This is the opener theme from a soundtrack I composed among dozends of other tracks for a series of podcasts named "Blinded by Rembrandt" which is initiated by the Städelmuseum in Frankfurt, Germany parallel to the exhibition "Nennt mich Rembrandt".The podcast has altogether 4 Episodes once completely published, is in German language and you can listen to it here: https://www.staedelmuseum.de/de/podcast-rembrandt and on all the usual platforms.

Blinded by Rembrandt

Blinded By Rembrandt Main Theme

It’s been seven years since I last posted, which is roughly the gestation period of a creative existential crisis. Anyway, here’s a song.

The Curtain Falls

[Intro]
Hey, welcome to Brain Gremlins Anonymous.
My name is Will-

[Gremlin:]
“Tell them you’re unprepared.”

[Me, singing:]
I am… apparently unprepared.

[Gremlin:]
“Nailed it.”

[Me, singing:] …You know this is why we’re here, right?

[Verse ] 
Met my inner gremlin, dude lives in my head rent-free,
Wakes up every morning whispering “you sure you’re allowed to be?”
He’s got opinions, keeps receipts on every social misstep,
Keeps me from texting first and also hates being left on read.

He’s like: “Buddy, you’re killing it! …lol, kidding, you're a mess.” Then gaslights me into gratitude for mild adult success. 

He’s part mentor, part menace, part interpretive dance,
And every time I evolve - he patches a new “You sure about that?” stance.

[Pre-Chorus]
But I found out - every brain’s got 'em, 
We’re all sharing air with invisible goblins.
And somehow, that’s comforting, right?
We’re never really alone in the mental fight.

[Chorus]
Hey, welcome to Brain Gremlins Anonymous,
We’re fine and falling apart - all of us.
Bring your fears, I’ll bring snacks - it’s communal,
Yeah, it’s messy, but the mess is mutual.

Brain Gremlins Anonymous - say it loud,
“No, we’re not okay… but hey, we’re proud!”
We showed up, sat down, we’re singing out loud -
The gremlin’s invited - just don’t let him run the crowd.

[Verse 2]
Got a gremlin named Regret who clocks in sharp at 2AM,
Plays highlight reels of what I said wrong in twenty ten.

Then there’s Perfection Gremlin - oh god, here he comes again…
“Hold on - actually, no - wait - I’ve got a better line, we should-”
Dude.
Please.
I am TRYING to sing.

He won’t let me post a picture till I Photoshop my soul,
He’s rewriting every lyric like it’s a doctoral goal.

Meanwhile, Social Anxiety Gremlin’s like,
“Remember that time you waved back at someone who wasn’t waving at you?
Yeah. Let’s unpack that tonight at 1AM.”

And I swear I’d be a genius -
If Overthinking Gremlin didn’t require footnotes for every single feeling.

[Pre-Chorus]
But, like - hey, every brain’s got gremlins,
Snacking on serotonin, wearing sweatpants of sin…
Running side quests in your emotional day,
Like: “Should I start a business? Shave my head? Or move away?”

And once we stopped pretending they were gone -
We started writing songs with their voices on.

[Chorus]
Hey, welcome to Brain Gremlins Anonymous,
We're weird and wired and glorious.
Bring your guilt, I’ll bring grace - it’s communal,
Yeah, we’re flawed, but the flaw’s still beautiful.

Brain Gremlins Anonymous - sing it proud,
“No, I’m not okay, but I’m figuring it out.”
Pull up a chair for your inner critic -
He’s trying to help - his methods are just... cryptic.

[Procrastination Verse]
Got a gremlin named Procrastination - dude’s building pillow forts,
Says, “Let’s scroll through 80 reels before we write that report.”
And I’m like… fair. Honestly, dude’s hilarious -
Self-sabotage can be fun if you make it collaborative.

[Bridge]
This is for the ones who feel weird in their minds,
For the awkward, the anxious, the poets of rewind.
Your gremlin’s not evil - he’s just badly trained…

[Perfection Gremlin:]
“…Badly trained? Wow. Okay. Hurtful. Also: the rhyme in verse 1 could be tighter.”

[Me, singing:]
Come on not now, man.

[Final Chorus]
Hey, welcome to Brain Gremlins Anonymous,
We’re not fixed - just noticing the wondrous in all of this.
Bring your dread, I’ll bring dad jokes - it’s fun,
We’re in this circus together - might as well run.

Brain Gremlins Anonymous - lean into the mess,
Cuz' somehow… that’s progress.
Gremlin’s still here - but we’re not scared any-more,
We turned his monologue… into a chorus encore.

[Outro]
Gremlin gave this song a 7 out of 10.
Which is actually huge, because he only uses a scale of 1 to “why are you like this?”
We’re breaking new ground today.

Brain Gremlins Anonymous

The title track and thesis statement of the album. If we treated our personal growth like software updates, we would be a lot kinder to the bugs. Version 1.0 of being a human is messy, but at least it compiles. Here is to the crashes, the quiet fixes, and running on beta firmware.

[Verse 1]
Patch Notes for Humans: new update’s live,
Fixed some bugs in my “try-not-to-dissociate” drive.
Reduced overthinking by 15 percent,
Re-balanced the guilt-to-gratitude content.

Improved stability when faced with mild rejection,
Added bonus XP for emotional reflection.
Resolved an issue where I’d spiral for days -
I mean, it’s still there, but it’s better now, okay?

[Pre-Chorus]
It’s not perfect - it's alive,
Every patch takes time to drive.
And yeah, the old features still crash sometimes…
But hey - it compiles. And it’s mine.

[Chorus]
So here’s to the update, the version of me,
Less broken than last year - still kinda glitchy.
Patch Notes for Humans - scroll down and see:
“Status: improving, but progress is messy.”

Oh, I’m running on borrowed hope and coffee -
But release day’s here, and I hit “deploy” softly.
No major overhauls - yet still something’s new:
The system runs smoother when I tell the truth.

[Verse 2]
Updated anxiety’s UI - now with friendlier fonts,
Reworked forgiveness engine - less error response.
New feature: emotional API -
Supports spontaneous joy streams - try it and cry.

Optimized self-worth algorithms at low bandwidth,
Now supports compliments without panic damage.
Buffed my boundaries - but some regressions remain,
Hotfix coming soon… emotional terrain.

[Pre-Chorus]
It’s still buggy - but I’m kind,
Every line of code rewritten by time.
And though the old wisdom still hasn’t synced…

The changelog?
Fuckin' distinct.

[Chorus]
So here’s to the update, the version of me,
Less broken than last year - still kinda glitchy.
Patch Notes for Humans - scroll down and see:
“Status: evolving - imperfect and free!”

No crash reports today - I’m still on my way,
Running beta firmware, but it’s stable-ish, hey…
All I need is a little acceptance space -
And maybe a reboot with grace.

[Bridge]
They never taught us how to redesign ourselves -
We just debug emotion by feel, no help.
But every update you push through pain and doubt
Becomes a lighthouse for someone else’s route.

[Final Chorus]
So here’s to the update - version now released,
Patch Notes for Humans - we’re wobbling toward peace.
Running slow, but still learning - that’s how systems grow -
Every line of code you change becomes a better tomorrow.

Here’s to the progress in-between fits,
Here’s to the crashes, the quiet fixes.
You’re not a broken build, you’re becoming true -
And damn - that’s a beautiful version of you.

[Outro]
Debug complete.
Ready for life.
Commit successful.

Patch Notes for Humans

A conversation with the inner critic that reframes it as a scared protector rather than an enemy. Compassionate, vulnerable, and quietly transformative. The emotional turning point of the album.

[Intro]
Hey… I know we haven’t really talked like this before.
But I think it’s time.

[Verse 1]
Dear Gremlin,
You’ve been loud - every day, every hour,
Interrupting all my confidence with shadow power.
You tell me I’m too much, or not ever enough -
You're a broken smoke alarm screaming every time I show up.

I used to fight you, tried to drown you out,
But you only got louder - doubt layered on doubt.
Until today, when I finally saw through:
You don’t hate me… you just never learned how to say “I love you.”

[Pre-Chorus]
You were armour in childhood, a shield made of noise,
A glitchy software patch trying to keep out the void.
And I never turned and thanked you for what you tried to do -
So I’m writing now, Gremlin… from me to you.

[Chorus]
Dear Gremlin - you’re not the villain here,
You were built to protect me, you just learned fear.
So I’ll hold your trembling hands in mine,
And whisper: “Hey - we made it. We’re alive.”

Dear Gremlin - rest now… I’ve got this part,
You don’t have to keep breaking my heart to be smart.
You’ve done your job - it’s my turn to thrive,
Thank you for trying - I’ll take it from here, and we’ll survive.

[Verse 2]
You chime in before every risk I take:
“Don’t say that. Don’t be weird. They'll think you're fake.”
You saw danger where there was none -
You were the echo of adults who fed me the gun.

You tried your best, Gremlin.
You really did.
You were a scared little soldier in a nervous system built by a kid.
And yeah, you still yell, and you sometimes still win -
But these days I remember I’m stronger than when you began.

[Pre-Chorus]
So shout if you need to - I promise I’ll stay.
You’re not my enemy - just a voice made from clay.
You warned me because you cared - it just came out wrong,
So let’s write a new script - and turn fear into song.

[Chorus]
Dear Gremlin - you’re not the villain here,
You were built to protect me, you just learned fear.
So I’ll hold your trembling hands in mine,
And whisper: “Hey - we made it. We’re alive.”

Dear Gremlin - rest now… I’ve got this part,
You don’t have to keep breaking my heart to be smart.
You’ve done your job - it’s my turn to thrive,
Thank you for trying - I’ll take it from here, and we’ll survive.

[Bridge]
I used to want to silence you - bury you deep,
But now I hear the heartbreak in the things you speak.
You're scared of change, of loss, of being alone -
So I’ll be your witness. I’ll be your home.

[Final Chorus]
Dear Gremlin - we’re in this together now,
I’ll take the wheel, and you can just breathe out.
You don’t need to shout in the dark to be heard -
You are safe. You are held. You are finally cured.

Dear Gremlin - thank you for guarding the gate,
Now you can rest, before it’s too late.
We’ll make it, I promise - with kindness this time.
You were proof I survived.
Now let me proof-read the rewrite.

[Outro]
Thanks for trying.
Time to rest.
You did well.

Dear Gremlin (A Love Letter to My Inner Critic)

A soft, luminous affirmation that waking up today is proof enough of being alive. This track honors small survival, quiet courage, and the beauty of simply existing.

[Intro]
Hey.
If you woke up today…
That's proof of life.
Let’s begin there.

[Verse 1]
You opened your eyes - that’s a revolution,
Small as breath, big as evolution.
You don’t need to scale some cosmic height,
Just breathe -
You’re already burning bright.

You don’t have to know what all this means,
Or crush the dream machine behind the scenes.
Existing is a radical act -
A quiet rebellion in a world of impact.

[Pre-Chorus]
You’re not a glitch - you’re a spark,
A lantern waking up the dark.
You don’t need permission to be seen-
Being here is enough, I mean…

[Chorus]
This heartbeat is proof of life,
No matter how weary, no matter the strife.
The world kept turning with you inside-
That’s proof enough. You’re still alive.

No need to justify or explain -
Your pulse is already poetry in pain.
Stay here, little miracle - take your time,
Your breath is a sentence - your being’s the rhyme.

[Verse 2]
You’ve been carrying storms inside your bones,
Still moving through the world - that’s how strength is shown.
This isn’t a song for the fearless kind -
It’s for the hands that shake and still try to climb.

Your laugh is a lighthouse in someone else’s fog,
Your tears are ink - they annotate the slog.
You don’t need to shine bright - just light enough,
To remind yourself: your life’s enough.

[Pre-Chorus]
You’re not behind, you’re not too late,
Your pace is yours - you set the weight.
And if today all you did was wake -
That’s more than enough for a life to take.

[Chorus]
This heartbeat is proof of life,
No matter how weary, no matter the strife.
Your story’s not finished - no edit required-
You’re a sentence that wants to be read and admired.

So stay here - even broken, still gold inside,
You matter. You're valued. You're proof of life.
Just breathing today - that’s worth the fight.
You are here.
And that’s proof of light.

[Bridge]
Nobody told us being alive would feel like this -
Equal parts miracle, equal parts abyss.
But even when the map is gone,
The pulse is there - and it sings: “Go on.”

[Final Chorus]
This heartbeat is proof of life,
The quiet rebellion of staying inside.
Your breath is a whisper - but it still counts,
It shakes the universe at its roots… and shouts:

“I’m here - still trying - still choosing the climb,
Still calling the dark by another name - mine.
I matter. I’m messy. I’m proof of life -
And that’s enough…
For another night.”

[Outro]
You’re here.
That’s the miracle.
Let’s keep rewriting the story,
One breath at a time.

Proof of Life

The soft landing. A closing mantra for the entire emotional journey. This track grants permission to rest, recover, and return to life with gentleness. A peaceful and compassionate ending.

[Intro]
You...
You made it here.
That’s enough for today.

[Verse 1]
Some days feel like climbing skylines,
With pockets full of stones.
Some nights feel like empty inboxes,
Echoing back my bones.

I’ve measured progress by the grief,
And worth by what I lack -
But even empty hands can carry light
When the sun decides to come back.

[Pre-Chorus]
And maybe I don’t have to win -
Just show up again.
Even if I’m shaking in the skin I’m in.

[Chorus]
So I’ll try again tomorrow -
Let the night swallow the sorrow.
If I wake up with weight in my chest, I’ll breathe -
Learning to call that peace.

Try again tomorrow -
That’s all I owe.
I don’t have to know the way -
Just trust in the grace… of another day.

[Verse 2]
I used to think that “rest” was quitting,
Or that “pausing” meant I failed -
But even gardens drink the dark before
They bloom and tip the scales.

And I don’t need a perfect map,
Just a compass for my chest -
To say “I’m here. I’m real. I’m trying.”
Even longing is a kind of progress.

[Pre-Chorus]
And what a gift - to see the dawn
Even when I feel withdrawn.
The world still turns - and I go on.

[Chorus]
So I’ll try again tomorrow -
Let rest be the bravest part I know.
If my voice shakes and the words don’t land,
I'll just hold my own hand.

Try again tomorrow -
That promise is enough.
I don’t have to roar to be tough -
Some hearts hum softly, but still keep up.

[Bridge]
You don’t owe anyone a miracle tonight.
Your slow breath is a revolution.
Your burnout is an altar.
The world will still be waiting tomorrow -
and you deserve to meet it rested.

[Final Chorus]
So I’ll try again tomorrow -
Not perfect, just real.
I'll patch the places where I bent too much,
And let small truths heal.

Try again tomorrow -
With mercy for my past.
Kindness in my weary bones…
and time enough at last.

[Outro]
You’re allowed to be unfinished.
And still beloved.

Try Again Tomorrow

These tracks was primarily composed with samples from 8Dio Free You Cloud Collaboration. A virtual music software instrument (VST/AU/AAX) by www.8dio.com

The Project is a follow-up to our popular Free Angels and Free Radicals libraries, which were done in collaboration with our awesome community of users. The idea with our Free You Project was to create the most personal collection of memorable sounds. All we asked was that people recorded/created the 5 most important sounds in their life. The 5 sounds that stood closest to their heart. We took all the contributions and put them into one samples library. We edited, programmed, designed and distributed the entire collection and also added a large chunk of personal materials to it. No restrictions, no rules no limits.

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/8dio.productions
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/8dio
Follow us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/8dioproductions
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/8dio_curators_of_sound/
Follow us on Snapchat: cr8dio

8Dio Free You Cloud Collaboration:"Textural Kaleidoscope" by Troels Folmann

Once again, I have tried to express sensations, in this case, feelings of hope and optimism. It is a melodic  piano on a fully tonal basis. I hope you are able to enjoy  it as much as I while composing it.

Nacho

This outstanding picture was taken by Jill Clardy and it's called "Dawn breaks".

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jillclardy/4104548144/in/photolist-7fGTas-3FQR3q-3G7Lrx-4z7KZU-2cDSU-71KpLZ-7d2mjk-bZXh2j-bMGX42-fW28Z-ezv4ST-896zKk-8Qq2eS-896zt6-duYYZ-fygH-4cRenq-7gYAip-uU5CF-6uhbJb-8upSHE-9E6Gmu-ciUsu-gQ5goV-7ggAed-29ys3JM-onkYYa-8DoJP2-8oDB1-oRxDcp-24KQJfE-7Gorad-qx9WNd-9e9mPC-qP9fAW-6aKWzq-5u4GC1-e43yK4-66HsfN-qXgH6R-7mt6ta-de8NDW-j92iev-etgMDd-53BAZL-p24hwG-aaPv9s-uv642-fFD8xd-8SshCS

The picture: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

Tempo Di Speranza

Please check out my full piano album:
soundcloud.com/pianissimo/sets/still-standing
~~~~~~~~~~
It's been almost a year and a half since I released my last piano piece, Mountains ... so I figured it was time. "Lumina" was a bit unique in that both the piano and violin were almost 100% improv. As such what resulted is particularly raw and unadulterated. Hope you guys enjoy.

Image credit: Kerry Regan --> http://www.kzart.com/galleries/portfolio

Lumina

You can get the album "Swimming Pool" from all good digital music shops and streaming services. 

Bandcamp: https://spoq.bandcamp.com/album/swimming-pool
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/spoqmusic/sets/spoq-swimming-pool
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5X8envOc9yISkOZNwXLX1X
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/swimming-pool/1474756265
Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B07V3SVM8T
Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/release/swimming-pool/2658102
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/album/103930802
Traxsource: https://www.traxsource.com/track/6488545/swimming-pool
Juno Download: https://www.junodownload.com/products/spoq-swimming-pool/4213173-02/
Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/album/137899277

With "Swimming Pool", Spoq releases a new mind bending cinematic album. This work manages to combine warm, intimate, introverted acoustic instruments and melodies, with analogue basses, glitches, fat beats and sometimes even disharmonic, aggressive sounds. This is not at home in one genre, but rather draws chill hop, trip hop and ambient vibes just to juxtapose them with cinematic IDM and sometimes even Synth Wave and Drum'n'Bass elements. Spoq's very specific sound is very present in this album. It can maybe be described as shattering a symphonic orchestra together with vinyl crates and a bunch of broken synths, only to search for the most fragile shards and most solid pieces at the same time to puzzle together something completely new.

Even though it is an instrumental album, the themes behind "Swimming Pool" have a great emotional depth. Writer and producer Wolfram Gruss describes it as a very personal meditative musical reflection on what it means to be human: "A public swimming pool is a sort of microcosm, where for a short time we become the same. We jump in the water to swim, cool off, play, exercise or recreate. It does not matter where you come from, how you have gotten there, what your story is, what you own...everyone is just keeping their heads above the water. At the same time we become vulnerable as our bodies are exposed, the flaws and scars we rather keep covered up might show, our worries, problems and pains are waiting for us as soon as we leave the water. This is exactly the ambivalence I wanted to express with the title track. It is slow, relaxing, almost corny at times, but at the same time probably the saddest and heaviest piece of music I've ever created."
Whether you follow this thought process or not, "Swimming Pool" is definitely an album for connaisseurs looking for unusual and uniquely deep electronic music.  

Written and produced by Wolfram Gruss. 
(c) 2019, all rights reserved. 

Released on Diventa Music: http://www.diventa-music.com/
Catalog Nr. DVM290
Distributed by Digdis: https://digdis.de/

Follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/spoqmusic
Follow me on Bandcamp: https://spoq.bandcamp.com/
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChzuFuBdOJ5af0EYvXBiaNw

www.mrspoq.com

If you like my music, please also check out my other project PNFA:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/officialpnfa
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pnfa
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/62tNQnemDkSLallpzitBSJ

All my tracks are available for licensing. 

#triphop #idm #cinematic #glitch #downtempo #experimental #soundtrack #moody #jazzy #chill #techno #house #edm #deeptechno #breakbeat #soundtrack #epic #downbeat #chillout #ambient #lofi #noise #noire

Swimming Pool

Elephant

I’m just a guy trying to make cool stuff before the heat death of the universe. Occasionally, I succeed. Hopefully this is one of those times.

Patch Notes for Humans

William Lancaster