Caution this music can cause hallucination, use headphones for a better trip đ
Hi folks, how are you doing? Hereâs the usual daily stuffâsome days are up, others are down. But last week was really tough. Anyway, thatâs not the point. What I really want to share is that Iâm feeling quite bored living in Italy right now. My biggest wish is to buy a houseboat in Tacoma and live close to my granddaughters. Plus, in Seattle, thereâs the Duwamish tribe, and they have a unique way of playing drums. I genuinely want to spend some time with them.
-- this is my alter-ego --
Iâm currently working on my new repertoire, and as you know, I experiment with different kinds of weed, hashish, or mushrooms to boost my creativity. These days, Iâve found my mind completely open to music. So, Iâve decided to create something totally new. Letâs take it step by step.
First, letâs talk about sound: I really love David Gilmourâs guitar tone, so I aimed to recreate it using my Fender. However, the sound was quite âfoggy.â After some research, I found a solution. I work on Linux, using Debian or Ubuntu, and for my DAW, I use Ardour. For the guitar sound, I applied the following effects, available for free on any Linux OS (Iâm not sure about Apple or Windows):
- Open Rakarrack and select the âAmbienceâ effect (found on the second page of the sound bank).
- Enable the compressor and chorus.
- In Ardour, on the GTR channel, use the following plugins: GXdelay Digital (set the speed to 348/378), Plate Reverb (DragonFly suite), and LSP GOTT Compressor Mono.
Here are the links to the apps I used for this project:
-- Hereâs the screenshot of the project in Ardour, showing all the plugins used.
Et voilĂ ! In this case, I kept the guitar slightly subdued with a dirtier sound to allow the synth and vocals to blend, creating the so-called âwall of sound,â which uses echoes from the instruments to build a tapestry of unique sounds.
The project started as a warm-up song for my loop station during live performances, but after a weekâthanks to discovering the "sounds" on the Yoshimi Synthâit evolved into what it is now. At the bottom of the page, youâll find links to the different versions leading up to the final one, all available for free download.
Now, about the substances I use: I believe in being honest about my views on drugs. Let's be clear: humans have used substances to connect with the divineânot just to dance all night at some club. These plants were given to humanity to facilitate communication with the divine. Itâs a primordial aspect of what religion represents. Additionally, LSD creates a kind of "geometric-shaped reality," which can be seen in ancient rock paintings left by our ancestors. Every artist who painted geometric shapes in caves was likely under the influence of mushrooms.
Think about it: could civilization have started after an ape ingested mushrooms and became more intelligent? Why is there so much fear surrounding something we can easily find on a walk through the forest? Plants like weed, hashish, and even cocaine are just thatâplants. The issue lies in how we use them and the layers of stigma imposed upon them. My question is: why is alcohol legal while weed is not? Bob once said: "Buzz burns your brain vs. weed which expands your consciousness."
Letâs keep talking about the song.
To reach the point where your mind connects layers of music to create a melody, you often need some help. Every artist uses substances for inspiration. When you view it from a different perspective, you can see how innocent such acts can be. How do you think cave people came up with the idea of turning powder and rock into paintings? Christopher Cross wrote one of his most beautiful songs while under the influence of LSD. The Grateful Dead built an entire movement on it. And letâs not forget about Pink Floyd.
Malama Cream
This piece of hash is responsible for my music; Iâm just the messenger. 
I got the Malama cream from a friend who smuggled it from India. It reminds me of a song by Arlo Guthrie, the son of Woody Guthrie, which goes: âComing into Los Angeles, bringing in a couple of K, donât check my bag if you can, Mr. Custom ManâŚâ
See how I can erase parts of who I am now just because, in most countries, weed is considered illegal? Back in my day, at the bar in the main square of a village called Arese, there was my tribe. Nothing major, but some of us were older and liked to travel. During their journeys, the âbraveâ ones would smuggle seeds, weed, and hashish. Back then, Indian hash didnât come with any gold stampâit was just the black Afghan stuff. But the Indian hash often contained traces of LSD. Perhaps some eccentric guru mixed the hash with mushrooms, leading to a wild hallucinogenic tripâkind of like ayahuasca, but differentâless introspective and more about feeling the âonenessâ of the world.
Anyway, I spent an entire week trying to crack the song I had in mind. Musicians sometimes get stuck with a melody that loops in your head, but you canât fully bring it to lifeâoften due to ego. You spend years trying to be a âfast guitaristâ or a âvirtuoso,â only to realize that the best notes are the ones left silent. Hashish expands your empathy and diminishes your ego. In fact, the potent Afghan black hash can leave you so peaceful that it may even diminish sexual desire. So imagine the level of âpeace of mindâ this hash can provide. But be warned: it can also provoke frustration with the illogical nature of the world. So, if you try it, do so with caution.
The result is this song. The vibrations from the synth and vocal echoes sow seeds of love, culminating in a unique grand finale. The end represents the moment youâre meant to emerge from the trip, like a train gradually slowing down until the final whisper of the voices is amplified by echo. Trip well, and stay connectedâas above, so below.
Older Versions
First Version
Second Version
Third Version
Final version
Cover
https://www.bandlab.com/track/5cde4b6e-d78b-ef11-8474-6045bd375453?revId=5bde4b6e-d78b-ef11-8474-6045bd375453
Video
Sanibel Island
