“Wotan” and other projects

Hey! Long time no see!

It seems to be a custom of mine to apologize for my long absences from the blogosphere, but most of the time I got good reasons for leaving and good reasons for coming back!

The reason I keep leaving is, for the most part, being busy. Good busy, though. As a musician, keep oneself busy is one of the most important things one can (and should) do.

After releasing Wish You Could Hear (luckily, to VERY good reviews), I kep myself occupied with different projects. One of the most crucial ones is editing a VIDEO for W.Y.C.H. As you may imagine, shooting and editing video for a 12+ minutes track is no small thing.

Colin, Robert and Petri have been real dolls (and they’re oh so pretty) and sent me hours of good footage for the video. I admit, syncing and editing has been a real pain in the ass, but I can say I have enjoyed every single minute of it.

I’m also involved recording vocals and arranging orchestra for 3 extra projects that I can’t mention yet. It’s supposed to be a surprise and they haven’t been announced yet.  It wouldn’t be fair if I say something before any official announcement is made. So it’ll remain a secret until I have a free pass to say it out loud.

What I CAN announce (and I’m about to) is the imminent release of Wotan‘s first single, which will be the Overture.

In case anyone is wondering, Wotan is the name of my forthcoming album, a worldwide collaborative rock opera, with more than 55 confirmed artists from all over the world. You can learn a little bit more clicking on the image, or HERE

I call it a rock opera because I find no better way to call it. To be honest, Wotan feels more like a “movie without images” than a true concept album, or than a true rock opera.

In terms of storytelling, recording & mixing techniques and overall sound, Wotan is approached closer to Film Sound Design than as a regular album.

Besides the music, Wotan features considerable dialogue, character interaction, ambients, sound effects, battle scenes, footsteps, foley, and most sonic aspects you’ll find on a movie. It is a blend of Musical Production and Audio Post-Production for Films, technique-wise. It is, really, a movie without images. You can close your eyes, and it would be no different.

By the way, this is not the official artwork. This is the result of a guy who doesn’t know Photoshop getting bored while finishing lyrics and talking to people in Skype.

As I said, more than 50 artists from all corners of the Earth have confirmed their participation on this project. It’s going to be a fun album for sure. A nightmare to produce and mix, but fun nevertheless.

Not all characters have been assigned yet. There is still room for a lot of people. If you would like to collab in this project, either adding vocals or instrumental parts, give us a shout at [email protected], or use the Contact Form.

The Overture is expected to be released really soon. Most likely by early March. Expect a proper announcement soon! I’ll keep you posted.

Until then, as always, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, or you can find Colin on Match.com and set up a date. He’s a busy man, but I hear he’s a true gentleman.

See you soon!