The Blog
Website redesign
Talk about getting lost in the flow! What I originally intended was to transfer the blog part of my website onto a seperate page, but that got out of hand quickly. I got so excited with the new design that I decided to apply it to the whole site. Now here we are; the old look is gone, and the new site has a few improvements over the old one, such as a menu-style navigation (the “hamburger” menu top right, at least if you allow JavaScript in your browser).
I went with the colour theme Solarized that was developed by Ethan Schoonover, and I even designed a new logo 
from scratch.
Head over to my socials and let me know what you think (I’m absolutely fine with honest critique!)
Oh, and there may or may not be a new song coming out very soon …
Series-ly
Over the past months, I’ve created a few series on my Mastodon accounts:
FYI
Lately, I designed a link list to make access to all my social media and streaming accounts more convenient: babumenos.com/linklist.html
Still hibernating, but …
I have started a new series on my Mastodon account today: In the coming days and weeks I will show photos of all my instruments. If you’d like to follow, please do so.
Mmmkay, …
Yes, it’s true, I’m slow these days. Slower than slow, actually; a new single I am currently working on was supposed to come out right about now but is still in the works. I don’t record, write, or play much at the moment. I guess I am actually in hibernation. Follow my socials to see when I wake back up. Because at some point, I will.
Meanwhile, …
Things keep happening, not many of them being documented here. To stay updated, you might want to follow my account on the Mastodon network: sunny.garden/@babumenos. I released new (well, old but so far unreleased and remastered) music on my Bandcamp page and made a few behind-the-scenes videos for my next single that I will probably release at some point in February. And I’ve had a lot of meaningful exchange of ideas over there. It’s really a place you might grow to like quickly, so, head over there now! :)
Single № 6: One-Gether
I’m a bit late this time, 2½ weeks, to be precise, but now it’s half a dozen: on Friday, 11-11-22, I released One-Gether. The cover is based on a Tokyo-by-night photo by the fabulous Gaijin Mommy, an American who lives in Japan and whose kid invented the word “one-gether” — which inspired me to write this song in the first place. Big thank-you to both of you! Listen to One-Gether on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more via this Songwhip link; watch the lyric video on Youtube (proxied through Invidious). And you know the deal, if you like it, ♡ it, share it, mention it to your family, friends, team mates, colleagues and random strangers :)
As I’ve explained earlier, all songs on Sounds Like Home are created using ordinary objects I repurposed into musical instruments, in this case: two small glass containers with tin lids as agogo percussion and two tin cans with rice and coffee beans, respectively, that served as shakers. On top of that, I played two acoustic six-string guitars, acoustic twelve-string guitar, acoustic five-string bass, two different melodicas, kalimba, two different mouth harps (Đàn môi from Vietnam and Kubing from the Philippines), wind chimes, and performed all lead and choir vocals. The project has been made possible by governmental and GEMA funding; thanks again for that!
Cover artwork: Photo by Gajin Mommy. Fonts “Montserrat” by Julieta Ulanovsky, “DIN 1451 fette Breitschrift 1936” by Peter Wiegel.
Bye bye Facebook, hello Mastodon
The headline says it all; look up: The Facebook logo’s gone, instead, you can now visit my page on the open-source, decentralised, and great social network Mastodon that is part of the Fediverse. See you there!
Not quite a half dozen: № 5 is here
This is single № 5: listen to Your Time Has Come on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more via this Songwhip link. Watch the lyric video on Youtube (proxied through Invidious). As always: if you like it, ♡ it, share it, mention it to your family, friends, team mates, colleagues and random strangers :)
As mentioned before, all songs on Sounds Like Home are created using ordinary objects I repurposed into musical instruments, in this case: the bathtub again, played like bass drum and snare, and a large tin can with rice used as a shaker. I also played acoustic guitar, two handpans, and did all the vocals. The project has been made possible by governmental and GEMA funding; thank you again for that!
Cover artwork: Icon by Gordon Dylan Johnson. Fonts “Montserrat” by Julieta Ulanovsky, “DIN 1451 fette Breitschrift 1936” by Peter Wiegel.
№ 4: Babu Menos out now
Here comes single № 4: listen to Babu Menos on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more via this Songwhip link. Watch the YouTube video here (proxied through Invidious). As always: if you like it, ♡ it, share it, mention it to your family, friends, team mates, colleagues and random strangers :)
I’ve explained this before, all songs on Sounds Like Home are created using ordinary objects I repurposed into musical instruments, in this case: the four doors of a built-in storage cupboard in the entry. I also played acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, and did all the vocals. The project has been made possible by governmental and GEMA funding; thank you again for that!
Cover artwork: Icon by Gordon Dylan Johnson. Fonts “Montserrat” by Julieta Ulanovsky, “DIN 1451 fette Breitschrift 1936” by Peter Wiegel.
№ 3: Sometimes out now
The story continues: Listen to the third single Sometimes on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more via this Songwhip link, and watch the full length video on YouTube (proxied through Invidious). To repeat myself shamelessly, if you like it, ♡ it, share it, mention it to your family, friends, team mates, colleagues and random strangers :)
Remember, all songs on Sounds Like Home are created using ordinary objects I repurposed into musical instruments, in this case: a walled clock and the bathtub. I also played acoustic guitar, electric bass, melodica, and did all the vocals. The project has been made possible by governmental and GEMA funding; a sincere thank-you for that!
Cover artwork: Icon by Gordon Dylan Johnson. Fonts “Montserrat” by Julieta Ulanovsky, “DIN 1451 fette Breitschrift 1936” by Peter Wiegel.
There you go: Before Long is here
Single № 2 is out today. Listen to Before Long on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more via this Songwhip link, and watch the full length video on YouTube (proxied through Invidious). And again, if you like it, ♡ it, share it, mention it to your family, friends, team mates, colleagues and random strangers :)
As previously explained, all songs on Sounds Like Home are created using ordinary objects I repurposed into musical instruments, in this case: a rice tin can and a pair of glass bottles. I also played acoustic guitar and did all the vocals. The project has been made possible by governmental and GEMA funding; a sincere thank-you for that!
Cover artwork: Icon by Gordon Dylan Johnson. Fonts “Montserrat” by Julieta Ulanovsky, “DIN 1451 fette Breitschrift 1936” by Peter Wiegel.
Out Now: The Last Strawberry
Say yay! Today’s the day that my first song off the album Sounds Like Home is being released. Listen to The Last Strawberry on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more via this Songwhip link, and watch the full length video on YouTube (proxied through Invidious). If you like it, ♡ it, share it, mention it to your family, friends, team mates, colleagues and random strangers :)
As you know, all songs on Sounds Like Home are created using ordinary objects I repurposed into musical instruments, in this case: a ceramic washbasin and a matchbox. I also played acoustic guitar, handpan, and did all the vocals. The project has been made possible by governmental and GEMA funding; a sincere thank-you for that!
Cover artwork: Icon by Gordon Dylan Johnson. Fonts “Montserrat” by Julieta Ulanovsky, “DIN 1451 fette Breitschrift 1936” by Peter Wiegel.
The Idea
For almost two years now, a tiny virus has shaped and determined all human life on Earth. For certain periods of time, people weren’t even allowed outside. They had (and at some places still have) to stay inside their homes, with only very few exceptions. One way or another, this obviously affected everyone. Musicians, for example, could not play live (still can’t to the full extent, really). But — could they at least create music?
This is the backdrop for my project Sounds like Home. It evolves from the basic question: What kinds of sounds does your home provide? Given you have any way of recording sound, what is it you can and will record?
Luckily, the German copyright collecting society GEMA agreed to generously funding this project. So I set out exploring the sounds of my home. Admittedly, my place is also a host to various actual musical instruments of diverse forms and provenances (I’ll provide you with a full list at a later point); nonetheless, I began wandering around my home examining most every object, from kitchenware to bathroom appliances, from doors to shelves, for their particular sound. To some astounding effect!
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Nothing here, sorry.
