FAWM 2010 : Almighty

Here is my project for FAWM 2010 :
- A 10 songs album : my goal is to tell a story in the form of soundscapes and sound-art tracks "Almighty"
- 4 songs (or more) of free inspiration


Almighty

This story comes from a dream I had a very long time ago, maybe 12 years or more (I can't really remember).

The dream in itself was like a movie, playing from the beginning to the end. I was both a spectator and a protagonist, the way it usually goes in dreams... I can remember when I woke up, I was stunned. It was like I had really lived this experience and I was really amazed. At that time a spiritual approach of life and important matters was food for my thoughts : how could I be a better person, what could I do to help things change around me...

Though the context was very symbolic in this dream, I couldn't help myself thinking again about the response we would have if we were asked this question :

"What would you do if you were almighty?"

You know, like the three wishes stories... What would come to our mind first? Health, money, power, ...? What do we deeply wish?

Well... I don't know what my answer would have been at that time if I had been asked this question while being conscious. But this is the response given by my Unconscious...
Made me thoughtful for years, hence this project...


Almighty

I - The Planet

Spaceships are landing on the planet, fleeing the war that destroyed The Earth.
Amongst the other refugees, I'm discovering this vast land. The world is dark and grey, ruled by dust and clouds. This is a permanent twilight.
The air is foul. We can barely breathe. There are rumours that it is poisoned and will kill us all. Many of us are already ill.
There is almost no vegetation. This is a desert.
Spaceships are still landing raising clouds of dust. People are massing in makeshift camps, directed by soldiers.
I can't remember anything about the war. I only know humans fought against humans, causing the exodus. And now the survivors are striving to settle down in this hostile land.
I'm trying not to breathe. I'm wondering how long we will be able to resist the foul air.
What makes us ill? The dust? Or some component in the air? And how can we live without light anyway?
This is the planet. Welcome home, humankind.

http://fawm.org/songs/95/

Gear I used in this track :
Bontempi PM64
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX8
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Plastic Spatula (for dental technicians)
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and delay effects.


II - The Machine

I'm in a spaceship. I've entered a room. The machine entirely fills it. The walls are covered with screens and knobs, digital diagrams and flashing lights.
Amazed, I watch screens and read data.
This is a library. More than a library, it's the memory of the humankind. Here is our whole History. Not only the History of crowds and nations, but also the History of every individual.
In the middle of the room is a console.
There is a remote control. I pick it up and switch the power on.
An hologram gushes from the console. It is a young man wrapped in white light, with a fair face. He talks to me with a gentle voice.
"I am the Entity" he says. "I am made of the souls of every human being who died during the war. They are in me, they live in me. I am the sum of their souvenirs, feelings and emotions. Through me you have the power to do anything you want. Tell me what your wish is and I will fulfill it".
And here I stand, the remote control in my hand, swimming in white light.
I am Almighty. What am I going to do with this power?

http://fawm.org/songs/607/

Gear I used in this track :
Bontempi PM64
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX8
Zoom GFX707
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Spoon
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and pitch effects.

III - Air

Almighty.
I can see the landscape stretch in front of me.
We need air.
I breathe.
I want this breath to spread all over the planet.
And while I'm breathing, trees emerge on the surface of the planet. Forests gush from the ground.
They breathe with me.
Everywhere the trees grow, more and more trees, widening forests, green and profound.
Air diffuses all around the planet. Oxygen.
Breathe my Planet, breathe. You now have lungs.

http://fawm.org/songs/1303/

Gear I used in this track :
Bontempi PM64
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX8
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Bass Cort
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and delay effects.

IV - Water

Almighty.
The forests are breathing. They need water.
And while I think about water, brooks emerge in the landscape. They multiply and they widen.
Large streams, broad rivers flow.
And while water is pouring, while seas and oceans are uprising, the forests have purified the air.
The clouds are scattering and rays of light are breaking in the sky.
Water is shimmering.

http://fawm.org/songs/3108/

Gear I used in this track :
Bontempi PM64
Casio SK2100
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX8
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Bass Cort
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and delay effects.

V - Life

There is a sun. Was it there, hiding behind the clouds, or did it appear when the Planet transformed?
I don't know...
The Planet is warming up now.
I can see movements, I can hear sounds : life is born. Life abounds.
There are animals everywhere, birds, fish, mammals, insects...
I'm embracing the horizon.
We're saved.

http://fawm.org/songs/3825/

Gear I used in this track :
Bontempi PM64
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX8
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and pitch effects.

VI - Architecture

Now we need cities.
And here they come, vast and beautiful.
White skyscrapers and walls of glass emerge from the ground.
Architecture turns into a work of art. Everywhere new buildings are rising.
Museums. Libraries. Galleries. Arcades. Fountains.
We can settle down in our new home and rest.

http://fawm.org/songs/4670/

Gear I used in this track :
Bontempi PM64
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX8
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and pitch effects.

VII - Hopeless Humankind

They've called me. There have been confrontations in the streets.
Some persons have tried to steal things from others. Some others have thrown the weakest out of their homes. There are militias and it's dangerous to wander in the city.
I go in the streets. It's not long before I'm attacked.They can't harm me, I'm almighty. I could even destroy them at once.
What is the issue? I gave everyone everything they needed.
They want more.The Humankind is hopeless. Give them a new planet, air to breathe and water to drink, food, homes and wealth and they will still wage war among themselves.
Now I have to make a decision. I go to The Machine.

http://fawm.org/songs/4671/

Gear I used in this track :
Bontempi PM64
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX707
Danelectro Fab Tone
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Spoon
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and delay effects.

VIII - The Human Brain

I have called the Entity. I say "I need you. All we have built is being destroyed. I think the issue is the human nature itself. They are swift to anger and jealousy. They have always been disposed to make war, and they always will. Unless we alter the human brain. Please help me to increase the human aptitude to love and wisdom, and decrease its agressiveness. I'm not wise enough myself to make the right alterations, I need you to guide me."
And he guides me. We penetrate the mysterious clockworks of the human brain. We change the connections, remove, add, alter.
The Humankind is capable of understanding, compassion... naturally.
It is a Rebirth.
We can live at peace in a beautiful world. I am happy for the first time since I am almighty.

http://fawm.org/songs/5645/

Improvised track
Gear I used in this track :
Bontempi PM64
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX8
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and pitch effects.

IX - The Natives

We had been living in peace for quite a long time. And suddenly they were here : the Natives, sailing on the seas with their large ships.
They had abandoned their Planet long ago because it had become impossible to live here. Now the Planet had changed : it was heveanly, and they had come back.
I don't know where they had gone all this time, and when they exactly came back. I woke up and saw the ships approaching. And I knew at once they perceived us as enemies.
I don't want a war again.

http://fawm.org/songs/6858/

Gear I used in this track :
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX707
Casio SK2100
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and pitch effects.

X - Departure

We are leaving. The Planet belongs to the natives. I have advised the Humans to leave and they have accepted.
We are a wise and loving people. We will not fight for the Planet. It is even enjoyable to give the natives a beautiful new home where they will not be ill and famished.
And as our spaceships take us towards our new life, all eyes look into the same direction :
A giant sphere of fire has emerged, and as the flames slowly go out, a white light spreads all over it.
I have already begun the work.
For the first time I realize that I have not misused my power. I have not even been tempted to exploit it for myself.
The dream flickers and scaters into pieces while the reality blinks and brings the strange feeling that I have taken a test...

http://fawm.org/songs/7981/

Gear I used in this track :
Bontempi PM64
Stratocaster Squier Fender
Zoom GFX8
RC20 Loopstation Boss
Shure SM58
Spoon
Recorded on Fostex VF16. I used some of its reverb and delay effects.