Broadly speaking, the first half of the CD is more modern and upbeat while the second
half (except Frequency) is quieter, more classical and makes extensive use of orchestral
strings and percussions. The instruments are mainly acoustic and electric pianos,
a&e guitars and a&e bass, synthesisers, drums and percussions, with rich
layers of lead vocals and harmonies. The music is easy to listen to at the same
time as interesting and varied.
This CD is the culmination of one year of work in the studio. I compose the songs, write the lyrics, create the harmonies and play all the instruments.
I am also the sound engineer and I fiddle for long hours with the recording gear. This is of course a bit of a challenge and also takes a lot more time than having other musicians doing all the hard work for me.
It gives me more freedom to explore my ideas and fine tune them until I get things right.
I don't improvise like jazz players. I play and practice every part to death until
it is exactly the way I want it to be and that is what you get on the final
cut. I usually get my inspiration on the piano, it can be just a few seconds, just
an embryo and I think: hmm that's good. Then I hop on the bass and the drums and
I record a few bars of other instruments. I do it all on the computer, so anything
can be changed afterwards and shifted back and forth. It may change in the future,
but on this CD anyway, the vocals came last. I produced full instrumental tracks
first and I added the vocals afterwards. I try to create music which is fun
to listen to. That does not mean I won’t go for something really sad like Sweet
Anniversary. That’s fun to listen to too. The important thing is to “listen”,
not just play in the background. No talking please. Try to stop whatever you’re
doing for one hour, sit down and play the CD, or play it in your walkman while you’re
on the run. Each track takes you to a different place and they are all worthwhile
visiting.
My absolute favourite is Frequency, the last track. It’s 12 minute long but to me,
it feels like 3 minutes and I can't get tired of it. I would like the groove of
the last 3 minutes to go on forever while I bounce on my swiss ball. I don't use
chairs. They're bad for my back. "Extroduction" means "introduction" but at the
end. Everything is a cycle. There is no begin, there is no end. You need to
play the CD again, and again, until you understand. While I write these words, I've
got a nice hot fire going and a glass of red and some great music to keep me
warm.