Extract V5

FEEL UP
Vocals and Synths : GHOSTHACK
www.Ghosthack.de
Mix, Arrangement and Production: Lillithe

FEEL UP

Dub Reggae version of Walk on By by Burt Bacharach

Walk on By - Pedestrian Dub Mix

Walk On By - Pedestrian Dub Mix

Greetings and good afternoon to my SC friends. This is the 10th and final song intended for my upcoming album ‘What Color Is Your Paradox’. It is also my 7th mind-blowing collaboration with our dear friend Carlos Vivanco (https://soundcloud.com/carlosvivanco-1, https://carlosvivanco1.bandcamp.com). 

This piece was highly entertaining and challenging to work on. We started with clearly defined regions (mine being the more techno sounding stuff… Carlos building the traditional instrument sections). I then mangled the whole thing, and tried to blur the lines more as the song progresses, until both worlds felt fully merged by the end. At least, that was the goal. I’ll let you decide if the structure succeeds in that regard. :)

The title is also quite significant to me at this point in my life; based on the idea of ‘masking’, and our growing inability to do so. 

If you aren’t familiar with the term ‘masking’, one Mental Health Care website I found defines it this way: “Masking often involves suppressing or hiding true emotions, which can lead to a buildup of unresolved feelings and contribute to increased stress, anxiety, and emotional turmoil in the long-term. In the context of mental health and neurodivergence, masking refers to the actions or coping strategies that individuals use to conceal their genuine thoughts, emotions, or challenges.”

It didn’t really occur to me at first that I was masking when I was younger. I guess that idea doesn’t resonate when you’re deeply lost in the illusion; at least, until something makes it obvious. But in hindsight, I’ve worn many masks over the course of my life (Art Director, Technician, Pre-Press Specialist and Graphic Artist would be some of my professional masks. And I would even go so far as to include Husband, Father and Son, since I was on auto-pilot during the earliest stages of those as well). 

As my life progressed, I felt more and more insincere in those roles. I felt something was wrong. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Then COVID (something that actually required us to wear real masks. What irony!) came along, and miraculously changed that for all of us. We gained the necessary space we needed, to finally see the illusion more clearly. Now, that illusion grows more fragile and transparent by the day. So while I’m still in the early stages of trying to figure out the new paradigm… I suspect the really critical takeaway at this point is just recognizing when we’re being our genuine selves, and when we’re lost in a role; especially if that role is debilitating to our personal growth and well being.

Another thing I’m thinking a lot on these days…. Society is dependent on me playing those roles. And society doesn’t really care whether I’m happy or not (as long as I keep paying my bills, and buying their products, and believing their lies). So maybe, just maybe, society doesn’t have my best interests at heart (as I had originally hoped). Maybe… just maybe… we’re going to need to redefine who we are personally, as we stop playing along with this globally unconscious and ultimately destructive agenda.

Thick and chunky topic, I know. But that’s the way the world feels to me these days… like we needed a brisk slap across the face to wake us all up. COVID was that slap (and probably just the first of many still to come). It’s time to prioritize our own self interests; because if we don’t, they certainly won’t. So rip off those masks, and let your freak flag fly. It’s our life, and we’ll be the ones sitting on our deathbed, asking ourselves if we lived life true to ourselves…. or if we just fulfilled the role demanded by this illusion.

We hope you enjoy “Cracks In The Surface”; and it inspires you to think about what aspects of your reality are cracking. Keep in mind… if you still have a pulse, there is always time to change things up. :)

Paradox?

Cracks In The Surface | Carlos Vivanco & GrevusAnjl

Well ….. synths, composition 

https://on.soundcloud.com/n1u9HxZB74wW7FYv6

Surfers like Us ….. guitar, co-composition

This time our duo invites you all again into space. We suggest you chase the comet, which sparkles with colors and escapes from us to the unknown territories of the galaxy. We hope you will enjoy this atmosphere. See you aboard our spaceship 🌔💫

Chasing a Comet (w/ Well)

Back together joining the wonderful Paul Racle, who has again created such a fun track to share.  Paul's super funky groove sets the tone and lets me play - check out and follow Paul's deep collection of originals https://soundcloud.com/paul-racle
https://soundcloud.com/paploviante2

and for a playlist of over 20 tunes together - https://soundcloud.com/jamie-rhind/sets/playing-with-paploviante

Thanks as always for your generous time listening, for your comments and for your shares

EverGreen - Paul Racle / Jamie Rhind

An Gealladh

This is a cool number that Chris and Eddy had been sitting on for about a year or so I believe.  They sent it to me and I really liked it.  I added some wacky percussion noises and the lead guitar throughout.  Then Chris put in some vocals.  was great working together with them.  It's called No Rush

eddyoffline - bass guitar
C.G. Maness - composition, acoustic guitar, vocals, lyrics
TexMex Shaman - lead guitar, wacky percussion and mix


Lyrics:
I don’t know where we went wrong.
Did we ever get off?
As the train moves along,
I’ll sing my railway song.
There’s no time to rush,
Should we get out and push?
No hungry mouths to hush.
I’m done hiding in the woods.
No rush, take your time.
There’s underdogs on the mainline.
No need to heed the signs.
We roll slow on this grind.
No rush, I’ll say it again.
You river rats that cooled my hand.
A blank stare and a grifter's grin.
“You’re just bluffing” said the drifter's friend.

No Rush - w/ eddyoffline and C.G. Maness

A world of wood and metal

Bill Boethius; electric, acoustic, 12 string, ebow & bass guitars

Composed, performed & produced by Bill Boethius

The Iron Wood

+Hard Ear Candy

Cosmic Load

Air (2020) Anthology CD3 Track 01

Hello, Everyone! Do you like surf rock? Do you like the soundtrack from „Pulp Fiction” and „Kill Bill”? I try to combine surf rock with other styles of music: with indie, psychedelic, space rock, ambient, electronica… 
All pieces on my profile were written by me (unless otherwise noted in the description) 
I hope you enjoy the vibe 😎🎸

COLLABORATIONS 

I co-found a duo with my friend from Sweden, Håkan (WELL ) on synthesisers. We have recorded several tracks together, which you can easily find on my profile and on WELL's profile. My friend and I are trying to combine ambient music or space rock with a surf guitar sound in our project. Our collaboration continues 😎 Please check out Håkan’s profile on SoundCloud:

https://on.soundcloud.com/QqMQiooju5M6WSFx7

I also recorded a few tracks with my friend from Poland, Marcin Jakubowski. He is a great composer, musician and producer of electronic and ambient music. You can listen to our tracks  „On the open road to north”,  „Drifting Away” and „Space Crash” on SoundCloud 😎

https://on.soundcloud.com/bMxPLfRnmm7MaPk69

Notable are my collaborative tracks with a group of wonderful musicians from the USA and from the UK who perform under the banner of The Eclectic Collective. We were able to join forces on eight tracks (compositions of my own making): Surf Dance/ A Time Race/ The One/ See You Soon (in a better world)/ Tell Me The Truth/ Sweet Rainy Day/ Flow Of Life/ Between Sun and Moon 😎 This music goes beyond classic surf rock and into psychedelic territory with the help of incredibly talented and creative musicians such as Josh Clary (bass), Ken Karasek (drums), J.J. Terrell (keyboards), Tez Terril (guitar) and Stephen Watkins (guitar and sitar) 🌞 Listen to our songs on Josh Clary's profile:

https://on.soundcloud.com/zRWZiu92GW5C8Sv27

A special project is the track "Ghost Train" which was recorded in a quartet, with Håkan (WELL), Josh Clary and Tez Terril. It's psychedelic ambient based on a trance beat, synths, bass and guitars!🌔

https://on.soundcloud.com/9xhTU5uo5phBPj8A6

Another notable one is the project with my friend from Kansas City - Nathaniel Ehrnman. Together we created a quiet track called "Good Days”. Nathaniel added his guitar parts (slide and baritone) and harmonica to my track. His unique playing style gave the song a folk character 🍀 Please check out Nathaniel’s profile on SoundCloud:

https://on.soundcloud.com/KmSiEyaRZLmFxWGTA

In the next track called 'Clouds', our friend Bill Brooks (Remnant60) joined our duo (Nathaniel and me) on synthesizers. This combination of different musical styles gave an interesting final result, so I invite you to listen to the both songs (produced by Remnant60)🍀

A short time later, another project followed: "Between Us”. Bill Brooks (Remnant60) added his synthesizers to my guitar part and also took care of the production of this song! This is how the combination of surf music with electronica came about. 🌔
Our next collaborative piece between Bill Brooks and myself is titled: „Things Change”. Bill added his synths and bass to my guitar track and also took care of the production and mixing. The end result is available on our profiles! 😎 
Our latest track so far is “Surf Odyssey 2025” where Bill added his synths, second guitar and “ocean sounds”, and handled the mixing and production! 😎🏄🏼‍♂️ Please check out Bill’s profile (Remnant60) on SoundCloud:

https://on.soundcloud.com/Bcfbq2vJq8vZqUXM7

In 2025 I recorded two tracks with Andre (noxpox), a friend of mine and a great musician (synths, bass) from Germany: „Meltdown of the Ego” and „Surfin’ Marrakech”. He is also the producer of the both pieces. You can find many other interesting tracks on Andre’s (noxpox) profile:

https://on.soundcloud.com/RebtnaZDvscdseHA8

Enjoy surf music in a new version! 🔆🎸

MANY THANKS for listening, commenting, reposting and support 😊

Artur / Surfers like Us  

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