I hope to start performing tracks like this via looping soon around Madrid! Woo! Watch up for an updated soundcloud account with sets of these tracks (Bob Amy #1 etc)
Massive, Acoustic guitar, Seattle Custom Built Drum Set Sampler.
Reflection and Response
-P
September 2012
October 2012
Reflection and Response.
Events from the Collective is a calendar of upcoming events from the LIFESTYLE collective’s international community. Events can be submitted at anytime to the.lifestyle.rr@gmail.com or @LIFESTYLE_RR and will be added to the calendar as they roll in.
Catch some LIVE music with Vivian Garcia & Peter Muller on Friday, September 28 at 10pm/22h at Marineros Bar in Madrid, España!! I created the following hand-drawn flyer for their show, which marks both artists’ return to Madrid this fall. Utensils: One Large Sharpie, One Fine-Point Sharpie. Function and form, or “applied art,” as an old friend would put it:
Reflection and Response.
V.
This post comes live from Córdoba, España. While staying with friends in this city in Andalucia, I met Blanca, a woman who lives in the apartment where I’m staying. We spoke briefly about our lives and she told me that she’d like to return to her home in Ecuador next year. As I gear up for making moves in music in Madrid next year I’ll be writing songs about human interactions that have occurred throughout these last few years. Peace and gracias for reading!
Blanca sits eyes deep and explains/How in her youth she spent her Italian days/ Among eclectic groups in parks as they’d play/ Music from Paraguay to Bombay/
Now she knows she’ll go home/ Back to su pais/ Work is increasingly slow as she wears down her knees/ Looking after the senora whose only a few years older/ But affords her to come arond to cook and brew Folgers/
Is is the wrinkle/ Or the twinkle in her eye/ Or her slow step that represents knowledge of a whole life/ Search for the fountain of youth/ Empty handed you’ll arrive/ But lend a ear to those who’ve lived and find timeless advice/
While we mindlessly drive on/ Autopilot through careers/ pay for diversion costs rise every year/ Your life is meaningless if that’s how you want it to appear/ If you were given a choice you were given power the hour is here/
Flash back to Blanca as she flashes back to Milano/ leans back on the couch that props her up a touch of sorrow/ but only that much because she always makes it to tomorrow/
Blanca sits eyes deep and explains/ How in her youth she spent her italian days/ Among ecletic groups in parks as they’d play/ Music from Paraguay to Bombay/
Reflection and Response
P.
Frame (Madrid, España) by Peter Muller
Reflection and Response.
The Snapshots From the Collective series works to create a space for Reflection and Response through photography. ANYone who wants to contribute ANY photos to this project can email us submissions at the.lifestyle.rr@gmail.com. One photo will be posted each week, and photos will only be used for the purposes of this series. Thank you and we look forward to building and expanding the Collective!!! -P & V
Welcome Northern Europe to the LIFESTYLE Collective! Rasmus Brix is a singer-songwriter whose tunes are both melodic and catchy. Coming out of Denmark, he established himself as an integral part of a growing music scene in Madrid, Spain over the course of the last year. AFter returning home at the end of his stint in Madrid he continues to write and record good music. Check out the below interview below and Rasmus’s tunes Lonesome Friend and Time is Not. 
Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?
RB: I am from a small town in the outskirts of Copenhagen called Brøndby. It has a lovely forest and a beach. It has its ups and downs like all other places, I guess. The ups I like. Today home is Copenhagen.
What does Reflection and Response mean to you?
RB: To me reflection is the gathering of thoughts and impressions followed by a good stirrup and a change of lighting. Response is (and is sometimes not) a relatively spontaneous reaction to something relatively permanent, prepared and thought through. That and more.
How does your music fit in with that definition?
RB: I’m not sure if it does. I guess the songs I write are responses to reflections – and sometimes they are the reflection.
What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?
RB: I’ve been writing songs and playing them. Next project will be sorting out my situation at the university and maybe find a job.
Who or what inspires you?
RB: “THE INSPIRATION”. People, songs, books, conversations, thoughts, doubts, moods, etc. At the moment listening to Ben Howard makes me want to write and play. Sam Cooke is singing in my headphones while I’m writing this, and I like it. I met a friendly gentleman called Juan Luis on a train a few weeks ago and our conversation made me write a song. I’ve written a song to a tree. Bob Dylan showed me that it’s OK to use simple chords. Van Morrison, Nick Drake, Bon Iver, James Vincent McMorrow, Johnny Flynn, Paolo Nutini, The Bowerbirds, The Rumour Said Fire and The Black Keys are nine inspiring groups/ musicians on a list I haven’t got the patience to carry on with. I don’t know. It’s all a bit messy.
Shout out to…?
RB: Oswaldo for stopping and listening that one cold Sunday afternoon in the park when fingers were getting cold and sore, – and for inviting me to come play in the studio, of course; people at bars and streets in Madrid for clapping their hands and filling me with that good stuff that feels funny and calms the nerves; troubadours and other music men and women from hither and thither.
–
Be sure to check out Rasmus’s Soundcloud for updates and new tunes.
-Reflection and Response
Once again, thank you all for the consistent support for Shake This Maze: The Album from day one!! Like we outlined for the fifty 1st Edition units, the following map now shows the whereabouts of the “Gold Banner” 2nd Edition units thus far…
We’ve only got 2 available copies left in the States, and a handful left for global distribution from P based out of Spain.
If interested in supporting this project and getting a hold of one of the remaining copies, find purchase info here. This is the final pressing for Shake This Maze, new projects are now on the DOCKS, so stay dialed in!!
Thanks again yall! One Love!
Music by Peter Muller | Art by Vicken Donikian
Reflection and Response.
P & V.
First of all, we are GRATEFUL for the support with Shake This Maze Second Edition!! We still have copies left but many of you have helped build this project into a successful reality. Soon we will be posting a behind-the-scenes VIDEO of V’s Craft in the making of the albums by hand in Brooklyn.
The soundtrack of the piece will include some remixes of Shake This Maze tracks.
The first one is called He’s So Jade and contains elements from He’s Your Guy and Jade Eyes.
Elements are from
Our second Shake This Maze remix is called Spark Job Stab
Elements are from
Be on the lookout for the video dropping SOON!
Reflection and Response
-P
Shake This Maze
An important idea of the album comes from the title track:
“Shake this maze to the core with these chords and verses/ Mix genres like cops, johns, whores, and virgins/ Turn the source of hurting into a sense of pride/ Find the gold on the shipwrecks of life.”
Music for me has been a main source of Reflection and Response, and the tracks on this album are just that: Reflections on everyday experience. This release is an ultimate Response.
– Peter Muller
WELCOME to the release of the 2nd edition of Peter Muller’s debut album, Shake This Maze. Original music, independently produced and recorded. Original album artwork, individually handcrafted. 50 hand numbered units.
We wanted to release a 2nd edition of Shake This Maze as a continuation of our collaborative project. The gold banner cover design gives new character to the same musical content as the original edition.
The re-crafting of the album has been a dope experience, and in the upcoming weeks we’ll be releasing some “Making Of…” documentation of the process in various forms of media. Stay dialed in!
**The Golden Ticket** Each album comes with a few goods in the inside left pocket, behind the tracklist. We’ve included: 1) A “the LIFESTYLE” or “Reflection and Response” sticker, 2) A “Peter Muller” logo flyer, and 3) A “the LIFESTYLE: Reflection and Response” banner photo. One of the 50 units includes The Golden Ticket – a banner photo with NO blue pigment!! If the banner photo in your collection of goods has a color-less sky, hit us up!! A custom handwritten parchment scroll of lyrics from your favorite track off the album will come your way..
Check our narratives about the creative process from the original release a couple months ago:
The Music:
Shake This Maze is a project that started sometime around 2009 in Buenos Aires when I decided to get back into writing more personal lyrics. During this time I had the good fortune to be able to work with talented musicians both inside and outside of the city of Buenos Aires. Conversations about life in Buenos Aires can be heard on “The Villa,” which was recorded in Villa Carraza, a low-income area outside of the city. While in Argentina I also work with a woman with an amazing voice whose version of “The City,” brought out such soulful tones in the track.
After moving back to Seattle to finish school at the University of Washington I formed a group called 55thandBrooklyn, and tracks such as “Past That,” “Wake Up,” “He’s Your Guy,” and “The Christmas Song,” were part of the live set of 55th later performed live around Seattle at venues such as Fourno’s, Lucid, and Waid’s in early 2011. After graduation in March 2011, I got a job at Duke’s Chowder house, a Seattle seafood chain restaurant. The members of 55th had gone their separate ways and I focused on solo lyrics accompanied by acoustic guitar. Experiences from Seattle during this period crafted through this type arrangement can be heard on “This job,” “Making Spaces,” and “Jade Eyes.” Final recording of these later tracks was done in two different apartment studios in Madrid, Spain.
The final two tracks of the album were projects begun years before I even left for college. “Livin on the West Coast” comes from the P.Muller and Sneaky V days of 2002-2006 when V and I first started messing with composition and arranging music with Garage Band in Berkeley. In “Spark This Shit Flaming” I used a beat from Seattle that samples me playing drums from my parents basement in 2003.Then in Spain I wrote the lyrics and recorded and mastered the track.
I started out using Logic Express 8 in Argentina and finished up with Ableton Suite 8. I have used the same Apogee one interface and MXL V88 mic for 3 years.
While the tracks mostly come from me, this project is 100% collaboration between V and I. If it weren’t for his idea to start this project, there’d be no album. If it weren’t for his craftsmanship, the tracks would have no presentation.
-P.
The Artwork:
The making of the album artwork was a handcrafted process involving 6 stages and multiple mediums. We started by ordering 50 blank recycled chipboard album covers and some CD sleeves from the good folks over at Stumptown Printers, and Shake This Maze was soon on its way…
1. Cover Art, Part 1: Acrylic paint stencil
I started the cover art by cutting a stencil of the “PM” logo that I had created for Peter about a month ago. An old-school classic stencil made from the basics: a manila folder and an exacto blade. Using red acrylic paint and a brush, I hand stenciled this first layer on the units.
2. Cover Art, Part 2: India ink stencil
Next, I cut another stencil of the lettering I drew up for the album title, Shake This Maze. Using india ink and a brush, I centered this second layer over the red “PM” backdrop.
3. Back Cover
For the back cover (not pictured) I hand-wrote some credits with a Pigma Micron #8 pen..
4. Tracklist
Moving on to the tracklists, I used a Pigma Brush pen to write the song titles. I also marked each unit with a 1/50, 2/50….49/50, 50/50.. on the right inside cover. It would be dope to see where all of these end up, so hit us up with the whereabouts.. we might have to set up a map to keep track!
5. CD Labels
I printed the “PM” logo and the “Shake This Maze” lettering on Brown Kraft CD Labels, which we then threw on each CD..
6. Assembly
Finally, using a hot glue gun, I folded and assembled each case. Look for more goods in the inside left pocket too!!
This was a dope collaborative project to work on, and it’s amazing how each album case turns out to be unique in some way – whether it’s slightly different placement of the cover lettering stencils, or the individually numbered inside pocket…they all have their own vibe and character! I think this handcrafted approach is the only fitting way to showcase Peter’s original, honest, and raw creative talent. Reflection and Response.
V.
In order to purchase the album:
–Directly from Peter in Madrid at upcoming shows, album release parties, open mics, other events, or contact P at the.lifestyle.rr@gmail.com
–Directly from Vicken in the New York City area or contact V at the.lifestyle.rr@gmail.com
–Online store for orders not in Madrid or New York City…
Shake This Maze USA:
Shake This Maze Europa:
–8€ for European orders and $10 for orders in the United States. All other currencies accepted.
This is the end of the beginning. Our first collaborative product, and it’s been a raw and inspiring experience expanding our craft with you. Thank you all for the love and support!! We’re looking forward to building off this project as we move forward!
Reflection and Response.
P & V.
Shake This Maze, 2nd edition. A couple months ago, we released the “First 50” units of Peter’s debut album, independently recorded, with back-to-the-basics handcrafted artwork. The second edition features another set of 50 individually numbered albums, with a new gold-anchored cover design.
We wanted to release a 2nd edition of Shake This Maze as a continuation of our collaborative project. Vicken takes the feel of the collaboration to a different level with the gold banner, which gives new character to the same musical content as the original edition.
This is the end of the beginning. Our first collaborative product, and it’s been a raw experience expanding our craft with you. Thank you all for the love and support!! We’re looking forward to building off this project as we move forward!
Stay tuned for the upcoming release of Shake This Maze, 2nd edition!!
Reflection and Response.
P & V.
the LIFESTYLE 