"No surprise whatsoever to see Daniel Eboli, Larry Ludwick and Jon Bushaway team up. It was probably a safer bet than whether the UK would have a white Christmas for the first time in years. Although most of Daniel's output has been kinda world/new age and Larry's output has been in every genre known to man, I contend these three musicians share a common doom and glooom tendency. Seeing as I reviewed both Dead Company/Larry Ludwick's Fighting Back just a couple of days ago, I'm not getting into long decriptions of what they do suffice to say it relies heavily on the Spoken Word and might even be...(gulp)

Poetry!!! Who'da thunk it?

Daniel Eboli, on the other hand, has shown himself to be an inspired musician who isn't afraid to experiment in his own right, as the favourable (kinda/sorta) reviews show. Daniel is on a New Age groove on The Void (vocals by Larry, poetry courtesy of Jon Bushaway) and although the music is definitely Daniel's, the ethos and feeling is definitely Ludwick and Bushaway. A very convincing demonstration, I think, of musical black and white and a truly strange experience for me. See, I have become very used to the sound and texture of the new Dead Company and to hear it set against Daniel's space-y, intricate melodies is - to my ears - delightful.

I have no doubt that Jon Bushaway is a splendid bloke, a true gent but God the boy has a depressing worldview: image splinters of graveyards, grief and loss and bleak, desolate wastelands. Larry gives this vision body and depth enhanced enormously by what Daniel has done with the mix, cutting in phrases where they work best. Much more to the point, he has lightened the mood enough to make this track listenable without the attendent urge to kill oneself. The other major difference between this and other TDC/Larry Ludwick is about ten minutes, the average TDC weighing in somewhere in that vicinity. Daniel Eboli brings it all to a satisfying conclusion in a sprightly two and a half minutes.

Excellent three way collab. Highly Recommended (if doomy) experimental poetry. "

..."All I have to say is, BRILLIANT. This is a truly brilliant song. From beginning to end, I love the way it's complex, but not unnecessarily so, you go through all the builds and extended sections in a way that makes sense and it purposeful. This song feels RIGHT. The vibe of it is a really happy one, very uplifting and hopeful. You've got this "Yes" prog rock thing going on, but you don't sound like a total rip off or a wannabe, it's really really REALLY cool.

I have one complaint. I wish you'd use more interesting sounds. The keyboard patches you're using work, but they just sound so dated, I wish you were using some more interesting sounds that didn't remind me so heavily of things that were typically used in the 70's. It's still an interesting song, but that would up it's value for me at least a great deal.

In spite of this complaint, I'm giving you a golden sushi roll, because I'm blown away with the song itself, it really is a magnificent piece and you say so much without even using words! That's a really amazing ability to have..."

"Really unique piece, very interesting, like a symphony orchestra that happens to be packing a synthesizer and some extra effects. The glass harp sound is pretty neat and I am always a sucker for melodic deep strings."

"Daniel, this song, is INCREDIBLE! As soon as i have some money to spare, i will definately be buying this. You make amazing music. I'm a big fan of Enya, and Yanni, and Patrick O'hearn and New age type music, and this is great! Keep it up!"

"Daniel, this is very strong and at the same time its a concept I really appreciate. Narrative, poems put in music. Our forefathers have been doing this. But in todays digital environment things seem to shift and give this art form a different, new meaning. You two really contribute here at front.

Very good synths, very tasteful FX treatment of Larrys voice. This it great!"

"Nice soundscape! Is it me or does the melody almost sound like Baroque? This is brilliant songwriting, reminds me slightly of something I would expect to hear on a Vangelis film soundtrack."

"...This one, had me feeling like I was in some magical place...looking around, trying to figure out where i am and where ta hell did I find those magic mushrooms!
But thats not it at all....

Once the strings come in, with the quick transitions....thats when the feeling stays, but the legs starts running. And you feel youre running through this magic...loving the feeling of the rush.

Its hard for me to review instrumental music, but the better it is, the easier it really gets.
Great performance by Daniel....he knows what to put, where to put it, and he has this certain style to him, this majestic, echoish music that is quite uplifting.
The ending, I felt, with the whole fade out, was a downer...I wanted something to finish me off.....not leave me hanging. But still, very good.

Excellenteeee track!
Check out Daniels music...it will get you in some sort of mood...thats for damn sure."

Out of the two Daniel Eboli tracks I have so far reviewed, I've liked what I've herad. Not that much of a surprise when you see that Daniel Eboli is from Brazil and classed as a World musician, as I am known to be partial to this genre. A genre I am absolutely NOT partial to is New Age and even then Daniel managed to slip one of those by me too, and with no bruising. Says something then about the quality of this musicians work that he can work in an area I despise and still manage to come up with something I can't pick fault with. Doncha just hate it when that happens? Or when someone says - over to Daniel again - 'made in 30 minutes. It just popped out of my fingers'

Ooops, like my finger just popped in your eye? Grrr.

There again, once you get down to the music Daniel comes out with, it's the quality (in all ways) that counts, and wins people over - or at least that's the way I see it. OK, let me get this out of the way. I hate plinky, tinkly things in general and the many tools to tinkle with electronically in particular. One of the banes of my life over the past few years has been the bloody awful sound committed by things called 'pluckers' - yep, FL I'm looking at you - which IMHO should be something else that has 'uck' in it. Even here though, the despair is enormous because the line that Daniel comes out with is soooo pretty you just can't shout at it. Believe me, I tried.

Considering he made this in 30 minutes, the man did good and is a representation of just how good he can be when he's really trying. Mind you, having said that, there is nothing whatsoever wrong with Sapiens Whatsname and much that is just plain gorgeous. About the worst thing I can come up with is that it has more than a whiff of New Age about it but - like Spazio (August 2009) - the quality of the music and melodies gets it over that hurdle. Mind you, I hope this is not going to become an everyday occurence. All those plinky things make me well twitchy, and that's not good. Not good at all.

Excellent World/New Age (even if dashed off in a moment). Recommended.

"I was impressed from the first note..sheesh..what kinda Keyboard do you have lol?...such wonderful sounds and textures...i am a bit envious..i would like to make music like this at some point.. you know..this reminds me of Mannheim Steamroller...i was really into them some yrs back..great stuff to sit and relax or reflect to..me i used it to read good books to lol. the production is top notch as always with all your stuff Danny

Ras gives you    definitely a new entry into my faves..good job"

"(Instruments)
Nice, clean instrumental, no fuss, no craziness, not a single snare hit. But damn it will make you fly into your own dream world where rice krispie squares are free and available by demand.
Now, this is a track that is all about the feeling, and im guessing you used a keyboard for this but gave that xylophone sound to it. Because it really releases some serious echoing sound from each hit that keeps you interested in it.
At some points, each note change has a little Boom sound that gives you the replacement to any type of beat in a regular song. Its pretty cool cause it does let you know...you watch a scary movie, smoke a bowl or even eat some goddamn cereal and youll still feel something deep within you if you listen to it while doing so.

(vocals)
No vocals for you!!

(Lyrics)
Drowning at Marilyas Lake, thats all you need to know.

(Quality)
Bad ass quality. Hands down.
There isnt much to say that, the quality fits to something out of a cd and it will give you the shakes when you start listening to it, mainly due to the precision of the quality.

(Ian's own taste)
Yup....I like, I like a lot. I like those melancholy/dramatic instrumentals and songs. Its just beautiful.
But I do have a complaint. This song has some good good potential to do a lot more than what it is. Although it beautiful, its the same thing that repeats itself, and obviously the man who can write this, can also write some other parts which would make this an actual song with different parts that progress and give you a spine chilling feeling. But still, its good as it is, cause its a good flow.

Overall, Mr Eboli impressed me. I liked this instrumental the moment I heard it, its smooth and the flow is undeniable, it gets you. Too bad he doesnt include some vocals in it......*hint hint* haha.
I suggest you have a listen.
Good job!
8.8/10 "

"Ok, here it is. "Red Bells"- Daniel Eboli:-
First of all I'd like to say I love music, and it has always been a big part of my life, however when it comes to world music or alternative music I am really ignorant! So this review, (like all reviews I suppose) is totally subjective.

From listening to this track it is clear to see that there is a lot of musical understanding and knowledge gone into the making of it. For me personally the amount of "musicalilty" involved might have lost some possible impact of the first listen, but when the track ended I instantly wanted more. Which to me is the sign of a good sign!
So I listened back, and the more I heard the track the more I understood where it was coming from, and the more I liked it. Being from the UK, I have hideous island mentality, and if I'm honest anything classed as world music is an instant turn off to most people over here, as islanders we are inherintely xenophobic!! Which is ridiculous considering my favourite music has always come from over seas!! Anyway as i said world music is something I do not understand, but I really appreciate the alternative angle it comes from. I see now what Daniel is referring to when he says alternative, it really is outside the box! A true expression of art, which i have a lot of respect for. Perhaps this though is where i found small conflict, where the musicality might lead to mask the natural vibe. I might have preferred a bit more "feel" to have replaced the complexity of the music. But like i say i know nothing of world music, so to critique would be coming from a point of ignorance. The blend of instruments used is very effective, cello like strings, with an airy synth and a syncopated piano backing. All the instrumentation has been done with great confidence, and it really pulls off. The track swells with arpeggios and dynamics. The moog solo was lovely, but perhaps the sound itself could have been smoothed by decreasing the attack or maybe just volume. The portamento between notes was almost reminiscent of bagpipes, which again I personally wouldn't have used, but sounds great, and i guess adds to the world feel! To sum up, all i can say is, it might not be what i class as "my taste", but I do like it. Put it this way, the first thing i am going to do after writing this is go and hear it again!

Well worth a listen!

And thanks to Daniel, for you have opened my ears to a whole new 'world' of music!!"

"...This piece is of course well done and dynamic. I am truly impressed with the sound you are getting on your recordings. It is one thing to have some great music but it is another to have such a spacious sound in the mix. I just love that.

I also note that Red Bells also is longer than your other pieces I am familiar with ... length is not a requirement or a guarantee of anything to do with musicality, but it is good to hear longer pieces coming out at the same high quality.

Very Nice Daniel."

"Yet another great track. Maybe I'm a magnet for greatness...   

Intro wise - you've got a lot going for the track. Honestly, lots of people make the mistake of just going "Oh to hell with this" and just leave the intro with something that just "works." I'm no exception sometimes, admittedly.
But man, you started having a little TOO MUCH fun at about 1:55 when the (Theremin?) semi-fades-out at 1:50 and then it warbles around like one of those guitar solo stunts you see every once in a while (First example that comes to my mind is the intro in "Howl of the Departed" by Nobuo Uematsu Lost Odyssey).

I almost wouldn't change it - cause it provides solid evidence you enjoy what you do - though technically the song WOULD benefit from it. Just have that very first slide at exactly 1:50 (The higher slide, not the lower one) just extend and fade out till around 2:00ish just holding that one note while fading out. Then you'd have alot of filler left over, but it's pretty easily fixable. Have the song end at 2:21-ish and you'd be set, almost.

The end seems a little iffy,like there's a note overlapping something digitally Can't quite pinpoint it the words for it, but I've done it alot. The stereotypical MIDI "oops", I guess.

Overall though man. I gotta say. I really dig this. Something really resonates when you know that the person who made this did it and loved doing it. .5 for that, racking up to a 9/10."

"'My first encounter with this Brazilian musician was with the excellent Redemption (July 2009), a lovely piece of world music with some truly splendid orchestral sounds into the bargain - very original and refreshing. As you can imagine, it scored a highly recommended from me, so I was looking forward to seeing another side of this musician. Although Spazio shares the world tag it is, unfortunately, followed by the two most dreaded words known to Gilmore: New Age. Now I'm a well known old fart and - as such - share many of the traits of senior citizens ie cantakerous and crotchey. I like what I like, know what I mean? What I don't like is that so much of the New Age is hear is so tired and formulaic (lame, to use the correct term) and certainly nothing that would inspire me. Having said that, there are some that get uner my skin but that is a rare thing indeed.

The thing that I most liked about Daniel's last track was its originality, it's freshness of ideas. Bearing that in mind, I gritted my teeth and fired up Spazio and prepared myself for disappointment yet again. In the 'For Fans Of..' section of his Soundclick page Daniel has written 'Introspective absolute music' and you know what? I agree. As I said, I'm not a fan of new age and never have been but a lovely piece of music is a lovely piece of music regardless of genre. Spazio merely shows that Redemption is no one-off, if anything this track is cleaner and cleverer - it must be to win me and my mountain of predjudice over.

What makes Spazio a decent listening experience is the sheer attention to detail that Daniel brings to the party; his arrangements and his absolutely faultless choice of instrument and/or sound to put the point across. While it doesn't do much of interest, the tune never lags or plods as happens with most of its contemporaries and coming in just shy of four minutes isn't going to strain anyone's attention span. There again if you like the genre, you will absolutely love the quiet stillness that is at the centre of this track. Excellent, and that's from a cranky, crotchety old fart who cannot abide anything that uses those two most dreaded words known to Gilmore.

Highly Recommended New Age (I'll never, ever live this down...)"

"well daniel..yes this is not my usual forte musically but i can appreciate all kinds and i really like this...i keep trying to picture what movie this fits in lol. Very beautiful piece of music as always from you. the key work is exceptional...I have no complaint or suggestion..this is perfect as is..good work daniel   

Ras gives this a homerun..its solid and beautiful and was a delight to listen to."

"Songwriting
The piece has rhythm and flows well. It has a glow of a little emotion and drama that yield to other song sections that find a soft spot of bliss. I appreciate that there are several different parts, the rhythm changes, there are differences in volume, the feel and mood changes. All these keep the tempo and movement going while providing some dimension and relief from moment to moment throughout the track. I imagine this being an interesting soundtrack for a transitional scene in a film, or possibly part of an album or a collection of tunes either quieter or more aggressive than this. I only wonder if the melodic theme itself could have been more striking, a little more ambitious.

Production
The sound is distinct and the instrument parts are clear. Each of the parts seem balanced in the mix. The quality achieves a smooth presentation. For me the only distraction was the primary keyboard sound, the one playing most actively, with a plucked string sound, started to sound odd after a few plays. Just had an artificial tinge to it. But I have to say that might not be a fair comment, most folks won’t play the song 4 times in a row. Also folks won’t be listening to it and focusing on the lead the whole time. I just wonder if a different timbre would have suited it a little better, like an electronic sound that was a little more striking.

Performance
The parts are all put together well, the song wasn’t easy to play. There’s a suggestion of improvisation. The notes all are well placed. Nicely executed.

The final grades:
Songwriting A-
Production A-
Performance A

Straight A’s! Nice work, a good instrumental with some interesting features!"

Hey Daniel ... this is great and better yet you say it just popped out like that. I love it when that happens ... sometimes I just play and see what happens. That can produce some of the best results although it might be a mystery at points as to what you actually did. Sometimes I run a chord analyzer on the midi to see what the structure is.

This sounds pretty whole and connected too. The sound is ultra clean which is important I think for this kind of music.

The only thing I would have done to change this is, I would have worked out a longer ending. I felt like it just stopped without giving the listener preparation. It is not one of those things where the music just drops suddenly, but it does not let you down gently either. But you know that is a personal preference ... I am a big one for endings and extended endings.

Great bit of music.

well daniel..yes this is not my usual forte musically but i can appreciate all kinds and i really like this...i keep trying to picture what movie this fits in lol. Very beautiful piece of music as always from you. the key work is exceptional...I have no complaint or suggestion..this is perfect as is..good work daniel   

Ras gives this a homerun..its solid and beautiful and was a delight to listen to

"Daniel,

what a cool project first of all!
Funny I should review 30 second stuff, because right now Im professionally involved in the redesign of German national radio hr-iNFO that Ive been working for like 20 years now as anchor, editor, and at the moment chief layouter.
So I am very much into 30-seconds-pieces as you can imagine

Mission Impossible IV

Lots of energy, a bit late 80ish I would say. Very good synth arrangement and the biting guitar builts a great stage!

Ritual Negro
Rocking thing with odd meter and fluttering bass. WILD!

Pantera negra
Up tempo art rock piece that will wake up every one who cares to listen as long as the cell is on LOUD!

Roxy Avril
All the grandeur of southern ROCK in some 15 secs or so. A headbanger!

Mick the Martian
How bout some fusion as a ringtone. Very interesting piece!

Maison des Freakz
A cousing of Mick with stronger focus on guitar!

Parafernalia
Here comes the piece for Hammond fans. Wakes you up!

Contact Over Now
URGENT URGENT!

Fat Biker
Now for the guitar heroes!

Fool of You
Quick synths and a fast rocking guitars, ending in a breakdown!

Some of us may look at your work as a niche-product, but hey, this is the market of the future, or at least a part of it.
And I know how hard it is to put music into 30 seconds and less than that.
Very artistic, very well done. The overall quality of your pieces is great.
You should offer you package to a prog/alternative radio station! "

"I am Reviewing 'Stay' by Daniel Eboli.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Sometimes words are elusive when describing your first impressions on what is just a nice pleasing instrumental. So I think I will leave it at that: this is a nice pleasing instrumental.

POSITIVES: Other than being easy on the ears, this track's different parts blend nicely with each other and the chord progression flows well. Actually, what I liked the most was how the chord progressions and melodies take nice little spins of interest. Let me put it a different way; when I was listening to this track there were different chord changes and melodies that made me say 'oh now that was an interesting chord direction, I like that.'

PLACES THAT COULD USE IMPROVEMENT: I had a hard time finding much to say in that regard. This piece just works for what it is, nothing groundbreaking, but good. I guess if it was me I would simply try playing it on an acoustic piano as well, just to see how it sounds. I wasn't totally sold on the Rhodes piano sound. It worked fine, but I kept thinking maybe there would be sound out there that might work even better. The only other thing I noticed is for me it didn't end in a way that felt totally complete. That may be what you were going for though. Overall these are minor suggestions for you to simply think about.

I am adding this to my New Age Station, well done."

"So you DO record @ 32/96, wow!
I kind of went back to 24/44.1.
Anyway, this even sounds crystal clear as MP3!

A real fun concept. You got a movie theme as foundation and an instrument that leads on top that does not produce a steady tone, but rather MOVES. Very interesting (something you sampled yourself?) This gives the whole piece a very different vibe than a usual film score would offer.

I liked the orchestra TUTTI a lot, the arp synth, but also the lead instrument I dont have a name for.

You are a true composer!

Cheers from Frankfurt"

"As a reviewer I probably am harsher with the genres that I work in, ie more judgemental about the tracks structure and feel, performance and - of course - the ideas behind it. Nowhere is this more so than my own chosen World music field. Many have come a cropper with me by describing something as World music when its patently obvious it has nothing to do with the genre, other than an instrument or two. Nope a true World musician to me is someone who can work and mold the many disparate instruments and textures from hither and yon and make it into a living, breathing whole. In short, a piece of music that lifts the mood; one of those tracks you can't wait to hear what comes next.

Step forward Daniel Eboli...

As usual while downloading the track I glanced over his artist details and noticed a couple of dreaded words; ringtones and soundtracks. I needn't have worried though because Redemption is exactly what it says it is. It feels a whole lot shorter than its three minutes and that's a sure sign I am enjoying a track. Whenever it had finished playing I had the urge to hear it again, just because it sounded so damn good the first time round. 'Space orchestra and an imaginary Theremin' Daniel says in the song comments and that's giving you the bare minimum. In this case, thank God, we have an orchestra that actually sounds like an orchestra.

The joy for me with World music is that once you gain a certain competence, the music you make becomes more and more original; more something that is part of the composer. Daniel Eboli is a very welcome to the cluster of World artists I would listen to voluntarily and seeing as this is the first track I have ever reviewed from him - shame on me. Nonetheless after an introduction as powerful as Redemption you can bet I'm going to watching very closely from now on. Excellent work all round, great ideas, wonderfully realised sounds and a sense of fidelity that fits like a glove.

Highly Recommended World music."

"Daniel Eboli is a guy that, as I understand it, composes mainly instrumental music, including tracks specifically designed to be ringtones, a true sign of the times. He's also a really nice guy from my experience, and so I panicked a little bit when I saw this song was listed as 'World - New Age', because I kind of hate everything about the genre.

The track, to my ears, suffers a lot of the problems that the genre as a whole suffers from, and most of this is down to the production. 'New Age', in terms of music, generally seems to mean a lot of reverb, synth strings, short plucked or hit sounds (think marimbas, harps, xylophones etc. with afformentioned reverb), and possibly bongos or djembes, and my main beef is just that I find nothing aesthetically pleasing about any of that style of production. I hate the way the short, sharp sounds react with the reverb, and while this kind of thing is fine on drums and what not (to a degree), it becomes kind of grating when it's the lead instruments. On top of that, I despise the sound of obviously synthesized strings as a whole.

Okay, so now that's out of the way, I'll try not to let my own biases get in the way of my comments on the track itself, but just bear in mind that my whole view has been tarnished with these problems with the basic aesthetic of the piece.

Musically, the track is reasonably engaging and emotive. It actually reminds me a lot of the Twin Peaks music (which is, of course, the exception that proves the rule as Angelo Badalamenti is a TERRIFIC score composer), and this is not just because of the way the piece sounds, but the way it all feels too. This bodes very well for the track, as the whole thing is filled with a degree of pathos, sadness and optimism.

My main problem with the actual composition is that it does a strange stop-start thing a couple of times, the moment where you think 'that was nice, oh wait, it's not done yet', and while this may have worked if it was put to a scene which fit it, but is a tad distracting.

All in all, a good job at a terrible genre, a diamond in the rough, if you will. 7/10

"This is some very mild and yet appealing music. I did feel a desire for some more dynamic range in the music, but musically there is a wonderful development and flow.

Opens with some interesting glide sounds ... the strings are a little weak, but perhaps that was very deliberate and I can't question the descision because it works in a magic way.

Listening a second time without the anticipation of some dominant lead instrument, I find I like it much better. I am a big fan of restraint and I think you show very good restraint in not trying to overwhelm the listener.

All in all very nice and slightly different from the new age 'floating garden' type of music. Using staccato without being harsh. Very nice again.
_________________
Larry Ludwick http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_music.cfm?bandID=823722 "