about the cassette

Remnants of the soundtrack from a canceled video game and a shelved space-jazz album collide and reform as a 45-minute ambient-synth opera exploring the many states of water and what lies within. The original tracks, recorded between 2021 and 2022, never progressed beyond the demo stage until late 2023 and early 2024, when they were reworked and remixed into a more cohesive collection.

Although the original tracks were inspired by Nintendo DS games such as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Another Code: Two Memories, as well as the anime Cowboy Bebop, the 2024 reworks have transformed them into something entirely different.

Themes of liquid emerged from the only vocal track on this work, "A Glistening Shadow," which tells the story of a man who encounters creatures of both light and darkness by the seaside. These creatures offer the man a glimpse into the insides of a sea urchin, which he refuses. Using this track as a focal point, the reworks became increasingly wet and mystical with each passing day. The track titles serve as appetizers, setting the mood for each piece and occasionally offering insights into the life of Joachim Stiller—often autobiographical in nature.

Joachim Stiller is one of many monikers used by visual artist and experimental musician Mees Joachim. The name is derived from a character in the book De komst van Joachim Stiller by Hubert Lampo, which also inspired Mees' middle name. Mees has used the Joachim Stiller moniker for many years, though it was previously reserved for performances, a documentary, and DJ sets. It wasn’t until 2023, with the release of And The Overstaying Of Welcomes in collaboration with Absolute Candor, that Joachim Stiller became a name associated with original music.

  1. 1 - A pebble is thrown at an angle on top of a body of water. The pebble decides not to skip, but to instead descent towards the bottom of the basin. 4:24
  2. 2 - Standing with my own two feet in the damp sand at 7:45 on a Tuesday Waiting for the seawater to crash onto my dehydrated skin – once again. 5:57
  3. 3 - A glistening shadow asked me if I had ever seen the insides of a sea urchin. 8:56
  4. 4 - One lone thistle that dreamt of growing fins, imprinted at the far edge of a large accumulation of sand, shriveled and withered. Caused by an even larger ball of fire, it stood no chance. 6:24
  5. 5 - My father and I decide to seek out the storm. It’s pitch dark, which comes to no surprise (it’s after midnight). On top of the barrier, constructed to contain the flow of water, I gasp for air. 4:43
  6. 6 - At the bottom of a body of water lays a second pebble. A pebble that did decide to skip on top of this body of water, but did not succeed in skipping more than three times consecutively. 4:38
  7. 7 - Many hours spent walking on sun-dried coral cliffs in the deafening heat. I long for the coolness of fluids. I feel my flip-flops sliding off my feet. 4:42
  8. 8 - My whole body is coated with a film of sweat. The sun is at its lowest and tide is nearing – yet I still decided to enter the blue room. Its beauty was both to die for and a death sentence. 4:56

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In Shallow Water

14,00

in stock

  1. 1 - A pebble is thrown at an angle on top of a body of water. The pebble decides not to skip, but to instead descent towards the bottom of the basin. 4:24
  2. 2 - Standing with my own two feet in the damp sand at 7:45 on a Tuesday Waiting for the seawater to crash onto my dehydrated skin – once again. 5:57
  3. 3 - A glistening shadow asked me if I had ever seen the insides of a sea urchin. 8:56
  4. 4 - One lone thistle that dreamt of growing fins, imprinted at the far edge of a large accumulation of sand, shriveled and withered. Caused by an even larger ball of fire, it stood no chance. 6:24
  5. 5 - My father and I decide to seek out the storm. It’s pitch dark, which comes to no surprise (it’s after midnight). On top of the barrier, constructed to contain the flow of water, I gasp for air. 4:43
  6. 6 - At the bottom of a body of water lays a second pebble. A pebble that did decide to skip on top of this body of water, but did not succeed in skipping more than three times consecutively. 4:38
  7. 7 - Many hours spent walking on sun-dried coral cliffs in the deafening heat. I long for the coolness of fluids. I feel my flip-flops sliding off my feet. 4:42
  8. 8 - My whole body is coated with a film of sweat. The sun is at its lowest and tide is nearing – yet I still decided to enter the blue room. Its beauty was both to die for and a death sentence. 4:56

Embed

Copy and paste this code to your site to embed.

about the cassette

Remnants of the soundtrack from a canceled video game and a shelved space-jazz album collide and reform as a 45-minute ambient-synth opera exploring the many states of water and what lies within. The original tracks, recorded between 2021 and 2022, never progressed beyond the demo stage until late 2023 and early 2024, when they were reworked and remixed into a more cohesive collection.

Although the original tracks were inspired by Nintendo DS games such as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Another Code: Two Memories, as well as the anime Cowboy Bebop, the 2024 reworks have transformed them into something entirely different.

Themes of liquid emerged from the only vocal track on this work, "A Glistening Shadow," which tells the story of a man who encounters creatures of both light and darkness by the seaside. These creatures offer the man a glimpse into the insides of a sea urchin, which he refuses. Using this track as a focal point, the reworks became increasingly wet and mystical with each passing day. The track titles serve as appetizers, setting the mood for each piece and occasionally offering insights into the life of Joachim Stiller—often autobiographical in nature.

Joachim Stiller is one of many monikers used by visual artist and experimental musician Mees Joachim. The name is derived from a character in the book De komst van Joachim Stiller by Hubert Lampo, which also inspired Mees' middle name. Mees has used the Joachim Stiller moniker for many years, though it was previously reserved for performances, a documentary, and DJ sets. It wasn’t until 2023, with the release of And The Overstaying Of Welcomes in collaboration with Absolute Candor, that Joachim Stiller became a name associated with original music.

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