Can't decide

... O yes we can!

Well, it's that time of the year. It's getting colder and colder and I'm getting older and bolder, haha.
I've got 12 songs getting in great shape. I'm having fun. Detailed mixing is now in process. Progressing bit by bit. Great! It's not my most favourite part of the whole cycle of writing, recording songs, but hey:

Let's see....

I've started it, so I've got to finish it.                             

What's the problem then, lowland dude?

It's just that new songs keep crawling out of my brains and fingers and that's ok, but I also want the best songs on this album. It's not a question of more or less songs. Those 12 have to fit together as a whole and now I feel that something is not really gelling. Some variety in style and themes are needed towards the end of the album maybe, which songs are more serious lyrically and harder/ darker in tone. Maybe that's more like it...well let's see. Is it the sequence then?
There's already a lot of energy and dynamics throughout, so now I've got this new tune, very smooth and relaxed, but still funkish jazz without the cheese. Just before my uptight eyes it's soothing me like a mushroom. Maybe that's the one.

Aha, there it is...

Of course, as an experienced listener, I know and you know, that the first songs often can make or break an album. How many times have you stopped listening after 3 or 4 songs already? Well I have. Skipping. Otherwise it also has happened that I could not stop listening to the same album over and over, peeling off layers of sound and ideas.
So the flow of the songs is very important to make a lasting impression to the listener. That's why I still like the challenge of the album concept as one continuous stimulans of surprises.

What do you think?

I'll keep you (you keep me) updated.

That's it!

My um, short flashback.

2016: A year marked by unexpected deaths of  "Saying farewell to so many"
....in domino styled fashion.

2016: Dumb, dumber, Trumpest. (bad press is good news)

2016: The medium is definitely the message  (trending)

2016: JoosTVD (glad I did) release 2 albums:

Open Up My Parachute (april 2016)
Received some fine reviews/feedback and radio exposure. Songs aired: Chalky, Dancing Dutchman, Everything Is A-Okay, It's A Struggle Honey, Parachute, Jump For Your life, Cosmopolitan Circus.

For Your Pleasure Vol.3 (instrumentals for videomakers) (september 2016)

2016: Musical high and lows
My oh my, what a wealth of tunes to listen to! Music for everyone. Mostly the extensive reissues and archive releases (King Crimson, ELP, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd) dominated my listening hours.
Field Music, Jacob Collier, Ezperanza Spalding and Snarky Puppy represent the younger talents.
Of the 2016 releases I was dissapointed by: Sting, (man you just needed the Police!), Jeff Beck (is he for real? he's a guest on his own album!), Laura Mvula (her debut was just too good, the songs don't linger this time) and Michael Kiwanuka (not bad, too heavy-handed, retrofactor is too big, difficult second album).

                                                                     My favourite albums of 2016:

                                                                                   Field Music - Commontime

                                                             Quirky XTC, Talking Heads nerdy, catchy, fresh melodic pop.

                                          

                                                                                      David Bowie - Blackstar

                                                                                      His last star that will linger forever

                                                                           Snarky Puppy - Family Dinner Volume Two

                                                                        Real musicians, intense groovy, expressive impressive
                                                                                                        

                                                                                      Jacob Collier - In My Room

                                    Eclectic young talent, spectacular harmonies, instruments, tight arrangements

                                                                                 Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution

                                                                   So (too?) many explosive ideas, Joni Mitchell style

                                                                                  Adrian Belew - Flux By Belew Volume One

                                                                                Fun, varied short stuff, melodic

                                                                                 David Crosby - Lighthouse

                                                                   High points: his voice, guitarpicking and harmonies

                                                   

                                                                                      Paul Simon- Stranger To Stranger

                                                 Although the layered songs are no singalongs, his lyrics are still subtle

                                          

  Recommended Books I've read:

Alyn Shipton- Nilsson (there's only one Harry!)
Alejandro Jodorowsky- The Dance Of Reality (magic)
Alejandro Jodorowsky- Sacred Trickery (more magic)
Carly Simon - Boys in the Trees A Memoir (selreflecting)
Chrissie Hynde- Reckless (tough lady)
Gary Wright- DreamWeaver (spiritual)
Kerry Acker- Nina Simone Women in the Arts (intense)
Michael Sheridan- A Man Called Harris (rugby)
Ruth Pointer- Still So Excited (sisters)
Holly Warren- A Man Called Destruction Alex Chilton (loner)

2017? Bring it on.

News about what?

Caught!

Hai folks! 15 december already...?! Just to let you know: everything is fine. I've got to take care, just like everyone. Some back problems have kept me from writing this update, but here we are.
The new songs (12) are in their finishing stages. I'm very excited, because I've learned so much more about mixing and recording the last year, it makes the overall workflow so much easier. It's gonna be a groove you have to move by, a lot of upbeat songs that will not make you cry. It will be released around spring if the world let me.

There will one last post, my overview of 2016. CU there!

Up... and away

Up....and away...(R.I.P.)

Today
 

 

Yesterday

The day before yesterday

It's a sad year.

We've already lost a few...

...too many...

....to mention...

 But still, we can enjoy their work!







2017 anyone?

A Few Verifications About My Name

A few verifications

“Euh, what is it what you do?”
I write… songs. Melodies and grooves. Popmusic with latinbluesfunkgrooveR&Brockjazzhumor. I don’t follow the trends. Just keep an eye on them.

“Euh, why that unpronouncable name?”  
I’m not an artist, I’m a musician, that’s why I’m not using a flashy sounding  name. It’s my aversion against the so-called predictable, prefabbed artists I’ve had to hear through the years. Besides, the horror when bandmembers try to figure out bandnames…

“Come on now, gimme a pronounciation!”
Juiced; Joos-TVD.

Singer & player

“The Vanished Dutchman?” I’m dutch and I vanish most of the time…..come back once a year.

“Recording Musician?”
Although I like performing/ entertaining and I did play in a few bands (between 1980-1995), more and more I became aware of my real strengths: songwriting and shape a song into a complete version as I hear it in my head. It’s “hard” work though. Talent is not enough. You can’t push it, it will “push” you! It’s in the back of my head all the time. 24/7. Don’t worry, I do sleep and I like to vanish from time to time.

“Examples?”
I’m like that sponche(joost). I’ve been discovering and collecting all kinds of stuff. Sometimes I didn’t eat, just to have new music was enough to survive. I’ve been touched by great talents (and to me the real artists) like George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weil, Leiber & Stoller, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, Gino Vannelli, Paul & John (beatles), Todd Rundgren and……aah too many.

“DIY?”
I don’t see myself as an excellent player that has to perform to show his chops. I do play and figure out songs of other composers once in a while, for educational purposes only. I have learned to play a few instruments (started out as that muppet Animal drummer), just enough to make records! I’m not a professional sound engineer, but I’ve learned along the way. Do It Yourself. That’s my kick. To put my own creations on “tape”. Play and push record. I already started recording my own songs around 1980…playing (drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals). Learned a whole lot about self-reflection in the meantime. Produced around 43 cassettes (remember it was the analog age!) of work in progress.
Now it’s (vinyl) all comming back, hip again.
Stay in touch: The Vanished Facebook

Lyrics are little bastards

Hai there autumn people!

No, I haven't forget you, I just kept myself busy with the works. I've got 8 completed songs in the can, all more or less ready for the mixdown. I've payed a lot of attention to my vocals, especially the nuances, the precise pronunciation of the vowels. And harmonising. Well, we've got autotune for that? I only use it for effect. Very little. Jacob Collier does a great thing with autotune harmonising, but in the end it's all just a trick. Keep it real boy, your voice is great on itself.
So many different choices to make with all different styles of music. And always the love for funky tracks with a latin vibe got me in an intense mood. As I know my capabilities more, I'm having a lot of fun with singing now. I sweat like a pig sometimes, but that's just a bold expression for the way I work. Intensity. Ok, it was a hot summer.
Ah, yes. Those magic words that fit the melody. Always a challenge to find them. Sometimes they just fall out from my mouth like easy snow. It's a hard and underestimated work though, just look at the picture:

My latest, yet unfinished lyric. Mark the crossed-out words

Where (?) do they (?) all come from?
I've read in one of Todd Rundgren's biographies, that he mostly come up with the words, sing all the harmonies and record them just.at the last moment. I guess a little self imposed pressure has helped me out a lot, but when your mindset is not there, better let the flow come back to you another fresh time.
I use a bit of Todd and David Byrne's method he first used at the "Remain In Light" sessions. He often sings nonsense vowels (oo, aa eee, oe, hiii) at first in a spontanious way and writes lyrics on those vowels.
Reminds me of the action painting of Pollock where you just let it all out, dripping paint from your hands. In blues, when one is singing, it's common to just let it out, even repeat the sentence just to understate or confirm an emotion. It's only natural. Bluespower.

For Your Pleasure Vol.3

The summer fever is blowing my top!

Update.
Inbetween regular albums I also keep myself busy with compiling instrumental stuff from the past.
The goal is to reach out to all of those multi-media projects that are flowing around, waiting for a soundbit to cheer them up.
It has become some kind of a tradtion, hence the addition of volume 3 in the title, which was originally inspired by my favourite album by Roxy Music.
For me an opportunity to rework/ revisit old ideas, some with, some without vocals. Some I only had to remaster. This time I even went back as far as the year 2000. Both "Master Of Mystery" and "Blackout" are from the never before released (online that is) "Thanks For Stopping By" album of that year, so these are the original versions with only a finishing remaster touch. Some have never been released instrumentals that originally were planned for vocal versions (recorded between 2002-2009), like "Funk Da Junk", "Low On Da Flow" and "Sniff Da Riff", a threesome locked together by the word "Da".
Really relaxing fun for me to do something different productionwise, because at the same time I can recharge my batteries for the new stuff, that need to breath, need nursing and motivation to finish them (off). I'm in the "I need lyrics" phase now.

Snippets of the regular, official albums

By the way, I have tons of recordings waiting for a place on the web, also more newer stuff for the next volume 4, 5, 6 amd what the heck, 7, 8, 9....

These instrumental albums I only share on Jamendo, where various stuff has already been picked up by a few videomakers for their projects.

So, what does it sound like?

Well search for tags like:
trippy, groovy, sexy, funky, orchestral, busy, cool, mellow, intense, cinematic, funny, carnavalesque, dreamy, smooth, dancable, freaky, fast, hyper, hypnotic, circuslike, latinesque, melodic, fustrating.......

So there they are:

                                                                      For Your Pleasure Vol.3

                                                                       For Your Pleasure Vol.2

                                                                         For Your Pleasure Vol.1

Vanish, You Dutchman!

Hai there folks on the world wide web, how you're all doing? It's been a while and that feels good. That last TVD album sure did stir a few ears, so I'm really enjoying the afterglow.
Well, you have to dissapear once in a while, don't you? Vanish you dutchman!
Take a deep breath of fresh air. The summer breeze helps to relax, it sure feels good.


But I'm a restless soul....

I've got an instrumental album in the can (For Your Pleasure Vol.3. Not sure when it will be finished, but I've got more than enough to fill more than  one album.

Yes this is the first one...

.... and here's the second one

To take the time off of the whole process of songwriting, playing, recording and all the the usual bullshit and excitement of finishing an album, I usually start all over again....uhh don't help me... yes... addiction no.1.
To take my time off, I take my time off.




Of course I sleep...eat...sit down, talk with the wife, enjoying daily life with the kids (they grow up so fast!). For the needed stimulation of writing songs, especially lyrics, I watch Hollywoodfree european, eastern movies and follow TV series

F?ck

(for example Mr.Robot, The Walking Dead, Fargo, House Of Cards), I read biographies about...Nilsson. It's all about fun and excitement to get in the right frame of mind. To vanish gracefully.

For aspiring songwriters especially

Not a day goes by without touching a few strings or hitting some black or white keys. I often (try to) play songs of the famous american songbook (Nat king cole, Gershwin, Porter) next to the usual pop standard fare. Educational. There's the constant stream of possible ideas floating in and out, so I've got about 10 contenders (recorded, arranged) for the new album. There will be more. One is instrumental and two have already vocals. The rest needs lyrics. That's the tricky part that sometimes needs more room to grow to find the right words. I need the distance for reflection. When I've got the melody I usually start singing spontanuously, expressing blablanana nonsense vowels, that often help to find the fitting words.

And so it goes. CU!

Chalky, Chalky, Chalky!

Never thought it would happen, so I totally missed the show last night. Never say never!
A 3-hour prime time show (between 9-12 hours pm) hosted by Tom Robinson. Next to the well-known artisrs/bands, he always plays a few gems from his BBC6 Mixtape too. Lucky me!

Chalky on Tom Robinson's Saturday Show

Chalky on BBC6 Mixtape

Handpicked by the one and only Tom Robinson (2-4-6-8 Motorway), one hour of fresh new songs on his mixtape. Airtime 12 june, 02.00 A.M. (english teatime).

The competition is very fierce each week, so choosing favourites out of 170 tracks must be earbleeding for a radio dj!
The more so a rare treat to be on BBC radio of course. And in the next few weeks, Chalky has a chance to be played again on Tom's Saturday Show. The third song in succession now, after "Bomb Won't Go Off" and "Stupid Song's". Thanks Tom!

Listen/ download Podcast HERE
You can find all the stories/ artists HERE