eklektika.berlin

This is a song about conflict, and about how to deal with it. It is either between two people, or at a bigger level, for example between countries. This could be seen as an attack on a person by a partner or a colleague, or by the invasion of one country by another. The idea of to “ride the storm” is to stand up and defend yourself and not retreat or run away, or appease. But the idea of defending oneself on a beach is also problematic – it shows that you were not in a strong position at the start, and that this needs to be dealt with.

It is a very long song (more than 14 minutes) which is intended to build up tension slowly and then have breaks – but the pulse goes through the whole song. The instrumentation is quite extensive, and includes many cellos, a couple of which are distorted with overdrive to give the song at times a heavy metal feel which is appropriate for the theme.

My concept is of a person standing on a beach as night begins to fall, and it is clear from the dark clouds and strong winds that a big and dangerous storm is coming. The music revolves around the same chords to show that this is a process which is building up gradually and will not go away. The section brings in more instruments and sound effects to give the idea of the storm building, and this could also be a war scene as there are effects of planes flying over and explosions, with people shouting and crying. So do you stay or do you run? The end of the section goes into a quiet phase in which the first part of the storm or attack is over and there is some calm for a while. This section is completely instrumental.

The music changes in Part 2 and there are movements in the chord structure and in different keys. Having set the scene musically in Part 1, the vocals begin and the message of Verse 1 is that you have to stand firm against the attack, and that by doing so you are stronger. Sand is soft and difficult to defend, and so you have to make yourself secure. In the chorus you are told that you have to build strong defences and let the storm blow over you, but that you have to be careful because the attack will do whatever is necessary to undermine you from outside or inside. Like a boat on the sea, you should ride the storm and you will survive. This is happening at night and you need to make it through to the dawn…..to deal with the conflict you cannot run away, you have to be prepared to stand up for yourself and be strong. If you do this you will realise that you are stronger than before.

There is a return to the build-up in the first part. As the calm of day goes into a new night, you have to be ready for another attack. It is unrealistic to believe that the conflict will be over immediately, but now you know more what to expect it may be easier and less dangerous. The end of the song goes back to Verse 1 and repeats it in a much more relaxed way with different voices. You have survived the first attacks and now you have to carry on and stand firm.

CREDITS:
Steve Lewis - Music, lyrics, vocals, electric guitars, bass, electric cellos, distorted cello, drum programming. Home studio.
Michael Krebs - mixing, other effects. UNSAS®️ Studio Potsdam. https://www.christoph-nichelmann.de
Milan Holz - mastering, https://m-studio@gmx.net