It was an honour to be asked to produce, reimagine, remix Hollow Man by Bassey. I’ve performed in a previous band with him on the bass and myself on drums. I find lasting collaborations fascinating and very creative. Working with other musicians pushes my boundaries of instrumental and electronic music. Developing a vocal line, a melody, a lyric, a guitar riff, a scream. Being part of a creative evolving project. Good things. Good vibes, good lockdown. Featuring other producers: S.T.K.M.Y. Russ Forster, Nation of Teflon Souls, Toronto Blessings, Antonio Zee. Available on all good music stores and streaming services.
Indie Road Movie is a new instrumental album by Claudine West. Released 1st February 2020. 15 tracks for road journeys. Upbeat. Electronic, Raw. In between recording relaxing meditation music as Earth Tree Healing. I’ve enjoyed playing with loops and keyboards in my home studio. Part of my work as a musician and composer is writing, looping, experimenting to accompany visuals. 2019 was spent adding music to Pond5 stock music library.
Music has spoken more for me than words. I don’t feel the need to rant at the moment, to tell you all something you already know. An opinion you agree or disagree with. I wanted to quieten my chatter and speak through vibrations. 2019 was a time of loss, of not looking after ‘me’ very well. Very much locking myself away in studio to indulge. This is always a good thing. But I neglected getting out into nature, just walking, breathing in the sky. We travelled a lot which has been where the concept for Indie Road Movie came from. Music for exploration. A rhythm for the road. I’ve been working on tracks for over a year in between the other Earth Tree Healing albums. Maybe it’s a guilty pleasure. I get a bit of a ‘foot tappety tap, slap your flip flops round someones face and then embrace them vibe.’ I get the I need to escape from where I’m at right now vibe and travel to quench the thirst of the impulse to run. This is by no means my relationship. Its about us both feeling the need to go and explore.
Last night on New Years Eve 2019. I attended a Gong Bath. I’ve been ill with a bug for a few days. Stuck at home, Riding my horsey called ‘Biscuit’ about on Red Dead Redemption 2. Realising I simply cannot catch the white wild horse near the lake and giving up in a weakened rage. Time to disappear somewhat, meditate and eat more greens.
Being on my spiritual path, meeting like minded souls is educational. Being amongst good vibes is comforting. But…I still have to humanly address idiotic bad behaviours and actions. I don’t tolerate or stomach: bullies, liars, selfish, negative draining behaviours/people or folk that rip you off. They have no place in my world and get uninvited to sharing a path with me. Gut wrenching instincts are best acknowledged.
I didn’t have issue with Notts/Derby band Strange Currencies. 3 months ago I left on a positive note after their last gig of the year, ensuring they weren’t left without a drummer, then had winter to comfortably recruit and rehearse. But…. Seeing as co-written songs are being fraudulently ripped off. It is time to spill… Sit back, relax.
2019 was a time for change and moving on. I’d suffered a frustrating year spent hoping, in a band that stagnated. A band that did not go into studio to get the tracks recorded professionally to realise the full potential. Not through lack of trying to encourage it to happen. No EP or album release of music that reflected the music that band performed live. (Certainly a barrier was 1 member of the band didn’t want to pay for it)
We’d demoed tracks and recorded them in a rehearsal room. Now the newly named band #ROE releasing them under new titles. Well… well…as a co songwriter and them being PRS registered… well!
I left Strange Currencies as there was no more progression for me. The fun was slowly sucked out of any final bit of enthusiasm by the end of 2018. Reason? One individual continued to shat on the shoreline. – Let us say for examples: unsavory behaviours, moods, bitch fits, lying (a particular pork pie that was excruciating, was telling the audience that we had supported Foo Fighters) being ungrateful at all of the free lifts, taking his shit out on our band manager and trying to hide that from the rest of the band. The attempts at manipulation were pathetic. A power struggle over control, being creepy. What part of ‘I’m a lesbian in a happy relationship’ that was not understood? I highly suspect their behaviours were historical too in previous bands and will sadly occur in the future. Fortunately not by problem to witness anymore and it is blissful.
Having no understanding of how much effort you have to put in on social media (which I spent a lot of time on) or the advantages of releasing ones music on Spotify, iTunes etc to get your music out there. Being a very depressive shadow in my band life – which in turn affected me personally, that I no longer wanted to be around. Even getting pissed up wasn’t fun last year. For the final 6 months, I’d sit in rehearsals not wanting to be there, pretending, hoping things would get better. I amicably announced my departure at the last gig for them, The D.H. Lawrence Festival. September 2019.
Working with new people had been giving me the buzz. I was busy with other projects. I decided after much humming and harring to step away as my heart was no longer in it. Band death had occurred for me. (Newsflash: When musicians leave bands, it’s mostly because they don’t want to be in them anymore – ‘end of’ chuckle chump) it really doesn’t matter if I left to watch paint dry, save the planet, invent a new flavour, get stoned with Reptillians. I’ve gone. It is what it is buttercup. I don’t remember being under any contractually binding obligations to stick with.
‘How it looks…’
Was it a dick move to discuss what comes next? Well when someone rips off your music that is PRS registered and songwriting. It’s bloody rude! What kind of uneducated numpy would do such a twattish activity…. Well readers… read on….
Here is an example kids – of how not to behave. Unsurprisingly as soon as ‘said individual’ was dropped off home by myself and band manager.. So began ‘you left us for another band assumption’ deletions, (& us being blocked on FB. We high fived!)
The band agrees Benefits! #PRS PROTECTS ARTIST RIGHTS
All the video song titles from the Facebook page got mysteriously removed. It seems evidentially that songwriters rights are being disrespected and infringed here! When they could just have used the original song titles and let me know, as asked when and where they were played live, so I could claim performance royalties. Very poor activities and complete lack of honesty and integrity from a band. I can understand you were upset at your loss and are completely oblivious to your own distasteful ways. Bibble boo boo. Said individual had also taken over the Facebook page (with my blessing to carry on SC), changed it to the new band name, and even duplicated it. (Double bubble for your fans, whoop!) Individual then requested I ‘like’ their page again. ‘Fuck off sunshine no thanks!’ Alas, Strange Currencies split up after their final gig of 2019. A shame, as I wished them the best to carry on the music and reputation they were building, (I’d find it very odd them now trying to get new gigs off the back of the music from a band that no longer exists) – WELL ANYWAY… AHEM, gold watch cough up. Like I said, I had asked for them to just to let me know when they performed the songs live (so I could claim PRS performance royalties for the ones I’d co written)
The email asking nicely 8th September 2019 PRS
But alas they appear to be renaming the songs I co wrote, in a strikingly fraudulent attempt to claim them as the new bands. I expected as much disappointingly. It’s like renaming ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as a new arrangement and claiming it to be your own! – please also note it was me drumming on the Rules of engagement ‘single’ releases. #PPL
Introducing the new Earth Tree Healing album by multi-instrumentalist Claudine West. Western Mystical Tradition. Released 28th September 2019.
Somewhat crudely, esotericism can be described as a Western form of spirituality that stresses the importance of the individual effort to gain spiritual knowledge, or gnosis, whereby man is confronted with the divine aspect of existence. — Historian of religion Henrik Bogdan, 2007.
A multi-dimensional 11 track (1 hour 16 minutes) collection of acoustic guitar based pieces, meditative electronic synth environments to explore. Themes of inspiration from the moon, the sky, the sea, the sun, the cosmos. Channeling Universal Life Force Energy through music, from past lives. The conscious element is intention, to create and perform a beautiful, higher vibrational, harmonious soundscapes.
Track 1: Capodastro We begin with a sweet and sunny acoustic guitar ditty.
Track 2: Ethereal Sunset 432 Hz – Inspired by the beautiful mystic energies of sunsets on Benirrás beach, Ibiza. As the blissful darkening introduces us to the night. The orange and pinkest skies bring awakening light. (10 minute extended single (Boho Mix) version also on digital stores. Why 432 Hz? This is the natural frequency of the Universe. Music is traditionally tuned to 440 Hz. Read about it here : https://attunedvibrations.com/432hz/
Track 3: Murmuration – Soundtrack for the Starlings, for the patterns in the sky for the people that have ascended. For when we look up to the sky and see the magic and true beauty that befalls us.
Track 4: Mantra multiple layers build upon the foundations, rising, thickening, rhythmical enchanted affirmations for self.
Track 5: Sorrow of Souls. The ones we encounter that so brightly shine. They illuminate and touch lives. they remain undiscovered, to the masses and a Saviour to the few. A philanthropist that doesn’t need to donate money to help others benefit.They donate selflessness, love, tolerance. When a loved one departs their body. There are regrets at the unsaid. Peace in the mourning and sorrow until we meet again. Built upon piano, acoustic guitar and strings.
Track 6: Archipelago. By a moonlit sea in Es Canar. I recorded the night waves. I’d been to Ibiza for a holiday earlier in 2019 and explored. Illuminated and inspired the essence of a sunset of Benirrás Beach, boat trips, the land train exploring the island. The vibe at Café Mambo. The Balearic islands vibe entertain beautiful chilled out times.
Track 7: Motion of the Moon. Watching night sky watching the moon. The changes that occur in life, the circles we covet. There is a full original version I recorded years ago of this with my vocals. I’ve always loved performing this – so recorded an instrumental take of it.
The next 3 track are a trilogy of chill out music. Journey in to cosmic calm. 432 Hz.
Track 8: Orbital Ghosts. It’s now to down lights, close your eyes, adventure, relax, meditation, do yoga, adventure. The voices of apparitions invite you in.
Track 9: Zodiacal Light (24 mins) The powerful rumbles in the awe and glow, ebb and flow of mystical reflections of light in the night sky. 432 Hz for deeper meditations.
Track 10: Moonlight Arc Ambient space, the cosmos. For travellers, explorers of ascension.
Track 11: Eulogy – Simply piano. I had a very strong urge after a family member’s funeral to compose something fitting that combines, love, loss, and celebration and remembering.
Album art painted by Claudine West
Enjoy, meditate, travel, relax, love, explore, be grateful, be kind.
4th track from the 2017 album ‘Becoming Moons’ By Claudine West
Becoming Moons is the new album by Multi-Instrumentalist & Songwriter Claudine West. From the debris from a galactic collision.. Comes something whole. Alternative rock with acoustic colours. Avante garde explorations, therapy, spillings, worries, dreams and meanings. Album cover comes from a guitar art piece.
This project; It’s an evolving beast. Songs will be added each month until completion.
Claudine West Music 