I Saw My Homeland Die, The Analysis

In 2022 I released one DJ mix a month. I had many reasons for doing this project. The two biggest reasons where to improve my music creation skills and to help push out my concept of Liminal Dance Music. While LDM failed I still trudged on. I liked it. I learned a lot about mixing. It built work ethic.

In May while camping I came up with how to end the whole project. I would do it with one final piece. This piece would conclude this ‘era’ of Bhalos (2017–2022). This piece was to be called “I Saw My Homeland Die”. The name came to me during a stay-over in Garson, Ontario.

As I grew up I began to see that the world I was born into was fading, that the places and structures I’d known as mine no longer existed. I watched it disappear. I still have some pieces left. With those pieces I safeguard with my life. I hope to one day rebuild what I lost. I know it’s futile to think that it can be exactly the way it was but I wish to at least rebuild this land the way I want. I set up some goals for myself at start of 2022. I intended this year to be the year I “seize it” and get everything in order. I had planned to only make this album if I failed in those tasks. I didn’t fail and as 2022 rolled by I began to see this album as more of a triumphant conclusion to the year.

I haven’t saved my homeland yet but this year I intend to. When that time comes I will make the follow-up album “I’m Done Hiding From You” but until then I have a lot of work to do. That release will be like this one but in the opposite direction. It will be uplifting and harmonious. It will only come into existance when my world is saved.

Off the bat I knew this would be my heaviest release, utilizing dark ambient, noise, metal and whatever dark things I could find. With the proposal in mind I began assembling samples, songs, ideas and plans. The level of mixing here would be unlike what was previously seen on my 2022 mixes with mashups, remixes, original songs and more unity than 2022 had shown. This ended up being more than just a simple mix. This was an album. And as I worked on it I eventually came to realization that this path had been treaded before, by a different musician. Michael C. Smith (Passion Immortal). He put the idea to words more eloquently than I could have.

As he wrote on the release of his self-titled album: “For a few years now I’ve been doing compilations of music in which i edit the pieces heavily and place the emphasis on arrangement and flow. The goal is to create a genuine “album” out of a collection of songs or parts of songs. The idea is that the arrangement of the pieces will bring something out in the pieces that is greater than merely hearing them on their own, ie, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I wanted to create music that would flow between very different and contrasting emotions smoothly.” ~ https://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/threads/passion-immortal.230436/

Though it was never my intention to do something akin I see my work now in a strange way as a spiritual successor to the forgotten work of Passion Immortal. Wherever he is, I hope he is doing well.

I am sceptical of claims that certain albums needed to be listened to in certain ways. While I have an idea of how one should listen to this I can’t stand behind it 100%. Music is modular, it can be can suite the mood or create entirely new settings. So while I write that you should listen to the album in this way, ultimately the experience you will have with it will be your own.

For those that wish to have this guideline I will write this. This album is intended to be listened to on your bed, at night with headphones on. It is to simulate a hypnotic experience and be an auditory exorcism for the uncertainty and evil within your mind. While I heavily considered sampling hypnotists I decided against it. I do not wish to cause unwanted mental damage. It could also be listened to underneath a tree at night, during light rain. Please take necessary precautions when listening so as to not get sick. It was not intended to be listened to in one sitting so take breaks. Allow your ears to heal.

This album is a trip in itself. Those that like dark music will probably feel right at home here.

You’ll likely have noticed I have released two versions of this album. The one I just wrote about and another version called “I Saw My Homeland Crxshed”. Originally I was going to “hex” the album into this bitcrushed thing inspired by the Hexd and Surge movements. However, as I finished working on the mix I found I loved it way too much as it was to do that. So as a bonus to conclude my project I have released that version as a remix album. I love both versions so much I can’t decide which one should be the official, so might as well just release them separately.

While my other releases have had tracklists I have elected to not do that for this. This release functions as a full piece and the individual tracks do not get much time to shine on their own. As such no tracklist will be released…sort of. With YouTube’s copyright system, WhoSampled and people inevitably seeing this as a game I will eventually release the tracklist. However, the tracklist will only be filled as songs are identified. I will also write who identified that. That list will be available on both the YouTube stream and the individual tracks on YouTube. I counted 55 songs used excluding all interludes and vocal samples.

YouTube’s auto-copyright system has already identified a bunch of tracks but I will leave those blank until someone can find where they appear. Good luck.

LLink Dump

Download: uggcf://jjj.qebcobk.pbz/f/xce1funnmgvj21a/Ounybf%20-%20V%20Fnj%20Zl%20Ubzrynaq%20Qvr.ene?qy=0

(password: homeland-died) (de-code with ROT13 and CyberChef)

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdMZWaqoIIU

MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/Bhalos/i-saw-my-homeland-die/

HearThis: https://hearthis.at/bhalos/homeland-full-mix-normal/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-957812189/sets/i-saw-my-homeland-die-excerpts

AudioMack: https://audiomack.com/bhalos/album/i-saw-my-homeland-die

I am going to go on a hiatus for a bit. At this point in my life a lot of things are uncertain, including the future of the “Bhalos” project. I know I will 100% return to it one day, I just don’t know when.

From Gogama With Love,

Bhalos