Monday 31 December 2018

My Retrospective: Looking Back on 2018 - December 31, 2018





Greetings and thanks for stopping by to check out my 2018 retrospective!  I wish you a very Happy New Year and may all your hopes, aspirations and dreams come true this 2019!

This summer, I decided to take a break from music production and get back into urban exploration, an activity which I pursued in Montreal and West Berlin back in the 80s and again in the mid-2000s.  Adding photography to my mental list of passions adds a nice balance to producing experimental electronic music, making videos, blogging, web design, collecting fine vintage costume jewellery, accessories, period clothing, hardcover books, vinyl, CDs, furniture and many other items I so enjoy hunting for!

I've always loved photography, either being in front or behind the camera.  So, after joining the G+ "Abandoned in Time" community last November, I was fortunate to meet and friend many like-minded photo buffs who shared a special interest in diverse and eclectic takes on all that is "abandoned". Back in the 80s, I was already on the hunt for all things deserted, my most memorable explorations being a WWII underground bunker hidden away beneath the city center of then-West Berlin and a deserted manufacturing factory in Montreal's east end.  

This summer, having once again been bitten by the urbex bug, I packed up some snacks and my digicams and took off once in search of some deserted buildings, historic sites, wall art, tear downs, and anything else that caught my eye.  Everywhere I looked, there was an image just waiting to be captured. One day while out on a shoot, I struck gold taking several images within a 4 block radius.  What an inspiring, unexpected visual treasure trove! 







PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO INSPIRE ME
Ansel Adams
Alfred Eisenstaedt
Helmut Newton
Dorothea Lange
Man Ray
Andy Warhol
David LaChapelle
Martin U Waltz

MY PHOTOGRAPHY
Deserted Buildings in Montreal (2)
Montreal’s 1950s Conveyor Quay
Other Deserted Buildings, Places and Rusted Objects
Deserted Buildings in Montreal (3)
Ties, Tracks and Tunnels
Other Deserted Buildings, Doors and Antique Objects
Cool Wall Art I Photographed This Summer
80-Year Old Church Makes Way for Micro-Suite Highrise
Deserted Buildings and Other Historic Sites in Montreal
Other Deserted Buildings, Historical Landmarks & Antique Objects

MUSIC VIDEOS
Mangod
Too Much TV
Never For Certain
Evening Dune
Tales of Dreams
A Faint Image
On and Off
When Time Stands Still
Antithétique
Die Mauer
The Apparition
Malaise
Daydreams
A Calm Stroll

SELF-PRODUCED ALBUMS AND SINGLES
The Veil
Mangod (Teaser)

MUSIC COLLABORATIONS /COMPILATIONS & FREE DOWNLOADS
Friends of Ambient 27 – “Never for Certain” with Lutz Thuns
GodHatesGodRecords – Anti:form Compilation No. 4 – “Antithétique”
Vava Vol & Eisenlager – “Mitte Kreuzberg” on Studio 4632 Netlabel
Friends of Ambient 28 – “The Apparition” with Lutz Thuns
Studio 4632 Net Label - Vava Vol & Eisenlager – Half Truths/Halbe Warhheiten – Update 2018 
Friends of Ambient 29 – “Daydreams” with Lutz Thuns
Studio 4632 Net Label - Rückkopplung - Collaborations from the Past - Vava Vol & Eisenlager

STREAM/DOWNLOAD MY 2018 COLLABORATIONS HERE:
"Herewith another Vava Vol/Eisenlager collaboration album.  This latest release is a re-release done especially for Studio 4632.  Previously released on Hortus Conclusus Records. Half Truths is an abstract; an experimental, avant garde electronic collection.  Several tracks are borderline noise genre, but within music.  Overall an interesting mix with music and precision beats mingled in a cacaphony of sounds. Enjoy!” – Candy Lozier for Studio 4632 Netlabel

"This collaboration from Eisenlager and Vava Vol is some of the best experimental ambient electronic I have heard.  Eisenlager has been on an incredibly creative roll.  He and Vava Vol have totally complementary styles on this one.  An excellent example of where music can go and still have us eagerly in tow.  This album is about movement and people and time and memory.  A synaesthetic journey, done in a magical experimental style.  A chronology, maybe.  I would say that the tracks are carefully placed in order, maintaining a nice balance between the tones and tempos.  The album also incorporates threads of different styles nicely.  The overall feeling is mellow.  A great listen.  A great album.  Enjoy "Mitte Kreuzberg."  Candy Lozier for Studio 4632 Netlabel

"Having walked the whole length of this dammed  mauerreste in Berlin, the abbau der Berlin under noch sichtbare reeste in der Berliner innenstadt...this is the perfect soundscape! Favourite track: Die Mauer" - j er ich

“I love this—I am a bit of a loss for words, as it evokes so much—so many classic sounds, so many classic pieces, are hinted at in my mind as I listen, yet this is quite unique—many thanks, I thoroughly enjoyed this.” –David Paganin on “Zoostation”

BOOKS THAT ENHANCE MY LIFE
My Guide to Natural Health – A Natural Health Bible – Dr. Jean-Marc Brunet
Acupressure Yoga and You – Louise Taylor & Betty Bryant
Louise Hay – Heal Your Body – The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Metaphysical Way to Overcome them
10,000 Dream Interpreted – Pamela Ball
The Serenity Runes – Five Keys to the Serenity Prayer – Ralph H. Blum
The Book of Runes & Runes – Ralph Blum
Handy Healing Tea Tree Oil – Joyce Johnson ND
The Chakra Bible – Patricia Mercier
Betty Bethards The Dream Book – Symbols for Self Understanding
The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga – Swami Vishnudevananda

STREAM/GET SELECT FREE DOWNLOADS OF MY ENTIRE ARCHIVED MUSIC CATALOGUE  AT:
https://hearthis.at/vava-vol/

FOLLOW ME:
https://vavavol.bandcamp.com/
https://www.discogs.com/artist/3714359-Vava-Vol
https://soundcloud.com/vava-vol
https://www.reverbnation.com/vavavol
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/vava-vol-140ab24a




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