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I have
always liked tinkering with music. Upon realising
this, my parents signed me up for piano lessons when
I was 8 or 9. I didn't really enjoy them though, and I
quit after a couple of years. I found that I just liked
to play around with a piano and do my own thing, not
learn to play other people's songs.
In 1995,
I discovered ABBA and quickly fell in love
with
their music and learned a lot about them. The more I
read about the songwriting of Andersson & Ulvaeus,
the more I wanted to follow my idols and compose my
own songs. In May of 1996, when I received a Yamaha
keyboard as a birthday and high school graduation
gift from my parents, my compositions
were unleashed.
By February
of 1997, after a lot of tinkering and a lot
of fun, I had produced my first CD, Reflections. The
sound quality left much to be desired, and the
arrangements were rough, but I think that initial
flow of creativity gave rise to some of the most
emotional and genuine material that I've written.
Production aside, I'm very proud of a few
of those melodies.
| 1. Reflections 2. Summer Days In Heaven 3. This Is Love 4. Pages 5. Charlene 6. Treading Sky 7. No Regrets 8. Crimson 9. Routine Distraction 10. Evening Magenta 11. At The Parade 12. Cuniculus Obscurus 13. Years Gone By 14. To Find, To Follow, To Forget 15. If It Was Forever 16. Northern Lights |
Before
Reflections was even packaged, I had
started writing more songs. I was composing like
clockwork in spring of 1997, churning them out
like a factory. I decided that I wanted to finish
another CD before I was to move to Ottawa in
July. The result was Vento -- an album with a
slower, more "mature" sound overall, and a
nature theme. It was ready just a few days before
the big move. Vento was written very quickly,
perhaps too quickly. I was composing faster than
I was getting inspiration, so I think those songs
have a little bit less of an original spark, although
my production technique had certainly improved.
| 1.
Vento 2. Simulation 3. Vortofluo 4. Without My Consent 5. Arrival 6. Open After Close 7. Coral Reef 8. Wind Speed 9. Staranta Antau Du Vojoj 10. Seabound Escort 11. La Folio (Amiko De La Vento) 12. Breeze Of Summer 13. A New Journey 14. How I'd Touch The Wind 15. Venteta Tago 16. Vienna's Fortune 17. La Shtormo Kiel Memoro |
Then I
took a break. For a while, I had no more
ideas for compositions. I figured that I had to
rest for a few months to let my creative juices
recharge. Those few months became quite a bit
longer, actually. In the year following the release
of Vento, I recorded only two or three songs.
In August
of 1998, I started playing with new
techniques involving computer technology. The
result was a lot of experimentation and a few
complete songs. Still though, I had no solid
plans for a third album.
In April
of 1999, I got a CD burner. That allowed
me to finish CDs at a very low cost, and meant that
I didn't have to wait to have enough material for
another album before releasing something. So, I
made a CD with two songs that I had composed
several months before, Urba Festo and Eki Suden,
along with a bonus track which is just a medley
of the songs on the Vento album. These two
songs mark a departure into computer-aided
more upbeat compositions.
| 1. Urba
Festo 2. Eki Suden 3. Vento (Medley) |
I guess
this activity gave me another bit of
inspiration, because very soon after that, I
composed and recorded Kelkaj Tagoj (one of my
favourites) which I also released as a
single in April.
| 1. Kelkaj Tagoj |
It's been
more than two years now since Vento,
but I don't think I've thrown in the towel. I'm still
experimenting and contemplating new releases
when I get the chance. My latest direction involves
sampling technologies, so there might be some
interesting possibilities on the horizon. I'm still
hoping to get around to a third album.
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