Soul Sacrifice - Update

Bounty Sword - Kohei Tanaka

Here is my review of Kohei Tanaka's SNES score to Bounty Sword. I wrote this quite a while ago. It's nice to read it again.

Hanakisou - Symphonic Album, Akiko Shikata

For my Christmas post, I thought I would skip any kind of Christmas reference to VGM. You have Deathsmiles Xii, SQEX Xmas collections, and 8-bit remixes of Christmas songs. I have also made it made mission to avoid christmas pop songs this year. I am by no means a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. But Shopping Centre/Mall radio stations do tend to grate on the ears.

Today I want to talk about an album that is very close to my heart. It has a very wintry feel to it, so not all that inappropriate to discuss at this time of the year. Akiko Shikata is a japanese vocalist with a very distinctive style. Operatic, harmonious, melodious, sometimes discordant; her music is simply divine. She is probably best know for her works in Ar Tonelico (Hymnos albums in particular), vocals in Shadow Hearts: From the New World, and a doujin game called Hanakisou (japanese for flower funeral). Like most scores I admire, Hanakisou is yet another game I have played. With good reason as it is a Japan exclusive. The original score is Shikata's only full solo score to date. But here I want to discuss the orchestral album. I have to admit, getting a physical copy of this CD was stressful. I waited years to find it, and finally had to use a middle man to order the CD from Amazon.co.jp, as the it was not liscened for release outside of its native country.

This CD is unique for it is a overhall of Shikata's music performed by the Moscow International Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Konstantin D. Krimets. Shikata orchestrated three tracks herself, while the remainder of the music was handled by Kousuke Suzuki.

The cd is lavishly orchestrated, strong melodies and often bombastic passages make this an extra ordinary listening experience, the imagination runs riot as you listen to it.

The above track is one of Shikata's own orchestrations, based on the games original vocal theme. The majority of the CD is instrumental, and this is my favourite on the CD. I can only describe the music as 'carnivalesque,' as it feels like a gargantuan aurial parade, that leaps and soars.

I can only wish that more of Shikata's music received more of this treatment, otherwise this stands to be an orchestral gemstone in the artist's unique discography.

Zircon feat Jeff Ball - Globulous

So I have posted and drafted quite a few posts on orchestral music, so I will share a bit of techno here. Three things I love about this post; I love Tetris, I love the violin and I love these guys! Zircon and violinist Jeff Ball compose for indie game Globulous and the results contain some mesmerising moments.

Globulous can be purchased on iTunes. As for the score - check it out in full on Bandcamp

Michiru Oshima revisits Beethoven

Bones' latest anime Zetsuen no Tempest is also due a soundtrack release early next year. The anime follows two teenage boys as they attempt to find the murderer of their friend Aika, in a story heavilly inpired by Shakespeare's plays Hamlet and The Tempest. For the Music, one particularlly noteworthy mention is composer Michiru Oshima is orchestrating Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 17 "Tempest".

Oshima previously arranged the 5th Symphony for the climactic episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist back in 2003/4.

Soul Sacrifice

Yasunori Mitsuda and Wataru Hokoyama are collaborating on Keiji Inafune's PSVita title 'Soul Sacrifice.' A soundtrack release is due on March 13th 2013 from Team Entertainment.

Mitsuda does not need much introduction, his previous efforts this year include the orchestration of Kid Icarus Uprising alongside Motoi Sakuraba [Star Ocean, Baten Kaitos], Yuzo Koshiro [Streets of Rage, Etrian Odyssey], Noriyuki Iwadare [Grandia, Phoenix Wright series], Masafumi Takada [killer 7, No More Heroes] and Takahiro Nishi. Last year Mitsuda released his orchestral album to Xenogears, and we still await his Chrono Cross Arrange Album. Wataru Hokoyama orchestrated film scores including Dungeons & Dragons, he scored the game Afrika, and orchestrated a handful of themes for Resident Evil 5.

A sample of Soul Sacrifice's score can be heard here.  A more recent demo has been released for Japan, and the music samples so far set for some promising production values.

There is a Sound tab on the Gallery Page of the Game's Official Site. Keep your eye on it, as for the moment it is yet to have an update: Soul Sacrifice Gallery Page

Also here is a sample of the demo along with a few music examples 

Lightning Returns

CRIMSON BLITZ -Lightning Returns-

So the first trailer has been released for the third instalment of Final Fantasy XIII. Tempted by yet another variation of Blinded by Light [possible IMERUAT version on the website?]. The game score once again features Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mitzuta and Mitsuto Suzuki.

UPDATE: Hamauzu has announced the name of the Trailer music; "Crimson Blitz - LIGHTNING RETURNS". The track will be available on iTunes on the 23rd December. 

Kenji Ito - Re:birth MANA arrange

This video is the Battle 2 theme from Seiken Densetsu / Sword of Mana. I love Ito's battle themes immensely, and great violin solos are like the icing on the cake for me. Violin performed by the fantastic Reiko Tsuchiya.

I might post about the Re:Birth II arrange album which features the jdk Band performing the battle themes of Romancing SaGa. This said album, in my opinion, is Ito's best work to date.

Koudelka - Hiroki Kikuta

As I find my time to play games become increasingly limited, I usually find that I wind up coming back to older games. One such example was an obsure title with a very usually concept. Hiroki Kikuta is probably best known as the composer to Secret of Mana / Seiken Densetsu 2. The music was recently performed as part of Symphonic Fantasies.

After composing Squaresoft's Soukaigi for PSX in 1998, Kikuta, dissatisfied with the way RPGs were going, left Square to set up his own company Sacnoth. In 1999, serving a director, scenario writer, and composer, Kikuta and his team produced Koudelka, a turn based strategy RPG with horror elements. Kikuta has a very interesting background, he studied Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Cultural Anthropology, started out as a mangaka and an animator. He applied as a composer to Falcom and was rejected. He then applied to Squaresoft under Nobuo Uematsu and Kenji Ito. He served as a debugger for Final Fantasy IV and Sound Effects for Romancing Saga. The music reel he presented during his interview was released as an album in 2006 [Kikuta's Lost Files]. I highly recommend reading his interviews and they give a fascinating insight into his creative process and philosophies;

Square Enix Music Online interview Hiroki Kikuta

Square Haven Interview

Game Watch Interview with Kikuta & Sakimoto

Back to Koudelka, the story takes place in a fictitious Welsh Monastery over the course of All Hallows Eve and All Saint's Day in 1898. Koudelka is a mystic who is drawn to the monastery by a mysterious voice. There she meets Edward, an adventurer, and James O'Flaherty, a bishop. The three travel through the monastery to uncover a dark history. As a game you control Koudelka to explore the grounds of the Nemeaton Monastery. Several other characters cross their path, including a thief, two housekeepers and a seven year old girl. Random battles involve a grid based system where all three characters engage enemies. The survival horror elements of the game meant that there are no merchants or money system, items had to be found or dropped by enemies. Weapons broke, and magic levelled up in similar ways to Final Fantasy II's magic system.

Thankfully I was able to play this game before its sequel Shadow Hearts came out. Koudelka is much more serious in nature than its later counterparts. Though as a game it has a few forgivable minor flaws, the story is the game's true gem. The characters interact with each other as they move through the monastery. Kikuta did some incredible research into this game - it makes various nods to famous people and artists from history, such as Caravaggio, Michael Meyer, Copurnicus, Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) and Roger Bacon. The relationship between the characters James and Edward is often comical. The two have a love of poetry which at first they find they cannot agree on tastes, until they find a mutual appreciaition of Shakespeare. It is probably worth noting here that the character of Edward is based on Lord Dusany; Kikuta references this even in the name of his company [which in turn is the name of the best weapon in Koudelka - Dusany's short story with the sponimous magic sword "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth"]. The story dives into the world of the occult and alchemy, and the narrative has some rather disturbing and occasionally touching moments.

Kikuta's score for Koudelka is somewhat limited. The scenic pieces are not especially memorable, and the entire exploration of the monastery is left to ambience or complete silence. The opening theme Requiem is performed by Catherine Bott.

Bott, a British soprano, performed in Gregson-William's score for Kingdom of Heaven, and is part of Shiro Sagisu's 'special choir' for the Evangelion Rebuild scores, Bleach and Berserk Golden age films. I share a video of her performing Bach;

Koudelka's soundtrack contains a piece composed by Maurice Duruflé and arranged by Nick Ingman. Ubi Caritas et Amor. I don't believe it was actually used in the game, but it may have been intended as a title screen music.

Kikuta composed four battle themes for the game. Waterfall [Battle], Incantation Again [Boss], Patience and Kiss Twice [The Final Battles]. The first three were performed as progressive rock pieces arranged by Naoki Akimoto at a Live Event and are featured on the original soundtrack. Here is Kiss Twice;

Finally, my favourite piece is a string quartet piece by Kikuta and arranged by Ingman. It is used during a particular event scene where the characters encounter the 'voice' that summoned Koudelka to the Monastery, tying their fates together, as well as fleshing out James' character.

I remember having a save file just for this event, before I eventually getting the score a couple of years ago. Ultimately Koudelka was a financial disaster. Though the game was a massive four disc package, the first disc was over after an hour of gameplay. The reason for this was down to the lengthy cutscenes and FMVs that were fully voiced over and motion captured. There was barely any advertising for the game, but it did see a release outside of Japan in both America and Europe. The fusion of survival horror and RPG,  though a innovative idea, didn't sink in with the gaming mainstream at the time, though the game has since gained a cult following. Kikuta left Sacnoth, which was bought out by Midway games who continued the game's story loosely into a 20th Century setting in the form of Shadow Hearts on PS2. The franchise saw three games before folding in 2007.

Kikuta has since gone on to compose several titles as a freelance composer, including Concerto Gate with Kenji Ito, and more recently Soul Calibur V with the Eminence Symphony Orchestra.

Kikuta's contributions to this score reflect on the fanchise's previous styles, while at the same time, several track do give nods to Koudelka's style. The Wandering Seer has similar percussive styles to Incantation Again.

I will conclude this post with Kikuta's Theme for Kilik. This one is performed by Eminence and is my favourite character theme from SCV.

Taro Iwashiro [Onimusha 2 and Shinobi]

When I was seventeen, I went to London to a friend to what would be my only anime convention. It was EXPO London 2005. Here would be where I gained my love of Fullmetal Alchemist and a popular film composer from Japan. One stall was selling Video Game Soundtracks, so naturally I was brimming with excitment. I walked away with two cds, as it was all I could afford. The first one was Nobuo Uematsu and Tsuyoshi Sekito's score to Final Fantasy Origins, and the second was the soundtrack to Onimusha 2. I must clarify I have only just played Onimusha 2 about a fortnight ago, so why did I have the soundtracks so early? Well the trailer for the game had been released on a Playstation magazine demo, and the music in the trailer had a particular resonance. The version of Onimusha 2 I had just purchased was the Western release, so with English liner notes gave insight into the composer's process.

Here I will provide the liner notes to the original soundtrack. I have retained the original grammar and translation as it was found in the booklet. 
 
ONIMUSHA 2 AND ITS MUSIC
The music which we casually listen comforts, entertains and encourages us in everyday life. I should say that the music is almost necessities in our daily life. I love movies, and try to see as many as movies I can whenever I have chance. Needless to say, the music is one of elements which are essential for making a movie like an image, a script and sound effects. Then, how about the music in a game? I’ve been making games for the last 15 years. When I started making games for the TV video game, the music was created by using limited sound resources, and it was totally depended on a creator’s creativity. When I look back, we were trying to express each character’s emotion in spite of the fact that both music and graphic in the game back then were nothing but symbols. Contrary to this, if you see the current video game: e.g. Play Station 2, you will notice that any kind of expression is possible by a sound, including the sound something like an orchestra. Naturally, this makes me more eager to make the music for the game. Not only that, I feel like creating the best music for the game ever. During the last production of Onimusha, finally my wish really came true and I was able to create the tune by using an orchestra which consists of more than 200 people. This was not the only the first time it happened in the game industry, but we decided to use these tunes for Onimusha which nobody ever thought of trying back then.

“Onimusha 2” ’s music was created by Mr. Taro Iwashiro. His music is a perfect for climax the drama which is magnificent, graceful, sensitive and spectacular.

When I listened to Mr. Iwahiro’s music, I was impressed by its beautiful sound. Naturally, I thought he was a perfect choice when I thought of stirring the players emotions while they play this dramatic game. In fact, his music was so good or sounded so beautiful, and I eneded up asjing him not to make it too damn beautiful. So, after trial and error, we finally came up with something both of us could agree; something that describes each character’s personal trait and climax the development of the story while a player plays the game. Moreover, we successfully came up with the music which does not interfere with playing the game. All staffs involved in the creation of “Onimusha 2” are happy with the work of Mr. Iwashiro who knows inside and out of creating a drama. 
 The music is a vital element for a game. And this “Onimusha 2 Soundtrack” created by Mr. Taro Iwashiro reminds us what really beautiful music is. 

"Onimusha 2" producer, Keiji Inafune

THE CORE OF MUSIC 
The great composer, Beethoven’s symphony No. 5 which is called “The Fate Knocks at the Door” starts with four notes. And these notes are continuously played for 30 minutes and create a core component of this music. Whether we’re creating arts, literature or music, the more we expect to create a high quality work for ourselves, the more we have to expect to cut something we don’t need. In short, creating a great work is all depend on whether we can refine the work by sticking to only essential designs. When we see this in terms of different stand point, we could say it’s very tough to keep the quality of work intact when the music or song is consisting of 8 to 16 measures. Of course, it can be done, but it’s not easy. In movies, TV dramas, or something like this project which requires majestic music which goes with its game theme has to depend on a wide range of music and creative talents of the composer who is in charge of the music. However, creating an excellent music which can enhance the work is not an easy task. In spite of this difficulty, the composer tries his best by contriving something new. All staffs who were involved in this CD creation; of course, this includes myself are hoping you could sense the struggle and efforts we went through when you’re listening to this CD 
At last, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all staffs who were involved in producing this CD. 

Taro Iwashiro, Composer. 

 
SOUND & ARRANGE
Most people who purchased this CD might already have finished playing “Onimusha 2.” And hopefully, those who played the game have noticed this 2nd version’s scale is bigger than the original version. Moreover, I’m wishing that you’re carried away by each individual character’s unique characteristiques. In fact, I asked Mr. Taro Iwashiro to create the music that perfectly matches with the large scale and dramatic nature of this “Onimusha 2.” The first creation was the theme song for this “Onimusha 2.” Unlike the first version’s theme song that used many Japanese instruments, this second version’s theme used song used strings, horns played by an orchestra. Not only that, Mr Iwashiro used more ethnic sound to expand its world. In addition, he also combined pre-programmed rhythms and a sythesizer to produce the sound so he could create a perfect score for this magnificent and dramatic game. To make it more reminiscent, Mr. Iwafhiro came up with the music which suit for each character like Oyu, Magoichi, Taka-onna, Tokichiro or demons. Then we arranged the music throughout the game so that it makes the events and important fields more dramatic. In order to make the best use of music, we paid a lot of attention by thinking how we could express Oyu’s love story, Magoichi’s cool personality, Ekei’s energy or Kotaro’s grief, and we thought how we could combine the music with each scene. In other words, we put our efforts trying to utilize a beautiful melody, a chord and a rhythm so that the music makes the game more theatrical. To create the music for this “Onimusha 2,” we kept two things in our mind: the music for the battle scenes and the music for more a movie like scenes, and we wanted to distinguish these two. Instead of seeking for a movie like tempo, we yearned for arranging the music the way it enhances the dramatic development of game. In the actual game, we used more back ground music than we put together in this CD. So this CD has only a few collection of music we picked. I would be honoured if you could picture each scene when you listen to tis CD. Now I would like to give you a brief comment on each soundtrack. 

YAGYU VILLAGE I: We tried to create the image of the village ruined by Oda troops by using traditional Japanese instrument like a Shakuhachi (pronounce Sha-ku-ha-chi, a vertical bamboo flute). Also we tried to express villagers’ anger whose village was ruined and their family members killed by Oda Troops. In order to accomplish this, we used the beat of a Japanese drum or Taiko. And this drum also gave the sound effects of raining. In “Onimusha 2” Japanese instruments are used here and there to create a certain image of the scene. If you compare this “Yagyu Village I” with “Yagyu Village II” which expresses a quiet village after rain, you can easily recognize the contrast of these two. 

THE TOWN, KONSHO: In the game, this town is portrayed as a gold mining town which is full of ambition and greed. Naturally, we created the image of energetic and cheerful music for this. This music, along with “Konsho’s Tavern” are used quite often throughout the game. This town is a new addition to this game, and the most memorable place. 

GIFU CASTLE: This setting was used in a previous version. As in “Onimusha 1,” this Gifu Castle has a lot to do with the story line. This “Gifu Castle” is played in the castle tower scenes. This has a unique rhythm which is created by the combination of a Japanese drum or Taiko, clappers, a bell and ethnic percussions. I think it’s interesting to compare this music with the ones played for the scenes which show the inside of the castle. 

GENMA’S NEST: We asked Mr. Iwashiro to image a demon when he creates this music. The music is used throughout this game. This music adds an excitement in the scenes where Jubei dashing in Onigashima Island that is controlled by a demon (or demons). By the way, there is a music titled “”Farewell Room” in this CD. Let’s me explain why this name came up. There is an arena in an underground od Onigashima Island, and the developers of this game used to call the waiting room for this arena, simply “Farewell Room.” So, we decided to use it for the title of music. 

After this CD, another Cd which was recorded by Mr. Iwashiro himself will be released. This CD includes “Jubei (main theme),” and the rest if characters’ theme song: Oyu, Magoichi, Kotoaro, Taka-onna, Tokichiro Kinoshita. In addition to these, it includes the music for Genma (or Demon) and Nobunaga Oda. So please look forward its release. 
BGM Composer/arrange: Hideki Okugawa

The CD in question is the tour de force in Onimusha 2's discography.  

The Onimusha 2 orchestra album realises the full potential of the game's music. While the in-game score was handed by Capcom's Sound Team, this album is arranged and orchestrated by bith Iwashiro and Hideyuki Fukasawa. The latter would go on to compose Chaos Legion, The fourth Onimusha game, Street Fighter IV and Marvel x Capcom 3. It's interesting how Iwashiro mentions Beethoven in his statement, as the previous Onimusha composer, Mamoru Samaragoch, is famous for composing Onimusha 1's music whilst he was permanently loosing his hearing.

Regardless Onimusha 2's score was my introduction to Iwashiro. The opening music, main theme and character themes are by far the strongest element to the soundtrack, and they left a lasting impression on me. Subsequently when I started University, I discovered a soundtrack on CDJapan with Iwashiro's credit. It was 2005 and the CD in question was his latest release. I took a gamble and ordered the CD, and I was not disappointed. The majority of Iwashiro's background is as a film and TV drama composer. The CD in question here was the score to a Romeo & Juliet plotted love story between two rivalling ninja clans. The music is layered with deep emotion and melancholic themes. Here is an example from that cd; the score to Shinobi -Heart Under Blade-

Yoshitaka Amano's 1001 Nights

As Christmas draws near, I discover a song title chosen for the name of a photo album on my cousin's Facebook. That song/photo album title was 'Once upon a December.' You may have guessed that this was a theme from Don Bluth's animated feature Anastasia [1997] which was created toward the end of Disney's Golden Age. Though the song itself brought back many cherished memories, it was the score by David Newman that I found myself pursuing. What has actually been officially released of it is limited, though it enough for any film music fan to sink there teeth into. Being part of the prestigiously musical Newman family, David is known for his scores to Serenity, Matilda and Galaxy Quest.

So what does this have to do with the famed illustrator of the Final Fantasy series, or the Arabian Nights? A year after Anastasia was made, David Newman would go on to score a short film by Mike Smith based on a concept by Yoshitaka Amano. While searching through Newman;s discography, I came across a link to the website of Mike Smith [http://www.realmikesmith.com] and finally i was able to find a film I have been looking for, for quite some time.

"Let us then dream. Let us dream, as always, some world hidden within our own world. A world where wicked restless spirits move, whimsical and fierce, forcing us to abandon our self centred selves. Let us dream this sleeping princess Budu, and then her dreaming prince Kamar and see what happens their dreams conjoin. Let us dream that when they wake they may recall how they were transfixed by one another,  then transported, then transfigured. Let us then dream."

Prologue to 1001 Nights

Be warned as this does contain flashing imagery. [http://www.realmikesmith.com/motion/shorts_promos/1001_nights.html]

The film was directed by Mike Smith, and was based on one of Amano's books. the few I have in my own collection include a book of his prints, a book of Tarot cards, fairies, and a visual adaptation of Mozart's Magic Flute. Amano's influences take from a wide spectrum of art, ranging from art nouveau, surrealism and Japanese woodblock brints. He has delved into most traditional forms ranging from animation [Gatchman/Eagleriders/Battle of the Planets, Casshern and Speed Racer], illustration and printmaking. The Arabian Nights is a subject that Amano constantly revisits, the minarets and domes, cursed princesses, flying horses and valiant princes are heavily prominent in his work, note the way his characters are usually dressed in orient costume. I especially liked his take on the camel in the above short. I found some of the traditional technics used quite interesting, such as the paper puppetry towards the end. [N.B. http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/1001-nights]

I have been looking, on and off, for 1001 Nights since I first read about it on Amanosworld about nine years ago. To find it only yesterday has filled me with the immense joy and excitement that is particular to this man's work. His visions and dreamscapes range from delicate watercolours to sharp monochromatic sceneries. The faces are how you recognise him, the shapes, the huge amount of draperies and fabric, the almost carnival like nature of his work is like a drug that instills a blissful and addictive confusion, to come close and understand this un-imitable world of fantasy.

Newman's score adds to and drives the overall narrative of the film, as the above quote being the only dialogue to the story. Given this introduction, the remainder of the vision is left to the imagination. The score itself is brimming with dark tones, violin solos, both acoustic and electric. Other musicians associated with Amano include Nobuo Uematsu in the early Final Fantasy games, Yasuharu Takanashi in Tori no Uta [2007] and Yoshihiro Kanno in Mamoru Oshii's Tenchi no Tamago [1985]. I will hopefully cover the latter two in the future.

Next time, I would like to talk about one of my personal favourites. A japanese film composer who arranged Kenji Ito's music for Romancing SaGa 3, scored an Onimusha title, and just made a return to game scoring with a Korean MMORPG.

Introductions

As part of an early new year's resolution, I have decided to join the world of blogging. My interests lie mostly in illustration and music. The latter will be the prominent subject of this page, though there will be additional links with animations that should tie in nicely with what I would like to write about. I am a big fan of Japanese Games and Movies, especially their scores.

I usually find myself listening to scores before actually seeing their original context. I have been collecting soundtracks since 2000, and I have found the music to be incredibly inspiring to work to in my professional practice. Though my own images may not be directly tied to the subjects that the scores were created for, I have found that I finally want to share my interests online.

This year has been a really exciting year for VGM; Skyrim and Aerith's Theme [by Jeremy Soule and Nobuo Uematsu respectively] both received places in the Classic FM Hall of Fame. I believe Aerith's Theme reached as high as number 16 in the chart.

The end of the year is seeing much in the popularity of VGM, with copious concerts that included Distant Worlds -the 25th Anniversery of Final Fantasy- celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall on November 2nd, and Grammy Award nominations for Austin Wintory's fantastic score from Journey.

In my recent perusing over social media, fans are fighting for the genre to fit into the same vein as film music - to feature on Classic FM more frequently as an art form. As far as a listening experience goes with video game music, in its modern technologies, is not so dissimilar to film music. Several years ago, orchestral scores for games were few. Symphonic arrange albums have been produced in Japan since the late 80s. My passion for music is down to such names as Nobuo Uematsu, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Yasunori Mitsuda and Motoi Sakuraba [just to name a few in no particular order]. Their styles have introduced me to other genres and artists whom I would never have discovered otherwise.

I want to be able to cover multiple aspects of VGM, especially in orchestral genres, though I am very open to techno, jazz and rock. I will say that my education of music theory is currently a bit thin. I used to play the piano and violin as a child, but lacking any sense of rhythm found my strengths in art instead. VGM inspires my original works, even if I have not played the original game. So results can usually be based purely on emotions felt whislt engaging the piece rather than completely knowing what the piece was intended for.

Here they may also be the possibility for album reviews, though again I admit they may not be my strongest aspect. This page is purely for fun and I would kindly ask my readers to please forgive my lack of knowledge in musical theory and terminology, if such circumstances arise in my posts.

So that is all I have to write for this introduction. I will be posting soon about my recent musical endeavours and hope that you enjoy what I have to share.

N.B. No downloads will be provided from this blog. All music and imagery belong to their original creators