Hi musical colleagues,

I have made two songs, On the go and Wild times. I treat them in separate posts, so don't worry.
The song in this post is based on an real situation. My son went to Mexico. Actually both my sons did, but this one fell in love and not only with that country.
So within a month he will be there for the fourth time and so I made a song of this proces:https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130/on-the-go-to-mexico
Of course I hope that it will change his mind, but what is stronger, love or a song?

I used the funky style from BB called Muzzle. The tempo is 110.
I used 2607 (a slap bass), 1436 (funky guitar), Drums, Modern Funk 16th, 3251 (bariton guitar), 3261 (cello, chops), and 2526 (keyboard, el.). In my Daw I had 2 tracks with Latin loops and 2 tracks for my keyboard with Blocks (Native instruments).
Hope you can enjoye this song...

Hans Berkhout

Lyrics:
On the go (to Mexico)
(c) HWBerkhout, june 2019

I went abroad, for fun I thought
Then met that girl who made me swirl
And back home, on my own
I sure got mad, cause she is in my head, so...

I will grabb my things, buy me wings
With that transfer I should see her
One last farewell to all my friends
Then I go to Mexico

It felt so bad, at least I'm sad
Every day she's more away
And back home, on my own
No I felt silly without my Lilly, so...

I grabb my things, buy me wings
With that transfer I should see her
Farewell sounds mad to my mom and dad
But I gotta go to Mexico

Only at work I say no word
Without a trace I leave that place
It'll take a while to get back my smile
But I gotta go to Mexico

And back home I have that stone
Can I settle, I said, without regret?

Don't talk no Spanish
Drink no tequilla
I have no money
am no guerilla, So? but...

-2x-
(Yes) I will grabb my things, buy me wings
With this transfer I (will) should see her
I got to go to let her know
I'm on the go to Mexico

Very nice, Hans! Like the arrangement. Nice changes, to keep it interesting. I appreciate you putting the lyrics on the post. Makes it easier to follow along.

Really enjoyed this!

Steve

Fun and funky listen!

The vocal has a Tom Waits sort of feel, and that's good in my book.

I had trouble understanding most the vocals, but - for me - some songs are more about enjoying the feel than the lyrics, and I love the feel of this song.

I enjoyed your funky tune...
It has great rhythm & feel...
Since you said this song was based on a "real situation"...
I hope the "situation" works out well for all of you!

Liked this a lot -as with your other recent one, the vocal processing is a bit much for me.

So funky and urban. Really, nice hot band and mix. Your lyrics lie so craftily in the cracks of that funk--such a fun listen. Lots of good lines never heard before.

Don't talk no Spanish
Drink no tequilla
I have no money
am no guerilla, So? but...

Just great.

I like the vocal processing. It carves out a good space in the mix and gives it the feel of "inner monologue".

Overall, outstanding work and hugely enjoyed here. Best wishes to all, and a happy ending.

Nicely done Someone else mentioned a Tom Waits comparison on the vocals and I 100% agree. Very gruff and definitely a standout for me. Paired with the funk-influence instrumentation and it makes for a really unique and captivating list.

Thanks for sharing!

Good funky driving background for your cautionary tale...as David said the feel of your vocal carries the song. I like the lyrics.Somewhere between the processing and vocal style they do get lost, but the overall sound is still edgy and enjoyable.

Robert

Really groovy, very nice to hear latin funk! Your voice needs some time get used to, but in the end I like it, suits the mood. Good use of loops and many nice little changes. Good mix. Funny story, a song is a good way to process your thoughts

Janne

Well done Birchwood! I quite enjoyed the overall tone on this. Thanks for sharing!

"Don't talk no Spanish
Drink no tequilla
I have no money
am no guerilla, So? but..."

Now that is cool!

Funky Latin...great combo and it reflects a cool selection of BiaB tracks.

As Robert said the lyric presents a "cautionary tale"...great description.

The vocal...well different, but we felt it worked perfectly for the song as it found it's "place" amongst the instrumental tracks.

And the mix lays out a nice soundstage on our monitors.

Enjoyed it!

J&B

Hans,

I like everything about this.

Cool music. Funky, innovative. A good write. Terrific instrumentation.

Good mix. Good music.

fj

Hello Steve, David, Jim, TuneMonger, Tangmo, Deryk, Robert, Janne, Joe and J&B, (a relative long row...),

At first thanks for your compliments and also for the worries about my son (Jim). Now he is in Italy for the weekend. Maybe I can make a sort of Italian song instead of another Mexico-song. But it is his choice after all. as long as I don't have to pay much!

Some of you mentioned the vocals as being a bit of a problem (my words). I mixed it with a new program called Nectar 3. Like the other song I posted them at the same time. and they had the same issue. But strangely, I did not notice it, although I always check them on my homespeakers as well. I'm serously concerned about my ears now. And those of my wife.
But I mixed both again the old way. I hope it got better by now.
I was curious what Janne meant with 'at the end he got used to my voice'. This worried me. And the remark from J&B about having a 'different' voice in Mexico makes my worries grow more and more. I went to my doctor (joke).

But on the other hand Tangmo and J&B point at that inner monologue. That was exactly why I wrote the lyrics that way (So? But...)
And I used the present tense for saying goodbye to mom and dad and leaving his work. Because he hadn't done it but was thinking about how that works out.
I'm sorry the words couldn't always be heard. I do my utmost to change that. Otherwise Janice has to sing those songs...

Bye,
Hans

Interesting tune!! Love the FUNKINESS of it! Again, your vocals are a standout. Really good job at arranging/mixing. Everything works well!! Take care. Greg

The music is ace and I THINK the melody is also but it's sooooo adrift in the soup of processing that I can'r be certain. The "I grab my things..." chorus cuts through better and it works really well.

Hans,
Really cool and unusual! A lot of personality in this one. I like your arrangement it is clear and upfront. I like your vocal delivery too on this, pretty strong! But, I feel it got somewhat diminished by the processing.
(My biggest mistake ) Unfortunately I can not suggest something useful, but I can describe it. Arrangement has a lot of presence and body. Vocals, although strong, feel a bit thin and distant.

Overall really nice tune!
P.S. I hope the situation works out for the better, one way or another

Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Hans

Strong composition and arrangement. I enjoyed the song and what you achieved.

Nice work.

Peter

Hi Hans,

Yeah, I really like this one! Excellent arrangement and production, mix sounds fabulous through the 'phones.

I would maybe back off on the vocal processing a little. It sounds great, but it makes it hard to understand the lyrics.

But, a very good song and I enjoyed the listen!

Hi Greg, Ray, Misha, Peter and Dave,

Thanks for your listening ears, compliments and nice and critical remarks.
I learn from that.

Greg and Peter, thanks for the best wishes. I let him know!
Ray, I think you're right about the danger making soup from all the (vocal) processing aspects.
Like Misha and Dave said the voice can get 'loose from the music'(my words)or the lyrics getting difficult to understand. And that is NOT what we want in our songs, don't we? I'm learning every day.

So thanks for all this,
Hans

Hans,

Great song. Good vocal and lyrics. A strong arrangement as well.

Bob

Doeie Hans,

OUTSTANDING in all aspects. So funky, such a good wrute. And just don't know how to comment on the vocals - 'te gek' misschien...

Enjoyed the listen a lot !!!!!

Cheers,

Stefan