Yesterday, I shared out a collaborative music project that I have been involved with as part of the Mastodon federated network. A Whale’s Lantern brings together and connects random musicians, and then they work on the writing and recording of a song together over distant communications.
The first round of A Whale’s Lantern (entitled Flight Into the Nebula), I did a song with my friend, Laura, and this second round (entitled Everything Is Made of Smaller Parts), I collaborated with Luka.
Luka and I created a song called Alchemist Dream, based on some earlier interactions with Networked Narratives on the theme of “digital alchemy.” The theme of A Whale’s Lantern was “the elements,” so I worked those two strands — alchemy and elements — together in the initial demo I sent Luka, who then transformed the music with his own magical abilities.
Here are the lyrics to the song, in case you are curious:
The Alchemist Dream (Sleep Deep)
(FIRE)
If I could take this fire
stoke these embers of desire for you
I’d burn it up higher
Won’t you catch me, I’m a flier for you(WATER)
I can catch the water
turn the buckets into bottles of wine
Let it run us on over
let the water flow deep inside(EARTH)
Hold your hands together
let the sand be the trace of time
Let the earth shape and move us
the universe is tuned to rhymeBut only when we sleep, deep,
in Alchemist Dreams
They can only find us there –
digging in the world(AIR)
I’m breathing in poems
the words as light as air
Telling all the stories
‘cause the songs are everywhereBut only when we sleep, deep,
in Alchemist Dreams
They can only find us there –
breathing in the world
Peace (following the lantern),
Kevin