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Info
Duration: 9'32"
Style: New Age Ambient
Ensemble: Electronica, Band, Orchestra, Choir, Electric Guitar
Sound Source: Synth, Samples, Vocals, Guitars
Recording Device: Computer
Mastered by: Simon Allert
The Story
"Be water, my friend" were Bruce Lee’s words to live by.
Lee captured my imagination as a child, and he never let me go. As you may or may not know, he came up with his own style of Kung Fu ("Jeet Kune Do"), and, in my opinion, was a great thinker.
After an injury, Lee was forced to take a break from Kung Fu. During that time, a number of things occurred to him, which went on to play a central role in Jeet Kune Do:
"Be water, my friend"
Be liquid like water. Adapt to your opponents.
Be liquid.
As you probably know from my other music, my work draws from genres like heavy metal, film scores, classical music, SID, pop/rock, etc. I don’t see genres as a framework to work within, but rather as brushes I can paint with – each with its own texture and attributes. My sole guideline is to "be water, my friend." I say forget the genres and focus on the music. Being liquid keeps you from being labeled.
"To express oneself honestly,
not lying to oneself,
that, my friend,
is very hard to do."
Bruce Lee was already a Kung-Fu expert when he first applied this philosophy toward the development of Jeet Kune Do. And he encouraged his students to follow in his footsteps. What this meant to Lee isn’t that they were to imitate him, but rather search inside themselves and discover their own personal style.
I think the same thing applies to music.
The formula for writing a hit song isn’t any secret. Make it three-minutes long. Introduce the chorus right after the first minute. Include a few twists and turns. And don’t make it too complex. I myself have never worked that way.
It has always been important to me to express myself honestly, regardless of how popular or unpopular my music may be. Bruce Lee encouraged people to express themselves honestly and not betray themselves.
The Music
In a number of ways, this piece has characteristics similar to much of my other work. It is a relatively long track, whose serenity reveals itself towards the center as we experience the musical voids and symphonic accents.
In other ways, however, it is new ground. It is uplifting, faster than anything I’ve composed in some time, makes use of several live elements such as guitar and vocals, and it has a lot of power and drive.
It has also been quite an educational experience in terms of harmony, since the whole piece is a two-part counterpoint (plus bass) from beginning to end. I’m really into counterpoint at the moment.
It’s also the first time that I have hidden a bunch of electric guitars in the tune. They don't draw attention to themselves. They’re just there for a bit of color. Has been fun to play a bit of guitar again.
Finally, those of you who listen very closely to the men’s choir will notice that one member of the group doesn’t always hum along in tune: Yup. That's me.
