Blunt Force Serenity

A playful song about an imaginary journey on a mobius surface.

- Music by: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, http://BluntForceSerenity.com
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins

Key: C minor pentatonic and various in the bridge
Time signature: 15/8
BPM: 82

Instruments: 
- Yamaha P120
- Akai MPK 49 MIDI keyboard

DAW: 
- Mac Mini i7, OSX 10.9
- Apple Logic Pro X
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer, Audulus (virtual modular synth), Alicia's Keys
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
- Mackie Control Universal

Mobius Trip

A tragic love song about Global Warming.

- Music by: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, http://BluntForceSerenity.com
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins

Key: C# minor
Time signature: 15/8
BPM: 82

Instruments: 
- Akai MPK 49 MIDI keyboard

DAW: 
- Mac Mini i7, OSX 10.9
- Apple Logic Pro X
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer, Alicia's Keys, Ez Keys, Yamaha Electric Grand
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
- Mackie Control Universal

Narrative and glacier calving event:
- Excerpts and interpretations from the trailer: “Chasing Ice” by Adam LeWinter and Director Jeff Orlowski, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC3VTgIPoGU

Art work "Magic World Breaking Apart" by Mephisto at http://mephisto23.deviantart.com, original image at http://mephisto23.deviantart.com/art/magic-world-breaking-apart-129564175


We're Breaking Apart

A song about self-discovery and a realization about life.

- Music and lyrics by: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, http://BluntForceSerenity.com
- Vocals: Susane Asher @PlasticSky, www.plasticsky.net
- Guitar: Robin Benjamins
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins
- Photograph: "Huntington Beach Pier" by Robin Benjamins

Key: C minor
Time signature: 15/8
BPM: 80

Instruments: 
- PRS Custom 24 guitar, Mesa Boogie TriAxis
- Synthesizers.com Analog Modular Synthesizer
- Arturia KeyLab 88

DAW: 
- Mac Mini i7, OSX 10.10.5
- Apple Logic Pro X
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer, Bazille, Alchemy, Ez Keys, Alicia's Keys
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
- Mackie Control Universal

- Copyright: Robin Benjamins, bluntforceserenity.com

Lyrics:

  - where am I? -

  - what is this place? -

  - am I awake? -

  --* I am here *--

  Slowing the coherence of my
  fragile state of grace
  Awareness of the moment is
  coercing me awake 

  - be here now -

  I wander cross the planes of 
  spectacular quintessence
  Free to be me, no more
  Rules, no more conformance

  - breathe -

  Deep in the folds, 
  I’m caught up in my mission
  Helpless as the spreading cracks 
  breakout upon my vision

  --* I am awake! *--

  Numbing through the day, shattered
  life, outlived my stay
  Thoughts of my dream, knowing 
  reason, I'll find a way

  - be here now -

  Watching all the movement of 
  modern life unfold
  Gripped by all the madness, that
  we have all been sold

  - breathe -

  Now I can see that
  life is not a scheme
  Got a sense of being from 
  the edges of my dream

  --* I am awake! *--

  --* I am here *--

Total Aquarium

The Edges Of My Dreams (feat. Susane Asher)

A song inspired by the documentary film “Planetary” http://weareplanetary.com #weareplanetary

- Music by: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, http://BluntForceSerenity.com
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins
- 1st narration: Joanne Macy, Eco-Philosopher and Activist, http://www.joannamacy.net 
- 2nd narration: Bill McKibben, Environmentalist, http://www.billmckibben.com 

Key: Eb minor, C# minor, D minor
Time signature: 7/4 and 13/4
BPM: 84

Instruments: 
- Arturia KeyLab 88

DAW: 
- Mac Mini i7, OSX 10.10.5
- Apple Logic Pro X
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer, Alchemy
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
- Mackie Control Universal

Narrations are copyright of weareplanetary.com
http://weareplanetary.com
#weareplanetary
@weareplanetary

The Third Story

Ambient textures, Chill vibe with naughty time signatures.  A little Zen moment to get you going.

- Music by: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, http://BluntForceSerenity.com
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins
- Photograph: "Upper Dusy Basin", Kings Canyon National Park, by Robin Benjamins

Key: A minor
Time signature: 31/4 and 30/4
BPM: 84

Instruments: 
- Arturia KeyLab 88

DAW: 
- Mac Mini i7, macOS 10.12.1
- Apple Logic Pro X
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer, EzKeys, Analog Lab, Bazille
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
- Mackie Control Universal

- Copyright: Robin Benjamins, bluntforceserenity.com

Confluence

A journey to "The Horsehead".  Jazz-EDM musings and saying good riddance to 2016!

- Music by: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, BluntForceSerenity.com
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins

Key: C minor pentatonic & Bb minor
Time signature: 11/4 and 7/4
BPM: 90

Instruments: 
- Arturia KeyLab 88

DAW: 
- Mac Pro 12 Core, macOS 10.12.1
- Apple Logic Pro X
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer, EzKeys, Analog Lab, Bazille
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
- Mackie Control Universal

- Copyright: Robin Benjamins, bluntforceserenity.com

Photograph: "The Horsehead" by NASA.  The Horsehead Nebula is a dark nebula in the constellation Orion. The nebula is located just to the south of the star Alnitak, which is farthest east on Orion's Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.

The Horsehead

Sonic imagery from along the Indus River, through the South Asian subcontinent, from its origins in Tibet to its terminus in the Arabian Sea.

- Music by: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, http://BluntForceSerenity.com
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins

Key: C minor, F# minor and G# minor
Time signature: 11/4 and 8/4
BPM: 80

Instruments: 
- Arturia KeyLab 88

DAW: 
- Mac Pro 12 Core, macOS 10.12.4
- Apple Logic Pro X
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer, Bazille
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
- Mackie Control Universal

- Copyright: Robin Benjamins, bluntforceserenity.com

Photograph: “Indus Valley. Near Leh, Ladakh, India” by Nilanjan Sasmal at 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nilanjan_sasmal 
Photograph copyright: Nilanjan Sasmal at 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nilanjan_sasmal/9675371593

Indus

Taking a voyage to reach the shores of the Sea of Tranquility.

- Music by: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, BluntForceSerenity.com
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins

Key: F minor, Eb minor, A major polymorphic, Bb minor, C minor, Ab minor, Bb major
Time signature: 13/8
BPM: 83

Instruments: 
- Arturia KeyLab 88

DAW: 
- Mac Pro 12 Core, macOS 10.13.
- Apple Logic Pro X
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer, Bazille
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40

- Copyright: Robin Benjamins, bluntforceserenity.com

Photograph: “Apollo 11 LEM” by Michael Collins, NASA – This photograph contains every known living human and thing except one, Michael Collins.  The picture shows the LEM (Lunar Excursion Module) returning to the Apollo 11 Command Module after the first Lunar landing at the Sea of Tranquility.  Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong are in the LEM, Michael Collins was behind the camera in the Command Module, and the rest of humanity was on the “Blue Marble” rising above the Moon.

Sea Of Tranquility

A haunting atmospheric song, contrasting between machine eminence and the human essence.  Special thanks to Gabriel Bustamante for his articulate and soulful guitar. 

- Guitar: Gabriel Bustamante, @gabriel-bustamante-12
- Music by: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, http://BluntForceSerenity.com
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins
- Photograph: "The Mendocino Upside Down" by Robin Benjamins

Key: C minor
Time signature: 4/4
BPM: 76

Instruments: 
- Guitar
- Arturia KeyLab 88

DAW: 
- Mac Pro 12 Core, macOS 10.12.6
- Apple Logic Pro X 10.3.3
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer, Valhalla DSP - Shimmer
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
- Mackie Control Universal

- Copyright: Robin Benjamins, bluntforceserenity.com

Vertical Oceans Of Incoherence (feat. Gabriel Bustamante)

A classic beauty!

- Music by: Johann Sebastian Bach
- Guitar: Robin Benjamins, @blunt-force-serenity, http://BluntForceSerenity.com
- Arranged and produced by: Robin Benjamins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach

Key: A minor
Time signature: 4/4
BPM: 70

Instruments: 
- PRS Custom 24 guitar, Mesa Boogie TriAxis
- Yamaha P120
- Akai MPK 49 MIDI keyboard

DAW: 
- MacBook Pro, OSX 10.8
- Apple Logic Pro 9
- Plug-ins: Ez Drummer
- TC Electronics Konnekt 6
- Mackie Control Universal

- Copyright: Robin Benjamins, bluntforceserenity.com

Blunt Force Serenity

Julien Morency (Musicar)