/missfeat08/

Photo credits : Samuel Borges

Witchtape #58 | Guest Wizards : Missfeat

Witchtape #60 | Guest Witch : Steph

(Story continued from Witchtape #59)
Finally the 3 witches came close to each other, here in the ice-cold melting water from the glaciers of Mount Hermon in the middle of a little lake near an idyllic waterfall.  Three forces united, a young witch from North-Western Europe, a teenage witch from the Desert in the East and a staggeringly old witch (over 6000 years of age) from the Mediterranean coast in the West, who is a regular visitor of this holy river since the dawn of civilization.
The little witch had never been this far to the South, but she felt at ease in the company of her two sisters witch from the Fertile Crescent, who were slowly swimming towards her.  Both witches reached their European guest at the same moment, and greeted each other with a tender embrace.  The contrasting yet complementary energies of the other witches instantly warmed up the girl, making her forget that she was standing in ice-cold water with her feet buried in the mud.  Visibly, the witches of this part of the world are way more touchy-feely than the more reserved Nordic witches.  This way, the European girl could instantly connect with the youthful energy of the teenage witch from the East and also with the immense wisdom and life-experience of the elder witch.  After a while the 3 women dived under water (which was very clear and pure melting water) while still being interlocked in a gentle embrace.  When the little witch looked down, she was puzzled to see only a peerless depth instead of the solid ground she was still standing on a few moments earlier.  After having a second look into the abyss, she saw some lights in the distance, looking like underwater stars.  And despite the ice-cold water, her body started to feel very warm, and the warmest spots were the places where her skin touched with the bodies of her sisters witch.  Slowly the witches moved closer to each other, their legs intertwining, while the little witch felt warmer and warmer… and increasingly energetic.  When she looked downward again, she noticed that the little lights in the depths seemed to have come closer.  Meanwhile, the interlocked witches floated in the water while slowly sinking deeper.  The little witch closed her eyes and was wondering what would come next…
(To be continued in Witchtape #61)

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/steph_sound

Photo credits : Irina Alexandrovna

Witchtape #60 | Guest Witch : Steph

(Story continued from witchtapes #49-50-55)

After the sage – accompanied by his trusted guide owl – sneaked stealthily into the forest, he sensed an unusually serene energy.  This was clearly no ordinary forest.  After a while he noticed a procession of animals heading into the same direction and he decided to follow them until they ground to a halt while all animals looked into the same direction.  The sage looked into the same direction and what he saw left him completely petrified.  In a nearby clearing he saw a young girl – maybe still in her teens - with very long brown hair and an immaculately white dress frolic with some wolves.  The sage didn’t know whether to hide or flee, but when he saw all the forest dwellers around him watching this spectacle in a relaxed mood, he concluded it was OK to keep on observing this mystery girl while staying out of sight in order not to disturb her.
The sage wasn’t sure whether this girl was a fairy or maybe a witch, but she obviously wasn’t an ordinary human being.  After a few minutes, the girl started collecting some firewood.  The nearby animals immediately started to help her, with a couple of magpies flying in some twigs while two wolves and a few squirrels swiftly collected some pieces of wood and laid it at the feet of the young witch.  With all this help, it only took a few minutes before a small pile of firewood was lying in front of the barefoot girl.  After indicating that there was enough wood now, she took a small cauldron and filled it with some fresh water from a nearby stream.  She also picked a selection of herbs and mushrooms and when all the ingredients had been gathered, she put the cauldron on the fireplace and with an elegant hand movement, she lighted a floating spark which found its way to the firewood and set it ablaze.  The sage was dumbfounded by this magic spectacle, and so was his guide owl who sat on his shoulder all the time.  With calm and unhurried movements, the girl put all the ingredients into the cauldron and gently stirred the brew.  Meanwhile the sage asked himself how the dress of this barefoot forest girl could be so immaculately white.  After about half an hour, the brew seemed to be ready and the witch took the cauldron away from the fire to let it cool down.  
The sage – who was looking at the spectacle from a respectful distance – still didn’t have a clue what was the purpose of the brew.  Apparently not for immediate consumption, because the young witch took the cauldron in her hand and walked away, followed by a small group of playful forest animals.  All the animals who had been watching the movements of the witch at the same spot as the sage, also started to move in the same direction.  Presumably, they knew what was going to happen.  The barefoot witch followed a narrow forest path and every now and then she stopped to take some time to admire some of the countless flowers in this enchanted forest.  Finally, she arrived at a pond which seemed to hide a well underneath the surface, as a little stream was flowing out of the pond.  The group of animals which the sage was following, also stopped in their tracks at a perfect vantage point over the pond and the little stream, and observed the movements of the young witch from a distance.  The girl had put the cauldron on the ground.  She was visibly enjoying the beautiful surroundings and once again it struck the sage how beautiful and elegant she was with her long brown hair and white dress (which looked very clean, but apparently not clean enough for the young witch as she started inspecting her clothes).  The sage looked at the animals who were surrounding him, and they were all exclusively focused on the little witch, who was now standing next to the cauldron on the bank of the little stream.  And then, without any warning, it became clear what the purpose of the brew was…

(Final episode in Witchtape #75)

https://soundcloud.com/ghassan-asmar

Photo credits : Irina Alexandrovna

Witchtape #62 | Guest Wizz : gussguss

Witchtape #64 | Guest Wizz : éner

(Story continued from Witchtape #31)
That morning the little witch was in a frisky mood when performing her daily inspection round in her forest.  It was one of the first days of March and while walking barefoot in the ice-cold mud, she sensed that spring was slowly awakening, with all the birds vigorously singing their best songs at dawn.  The young witch started to sing a sweet song while walking gracefully through the woods, making sure not to trample any snow drops or crocus flowers.  But then all of a sudden she froze while her heart skipped a beat.  In the middle of the still leafless forest she spotted a completely green tree which hadn’t been there one day before.  She quickly realized this was the little oak tree which she planted 2 years earlier (in witchtape #22).  This tiny tree was destined to become the mother tree of the forest and was poised to live for over a thousand years.  Yet, during the two years after planting, it had barely grown taller, although the badgers (who had dug an elaborate network of burrows and tunnels around the tree) had reported some intense root activity during the winter.  The roots of the future mother tree were easy to recognize as they emitted a pleasant pinkish glow in the dark tunnels of the badgers sett.
The girl cautiously approached the tree and noticed it had grown prodigiously during the last 24 hours and on top of that it was fully covered with fresh green leaves.  This was in complete contrast with all the surrounding trees which were still without leaves.  She stretched out her hand, and when touching the tree, hundreds of blue flowers magically started to bloom simultaneously all over the tree (which is quite amazing given the fact that oak trees are not supposed to bear blue flowers).  And more amazingly, the immaculately white dress of the witch had changed into a beautiful blue color and flowers were blooming on her dress and even in her long brown hair, while the branches of the tree started to move and some twigs hugged the girl tenderly.  The witch and the tree engaged in a tender embrace, and all of a sudden the girl felt connected with every living being and every stone of the whole forest, experiencing an overwhelming amount of endless love.  Meanwhile all birds had stopped singing and held their breath…
(To be continued…)

Connect with the artist : 
https://soundcloud.com/ener-music
https://soundcloud.com/deep-smooth-podcast
https://soundcloud.com/faultierdisko

Photo credits : Irina Alexandrovna

Witchtape #64 | Guest Wizz : éner

KaterCast #39 für Euch von Geju & The Band !!!

SoundCloud: @g-e-j-u 
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/GEJUOFFICIAL/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geju___/
Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/artist/geju/561033

Infos: 
All tracks produced by @g-e-j-u 
Drums/fx - Kirill Osherov 
Keys/guitar - Gleb Andrianov 
Sax/synth - Sergey Maltsev

Geju performed their live debut at our friend's concert event series BACKSTAGE OF REALITY at Säälchen.

recorded February 20 / 2020 at SÄÄLCHEN / Holzmarkt Berlin

BACKSTAGE OF REALITY
You might ask yourself: What is that?
When we first thought about an event series, we knew we want to focus on an event that touches each one of your senses. Its about the experience, the journey, the connection between music, visual art and fragrances.
Backstage Of Reality will always present bands and electronic live acts. For some of them it will be the very first time in concert. So you always can expect something special.
We want to invite you for an evening to leave behind your normal life and dive into the Backstage for a few hours - a concert for your senses!  

Artwork by Isakov / www.isakov.de
www.sasomobookings.com

KaterBlau

KaterCast 39 - Geju & The Band live - Säälchen Edition

Music is storytelling, bringing to light an individual's self-expression, or spirit.

For the next iteration of our podcast series, we bring you Manucho's interpretation of Lughat alRouh.

A note from Manucho:
“Rest and be thankful”. - William Wordsworth

Connect with the artist:
https://soundcloud.com/manucho_arevalo
fb.com/manuchomusica
https://www.instagram.com/manucho.arevalo/

Connect with Lughat alRouh:
@lughatalrouh
fb.com/LughatalRouh

Tracklist:

1 | No Soy de aqui ni soy de allá - Chavela Vargas
2 | Swango - Nato FR
3 | La Voz de la Nostalgia - Joaquin Cornejo
4 | Golpe de Fuego - Sidirum (Unreleased)
5 | Zebra - Islandman
6 | Son Anadolu Parsi - Beyhude
7 | In Other Words - Manucho Ft. Niño (Unreleased)
8 | Divinorum - Mente Organica
9 | No Words Left to Say - Moon’s Voyager
10 | Darkness (Feinheitsbrei Remix) - Yuri Pascual feat INKAA
11 | Fussing 1 (Niju Remix) - Bob Marley & The Wailers
12 | Liquid Chant (Niju Remix) - The Oddness
13 | Go Back - Sven Dohse
14 | Get On (El Mundo & Zazou Remix) - Feathered Sun
15 | Mopedbart - Hubbabubbaklubb

wheNigGroWuP...

thedakematrix