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Welcome to my hobby world of music!

I cordially invite you to listen to some of my music here, there are some different styles to discover, and I hope you will find something you’ll like.

You can also browse for the bands and projects where I am trying to add some creative tweaks, plus a few contributions to remix contests, where I gained some positive feedback.

Enjoy!

Violin for Da Capo Living Gospel in “You Raise Me Up”

I invite you to listen to some of my songs here on the page, there’s a lot of different styles to discover. You can also find out about my

Here you can find my most recent own creations:

“Didn’t Like Me” – written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski; Bass by Simon Trotzkowski

“I Can’t Lie To My Baby” – written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski; Bass by Simon Trotzkowski, Drums by Jan Trotzkowski

“Now You Don’t Dream With Me” – written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Second Love” –  written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Iceberg Love” –  written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“In the Cold of the Night” – written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

Bands & Live Videos

The Manic McFlys (Metal & Hard Rock)

“The Mad Professor”: Keyboards, Guitar II, Eigenharp, Background-Vocals
Photo above: Markus Hillgärtner   www.markushillgärtner.de

The ManicMcFlys
The Manic McFlys

Sound-Design for Concert Opener of “The Manic McFlys”:
“Back to the Future” theme before intro before Europe’s “Final Countdown”

Looper-Solo with Eigenharp controlling Yamaha VL1-m “Shakuhachi”




GROOVENUS Soulband
Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals

GROOVENUS Souldband; Foto: Simon Trotzkowski


“Schatten über Armaleth” by Thorsten & Nadine Uebe-Emden
Musical CD-Production

Vocals: Liberio, Vahan; Lead of Ensemble; Mixing

Schatten über Armaleth

“Ankunft in Tel’ Amra” (Ausschnitt) – written by Nadine & Thorsten Uebe-Emden, by friendly permission of “SCHATTEN ÜBER ARMALETH”

Da Capo Living Gospel
Lead-Guitar, Vocal Soloist, Solo-Violin, (previously Vocal Coach)

Da Capo Living Gospel (Wissen/Sieg)
Da Capo Living Gospel (Wissen/Sieg)

With Da Capo Living Gospels:
Wings to Fly
(written by Daniela Burbach)

In Remix Contests

Sometimes I take share in remix contests or collaborations on the web – just follow the links below to get to those sites, and find some more of my music (including 3rd party content):

#Be_the_Change Contest of Kyndrl 2022: Own Song

Remix Contest 2021: DC Breaks / RAM Records: Club Thug: Beatbox REMIX by Metaphistopheles
[…]

Remix Contest 2020 Steven Wilson: Personal Shopper:

Remix Contest 2019 by Amazona.de: Caleidoscope: Raise Your Glasses
=> Finalist! (Waiätt Örp Remix by Metaphistopheles)

c’t Remix Wettbewerb (Heise Verlag) 2015: The Easton Ellises: SexDrugsRocknRoll
=> 5. Platz (CD Track published)

https://www.heise.de/ct/remix/ct_remix_2645862.html

My Personal Flashback to Sawubona Music Jam (2008 – 2010)

IBM launched Sawubona Music Jam in 2008 as a Social Responsibility Project, which ran until 2010, with the aim to raise donation funds for South Africa.

After initial plans to bring musical interaction into the Second Life platform never really took off (check out my song “Second Love” in the welcome section), it settled down to be a “normal” Social Media Web 2.0 site hosted on NING.

While I had personally been quite disappointed from the official overall results of the project (if there had been any substancial – by some reason the project simply omitted to harvest the ready fruits grown on that platform), still it had been my greatest time as a hobbyist musican to interact with people from Africa and other countries, to create some art far beyond the stereotypes of classical love songs, but to write songs and poems on topics that deal with existential problems of real people in real trouble, simply because they have different political opinions, are victims of racism or seek for personal freedom in a society that will not grant freedom for them.

Most of the songs of Sawubona Musicjam were written to feature Hans-Dieter Huober’s lyrics originally written in 1989/90 after the end of Apartheid, when he travelled to South Africa and felt to be one of the first white to visit Soweto township. He appeared to have met many lovely people there who got reflected well in his poems, so putting this into music had been a real pleasure to me.

When later a Poems Contest had been added, poets especially from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa entered with really fresh and inspiring stuff, including the (International Literature Festival Berlin (ILB)seleted) contest winner Niran Okewole, as well as Kenya’s human rights activist and writer Philo Ikonya. For me, it seemed to be even more important to bring such touching words into music.

Some Examples: “Hope Springs and Flows” is Philo’s poem which I submitted as music right at the time when she got arrested after demonstrating for humand rights, so when she left prison she could listen to her poem of hope and freedom as a song.

Possibly even more Ann Kamoni’s poem “She Only Dares” struck me. Describing the personal impact of forced marriage in the slums of Nairobi, I felt I needed to write a really bitter sing over it. While many might disagree, I personally consider it to be one of my best music writings I ever did and recorded. But possibly, it is not even as unpleasant as it ought to be.

The biggest surprize was was brought to me by Otiago Guguyu, having translated my own poem “The End” into Swahili. I convinced him to read his version in a voice chat at a cyber café, so I could record and include him into the song (which was performed on on old scrap guitar, battered old bass guitar lent from a friend, and two paper-covered flower pots to act as percussion).

Similar surprize enlightened me, when Lucky Thobela managed to record the voice of Ouma Mbelengwa at her house, so I could feature her in her own song, i.e. bring her voice back into a poem about her and her husband Peter written in 1989/90. Lucky’s own song “Rainbow Scatterings” will be represented on the playlist as my remix version.

One of my major personal aims for Sawubona Musicjam had been to cooperate with as many people as possible, so I experimented to adopt many different music styles to appear “compatible” to everybody ready to join forces – of course with variable success. As a result, you might find this playlist would not qualify to be found on any conventional music album, since each song aims at least partly to other target audiences. As an example, you will find two version of Ouma Part II significantly different over the same notes.

Here is the excerpt of my Sawubona Musicjam contributions:

“She Only Dares” –  Lyrics by Ann Kamoni – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Back of the Bus” –  Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Ben” –  Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Have a Cup of Beer” –  Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Rainbow Scattering” feat. Lucky Thobela and the 6 Mabones –  Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – remix by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Hope Springs And Flows” –  Lyrics and music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski for Philo Ikonya

“Ouma (Part I)” feat. Ouma Mbelengwa – Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski, additional vocals by Jan Trotzkowski

“Ouma (Part II) Jazz Edition”-  Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski, Vocals by Steffi Krause

“Ouma (Part II) Newsflash Edition”-  Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“The End vs. Omega” –  Lyrics and music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski; Vocals by Steffi Krause, translation and Cybercafe Reading by Otiato Guguyu

“Monica”-  Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Land Only Land”-  Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Perpetrator”-  Lyrics by Hans-Dieter Huober – music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski

“Freedom Bird”-  Lyrics and music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski for Philo Ikonya

“THIS IS NOT COMMERCE”-  Lyrics and music written and performed by Carsten Trotzkowski, dedicated to Layla

Poems

The following poems I’ve written in 2008 – 2010 for the Sawubona Music Jam – Poetry Slam

 


Truth of Commission and Reconciliation
by Carsten Trotzkowski

I say they are guilty.

They are guilty because they did it.

Because they did it to us.

To us who never did anything.

Who never did anything to stop it.

To stop it which is not easy at all.

Not easy at all – what only few people tried.

Only few people tried, risking their lifes.

Risking their lifes because those thought they were guilty.

They were guilty because they did it.

Because they did it to them.

To them who never did anything.

Who never did anything to stop it.

To stop it which is not easy at all.

.

This poem ranked 3rd place in the finals of Sawubona Poetry Slam, under the jury of “international literature festival Berlin” (ilb)

.


Valediction –
Will she be waiting for me?
by Carsten Trotzkowski

Butterflies, bees, waving weeds inside me
Am I happy, crazy, desparate?
But torn to parts I am

Affection, love, waving needs inside me
I am loving, oh so loving her!
But torn apart we are

Who is right? How could my views
Have been so wrong?
All those people that once cared for me, they –
Have they really said those words?
Have I mistaken them all time?
Can they be wrong in all they’ve told me? Or is my mind deceptive to myself…

But – oh – I fear she might suffer, suffer because she met me
Because her people will surely know, how I fear they know it now
That she has messed with people like me
That she has dressed for ogres like me
That she has slept with heathens like me
That –

But – oh – I recall how her eyes blazed, blazed because she met me.
Because her figure will surely enchant, all her entity enchanted me.
That I will crave to make her laugh
That I will prove her trust in me
That I will seek to heighten her beauty
That –

Who is right? How could my views
Have been so wrong?
All those tales come back to me, they –
Have they really done those deeds?
Have they antag’nized us all time?
Can mine be wrong in all they’ve showed me? Or is my kind deceptive to myself…

Elegies, hymns, waving screeds inside me
Am I sturdy, steady, done to leave?
Then torn from clod I’ll be

Early sunbeams guide my way to the veld…
Sweetest breeze takes my heart to the skies…
Dry river marks the borderline…

Will she be waiting for me?


The Poor and the Prim
by Carsten Trotzkowski

 

I am full of hope

I doubt I will make it

 .  .

This morning a lark sang

T’day’s radio roused me

A fragile wakeup song

With hazardous stock news

So I whispered my children

So I called up my lawyer

Just to rest for a while

For immediate plans

But lil’ Moses said “How

But that airhead whined “How

Can it sing high and bonny?”

Will you file suit them boldly?”

 .  .

I said

I yelled

 .  .

“God sent the soul of

“Gov’ment’s sent waifers

Your bro’ Jobe from heaven

For all black and bondsmen

To tell us the miracle

To ruin our stock corp

Of life”

To death”

 .  .

We wallowed in admiration

I hung up in deep frustration

 .  .

Then ol’ Dave came up over:

Then my wife shrilled my cellphone:

“They’ll reopen our gem mine

She’ll proceed with our parting

And the earnings be equal and high”

“Alimony insistently high”

So I reached for my Sunday’s

So I reached for my notebook

To apply for the headman

To deploy “friends” for raid sweeps:

Though it’s hundreds who’ll also apply

The black’s gem mine, so that hundreds will die

 .  .

I am full of hope

I doubt I will make it

 


The Bulletproof Sack
by Carsten Trotzkowski (for brave Philo Ikonya)

So please prepare this order
And buy from over border
A bulletproof sack.

Our state, it’s in disorder
We know Policemen’s order
For mercy to lack.

Her life, it is in danger
From any unknown stranger
From privileged pack.

So bolt your wheels much tighter
Beware the cigarette lighter
And lock tight your shack.

The sack will show the masses
That all suppression passes
That freedom’s on track!

Not only girls will wear it
But all the free shall share it
We – all – shall sail tack.

That symbol from the Great Book
Will open up the outlook:
Democracy’s back!

We’ll meet in parks and houses
Until nobody rouses
Our bulletproof sack.

 


As Billy Said
by Carsten Trotzkowski

As long as there are children there is hope.
As long as there is hope there are children.
While there are hoping children, there is friendship.
As long as they’re in friendship, there is peace.

As long as there’s no peace, there’s no freedom.
Still while there is no freedom, there is you.
As long as you are there, there’s a chance.
As long as there are chances, there’s your hope.

Now hoping children’s friendship’s peace sets free your chance that hoping children’s friendship’s peace sets free your chance that hoping children’s friendship’s peace sets free your chance that….

That our hope will go on forever.

 

 


The End
by Carsten Trotzkowski

So this is the end
The end we should have expected
We should have expected it looked good
It looked good but what did we expect from it?
What did we expect from it what we were not wanting to do?
We were not wanting to do selfish offences
To do selfish offences that hurt people
That hurt people we love
People we love go, so
.
So this is the end.
.
.
.
.
Don’t go!

Omega
Translation of “The End” by Otiato Guguyu

Kumbe huu ndio mwisho
Mwisho ambao tungeutarajia
Uzuri wake matarajio yetu
Na maridadi ilionekana
Lakini tulitarajia Ni?
Tulilolitarajia tusilotaka kufanya
Hatukutaka kabisa dhambi za ubinafsi
Makosa ya ubinafsi yanayowadhuru watu
Ubinafsi utufanyao fidhuli
Fidhuli wanaowagugumiza wanaowapenda
.
Na wanaotupenda kwenda
.
.
.
.
Kumbe!