Last Pre-Release and: "Madeira" is C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E!

Yes, this is great news: All 13 tracks for the "Madeira" album have been completed as pre-release versions! At the end of this post, you find the pre-release version of "Pico Ruivo Tunnel", the last track destined for the album. And it is a quite unusual one. Not unusual for Cimelium, but rather unusual for this, quite happy, album. Malina already said, that it may be more suitalbe for the "Ad Hominem" album, and I somewhat agree. But to me it refelects the feelings and impressions I had on that day, when we hiked through the Pico Ruivo tunnel to the Caldeirao do Inferno (CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO!). "Madeira" will be a really colorful album indeed. It spans from very cheerful and happy tracks via melancholic sounds to the quite dark "Pico Ruivo Tunnel".

So what's now? Now the 13 tracks have to be polished and thus turned into the final album versions. Will this take as long as it did for the last Willma Poppen album? For sure not, but it will take it's time still. Also I want create some nice cover art, as always. I could use a collage of some nice of the many photos Malina took during our trips to Madeira, and I seriously think about doing exactly that. On the other hand I would find this to be "too easy". Anyway, I'll have to make a decision soon.

And what about the darker album "Ad Hominem"? I just wanted to write, that work at this project is on halt as until "Madeira" is finished, but no: Every now and then I need a musical journey to "the dark regions of my soul" and so the work at this album will slowly go on. Somehow I got the impression, that by far more people are actually waiting for "Ad Hominem" to be released than for "Madeira", but first things first.

Ok, and now enough words. Here's the last track for "Madeira". Note: This time I spent very little time on mixing and EQing everything properly for the pre-release version, because I wanted to showcase that thing very quick and move on to the album completion.

Finaly a new song for the "Madeira" album: "Porto da Cruz"!

Oh well... this is the second Blog on which I have to write, that nothing happened since about a year. Makes me feel just a bit bad, because actually I haven't been idle. As always somebody had to wait in favor of the friends of other projects. Simple as that!

But now the long wait has an end. The album on the Willma Poppen album is done, I have set my priorities different and generally have a new strategy. And so I finished a new song for the long due "Madeira" album yesterday as a pre-release version. So we need just one pre-release version until we can finally start polishing the album versions.

The current song is about the picturesque little village Porto da Cruz at the north coast of Madeira. And the last song is also already heavily in the works. it will be themed after my hike in 2014 through the Pico Ruivo tunnel. It will be for sure the most dark track on the album and Malina already said, that it would fit better on the upcoming "Ad Hominem" album.

The polishing of the pre-release versions aka turning them into album versions will also not take as much time as it did for the Willma Poppen album, because by now, as I said, I have a new strategy and the songs for the "Madeira" album do by far not need as much work. So, with no exaggeration, I can say, that it is more than just possible, that "Madeira" will still be out in 2015.

What about the "dark sister album Ad Hominem"? Well, even though I have many great tracks in the works, it is currently on halt. One of the conceptual failures I did recently was to not concentrate on one thing at the time e.g. not setting priorities. I'll not repeat that failure! So for now it is "Madeira" and my little video projects. That's enough to keep me busy for a while. I know that some of the friends of the first Cimelium album "Mesopotamia" (which is by the way by far the best seller of all alionmind albums) are a bit worried about the Cimelium sound getting too happy, cheerful and generally away from the old dark experimental sound.This cannot happen, friends. It is just, that I wanted to do an album about Madeira and a dark and gloomy sound would not fit it... well aside of the Pico Ruivo tunnel.

Ok, enough words! Let's work! Here's the pre-release version of "Porto da Cruz"...and never forget: Pre-release is NOT the final product!

Better late than never: New song "Nihil Verum"!

Due to unexpected technical complications and other reasons, this blog is more than just a little bit late. My friends on Facebook and Twitter know more already: Once again a song has been created for the "Ad Hominem" album. In fact, we have now completed almost half of the tracks for this album in form of pre-release versions. I joke sometimes, that eventually "Ad Hominem" will be released before the  "Madeira" album. Who would have thought this? Not me :).

Fitting for the album, "Nihil Verum" is once again a rather quiet and serious piece. Originally it was planned to be a so called "floater", ie without any kind of rhythm instruments. However, the use of percussion instruments, starting at around 50% of the playing time, was simply appropriate. Friends of beautiful and creepy experiments with different filter types (in particular comb filters) will again love this piece.

Finally, a short organizational note: Since the work on Willma Poppen album "Willma im Wunderland" is gettig into the "hot phase" (production of the release versions), it may become a bit quiet soon around both Cimelium album projects. Don't worry, we'll soon go on! And now have fun with "Nihil Verum"!
 

New song "Queimadas" and plans for the "Madeira" album!

Typical Queimadas!

The song was introduced two days ago on Facebook and Soundcloud already. This is one more example for why it is a good idea for real Cimelium fans to either "like" on Facebook or follow on Soundcloud. The slight delay of the update of website and blog results once more of a time conflict with another of my projects. More You don't necessarily have to know about it ;).

Queimadas
The new song is, as maybe expected, intended for the album "Madeira", and describes this time a picturesque village in the mountains south of Santana. This time I decided for an orchestral style approach and as it looks like the first listeners loved it. At least I had NEVER so many listeners in just 2 days without blog promo and publication of it on the homepage. Thank you! You encourage me. Here's the song again for those who missed it:

The album "Madeira" - almost done!
So we are now only two songs away from the completion of all traditional 13 songs for the album. And if you're thinking that this will take forever, I can not promise anything but:

1. The locations, described by the two missing songs, have already been selected. One is the Pico Ruivo Tunnel and the other is Porto da Cruz.
2. The two pieces were already completed in form of more or less detailled arrangements of approximately 5 minutes each. So rather a work of minutes instead of hours.

"Madeira" and then what? "Ad Hominem"?
One or the other asked already about what will happen after the completion of the "Madeira" album. So first don't forget about the dark sister album "Ad Hominem" in process, which is only completed almost 50%. But this means that I still have to work for a long time on it. What about the "sun children" amongst the Cimelium fans? Will they, until the album is finished, only get "dark music". Not at all!

Monumental work "Madeira Triptych"!
One or the other already carefully sugested, that something like Madeira can not be dealt with in just one album with 13 tracks. And not just a few noticed the absence of the capital Funchal in the planning for the current album. This is due to the fact that Funchal is a world in itself on the island. Jokingly I said to Malina the other night, that I could make a whole album about Funchal alone: So many places that are completely different even at the respective day- or night time in their feeling. And Malina's answer was THE answer: Then make one! Yes, an album only about Funchal. Sounds crazy? It is perhaps, but necessary. And even crazier like this here's the, now evolved, planning: Madeira will become an album triptych! This means that there will be THREE Madeira albums. Think about it as some kind of an altar: In the middle of it an album just about the queen of the villages of Madeira Funchal. And this album is flanked by two albums that deal with various, to me, important places on the island. Great idea, is it? But a great deal of work! Let's go for it!

"Sic Parvis Magna" a new track for the "Ad Hominem" album!

Finally also those Cimelium listeners get something new to listen who were a bit annoyed by the rather "happy" sound of the songs for the "Madeira" album. It's slowly but steadily getting forward with the "Ad Hominem" album. However, likely it will still take some time until the album release date. Now the fifth track was completed as a pre-release version. So I'm pretty sure that the album release will not still happen this year. Currently, the "Madeira" album and the new album by Willma Poppen have priority.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly, will likely know about the beginnings of "Sic Parvis Magna". It was really rather planned as a minimalist and not too rhythmic piece. However, you know all too well that I often change my plans. And so this track became at least a bit more complex and rhythmic. I have yet honestly tried to stick to the simplistic approach and I think I accomplished it ;). Nevertheless, there was a bit of discussion in my circle of friends and acquaintances, whether this title would be rather suitable for the Willma Poppen project. One or the other actually had the opinion that it would be a bit too rhythmical for Cimelium. Others, on the other hand, thought, that it would be "too dark" for Willma Poppen. I think "Sic Parvis Magna" belongs clearly to the dark side of Cimelium. What do you think?

I have this time tried a few new tricks regarding to the rendering and some other minor technical details. Should the present work therefore sound kind of weird, strange or otherwise odd: I'm currently learning a few new things and am experimenting. But that's what a pre-release version is good for, or? ;) In the finished product of cause everything will sound much better. So, enough said. Here is "Sic Parvis Magna". I hope you like it!

The evolution of simplicity

So simple it starts (screenshot of the basic project)

This morning I thought, after all the other projects were making progress during the past few weeks, it would be a good idea to create a new song for the dark sister of the "Madeira" album. The album in production "Ad Hominem" lags somewhat behind. So I searched through my giant folder with incomplete works for a good base and found one quite fast. 3 synthesizers (1 pad, a bass arpeggio and a lead arpeggio) and a simple breakbeat rhythm with hihat, kick drum and snare. On each of the synthesizers is a little reverb, delay and a lowpass filter. The latter will probably play a bigger role in this.

So far, so good. If one plays it all in the loop and plays around with the filters it is amazing fun and a little reminiscent of the works of the Berlin School of electronic music, especially Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook. You really want to do nothing else but let the whole thing just run for 30 minutes, and simply just turn knobs, just as the old heroes of the analog synthesizers did it back in the days.

I am often accused of complicating things unnecessarily. Friends often say that I should leave a piece as it is and not add anything new. Often it is then precisely such a simple loop with a little "filter magic". And my answer usually is " Hey, this is just one stupid synth, with a little oscillation and filter fiddeling. I can not present that to the public as a finished work!". But especially Malina is often thinks I could do it.

Today I start a little experiment on which I want my friends on the web to participate. Everyone can and should give tips, suggestions or just make comments to make this project a success.

This time I will just try that: Do as little as possible, as much as necessary. I'll try to create with what (described above) is in this project already an entertaining, relaxed, 5 minutes musical piece, which fits on the album project "Ad Hominem". And I want especially my Facebook friends from the FL Studio groups to participate in this. So here we go. There is much ... STOP : ;) little to do. Here's a first, very simple snippet of the project:

"Poiso", a new track for the "Madeira" album, is here!

Who wonders why it again took two months until a new song is presented, is recommended to read this article from the AlionLive blog. That might explain a lot and in addition I am working even on these very AlionLive videos and the new album of the "Willma Poppen" project. Also, as the attentive Facebook friends probably already have noticed, that  this song has already been out for a good week. The delay of this blog entry is due to the fact that I wanted to finish the first episode of "Frühling auf Madeira" video series as quickly as possible . This was somewhat complicated by some technical and personal "difficulties".

Here he is now, however, the 10th (of traditionally 13) title for the album "Madeira". This time I completely used an orchestral approach and rhythm instruments were not used this time. Nevertheless, the whole thing is not what I call a "floater", ie a flowing, rather spherical piece. Rhythm is created in sufficient form by the instruments. In this respect, this song is rather unusual for this album and is in the tradition of the alionsonny album "Alion - The Original Soundtrack" from 2010. Because of this, I especially recommend this album to all who like this song.

And what about the 'dark sister album" of the "Madeira" album, "Ad Hominem"? There are some pieces for this album in the works, but "Madeira" has currently a priority for me, since we are nearing the  completion and the work on the album really took long enough. In this respect, patience! Also for the lovers of the dark side of Cimelium there will be soon something new.

And here is now, without further ado, "Poiso" . Have fun !