TLDR: New track! Out now! Get it on your favorite streaming platform here.

The backstory

After releasing my debut track, Back To Zero, I quickly started on the next one. What was simple jamming at first, quickly became a struggle – I ended up trashing half a dozen tracks because they were all just not up to snuff (and believe me, this is not just some crazy perfectionism!). I wanted to do better than the last release, but kept failing at it, and it was becoming increasingly frustrating. There were moments when I just wanted to give it all up… it simply wasn’t working out. All in all, it took me several months and a ton of willpower to break through that imaginary wall.

Breath of the Forest started as a completely different song. I started from scratch several times, leaving only some of the synths and other instruments intact. Up until the last moment the song was not quite there – it simply lacked energy and something special, even though I liked the basic ethereal arpeggios and the vibe of the song. So at the very end of the process, I added the big drum kit that smashed everything into place. Finally it had the energy and the epic feeling I was going for.

Breathe!

The track takes inspiration from something called “breathwork”. There are many types of breathwork, the most famous one being the Wim Hof method. The breath is an incredibly powerful tool to achieve altered states of consciousness, and breathwork sessions helped me to go deep inside to explore the inner world. This is a tool to deal with difficult moments – literally breathing through them. I also love the deep relaxation and peace that washes over you after an hour of intense breathing.

In the sessions I attended, the music was a powerful driving force behind the practice. In some cases the tracks have been created specifically for breathwork (for example by the awesome Dutch producer Joep Mencke) and in other cases they simply match very well to the experience (one of my all-time favorites is the song “Says” by Nils Frahm – I’m sure you’ll hear the inspiration for this track). In all cases, there is a certain energetic quality to the songs that take you higher – they send shivers up your spine, and it is that feeling that I wanted to capture with Breath of the Forest.

Forest bathing

Apart from breathwork, I also aimed to capture the sense of awe that I feel on my adventures out in nature. Especially after meditation or breathwork sessions, when you pay attention, the forest is clearly alive and breathing ever so subtly. The leaves rustling in the wind, the gently moving branches of the trees – present and unmoving, yet flowing with subtle energies all the way down into the earth, where they literally connect with each other to form the ancient entity we call the forest.

These experiences leave me in awe of nature and being alive. It is this awe, this deep appreciation of the whole, that I hope to convey in the song – even if it’s just capturing a tiny fragment of it, and just a humble attempt at that.

I hope the song serves you well – it is best enjoyed when you’re relaxed, and in a perceptive state. Turn up the volume, perhaps take some deep breaths throughout the track – you never know what realms might open up for you!

Listen to Breath of the Forest here.

Enjoy 🙂

-Derk