Still hibernating, but …
I have started a new series on my Mastodon today: I will show photos of all my instruments in the coming days and weeks. If you’d like to follow, please do so.
Babu Menos
I have started a new series on my Mastodon today: I will show photos of all my instruments in the coming days and weeks. If you’d like to follow, please do so.
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.
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! :)
I’m a bit late this time, 2½ weeks, to be precise, but now it’s a full 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 (via the proxy vid.puffyan.us). 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” include sounds that are made with all kinds of things found in my home, in this case: two small glass containers with a tin lid 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!
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!
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 (via the proxy vid.puffyan.us). 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” include sounds made with things found in my home, in this case: the bathtub again, played like bass drum and snare, and a large tine 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; again thank you for that!
Here comes single № 4: listen to “Babu Menos” on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more via this Songwhip link. Watch the video here. 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” include sounds made with things found in my home, 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; again thank you for that!
I have decided to give this app a second chance. I was emotional when I wrote the last bit about TikTok, never a good state to make decisions. As with all social media, you have to be careful who to follow, what to watch and read, where and what to comment on, you know – all that. So, maybe TikTok ain’t that bad if I take more care of it and curate my timeline with more consideration and effort. I’ll try.
The arguments on how TikTok changes the PR situation for artists in a big way, especially the fact that record labels try to force “their” musicians to do silly 15-second-vids each and every day instead of hiring proper PR agencies, those arguments are still valid.
I deleted my TikTok account today. I think that it is a very stupid and the most superficial and unsocial media of them all. There’s an interesting interview that touches on the topic ‘TikTok for artists’, among others, on YouTube (via the proxy vid.puffyan.us), another brief video rant there, plus several tweets on Twitter and reactions in the press.
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 (via the proxy vid.puffyan.us). 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” include sounds made with things found in my home, 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!
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 (via the proxy vid.puffyan.us). 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” include sounds made with things found in my home, 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!
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 via this Songwhip link, and watch the full length video on YouTube (via the proxy vid.puffyan.us). 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” include sounds made with things found in my home, 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!
Friday, March 25, will see the first release off the new album. The song is called “The Last Strawberry”. I really can’t say I’m not excited …
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!
