"Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened."
(Terry Pratchett, "Moving Pictures")

Although my mind continues to tell me that I am at most 35 years old, my body is making me realise more and more clearly that I have passed the age of 60: I am in the autumn of my life and the salad days of youth are long behind me.

After a stay in hospital, I am now even dependent on crutches for some time, and I am increasingly realising that my lifetime ain't infinite. I've become like the weathered tree in the song -- but no matter what marks age has left on me: my wonderful wife is still standing by me and will never leave me, because we are inseperable and together we are swaying gently in the autumn wind...

Our next track is going to be released around Beltane 2024.

Back in the 90s I have been living in Bonn where I met Näx, the excellent piper who also player the uilleann pipes on "A Legacy of Love" and "Perfume". We formed an Irish Folk-duo as some kind of side project and played in clubs and venues around town, which was rather unusual in a city whose music scene was very much dominated by blues and jazz at the time.

Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun and, above all, we had put together a really great set of traditional Irish ballads and original compositions - and one of these original compositions included "Down By The Salley Gardens", which is based on the poem of the same name by the renowned Irish poet, dramatist and writer William Butler Yeats.

This poem has always meant a lot to me - and although it has been taken up by quite a few musicians already, I wrote my own melody to it, which I have never forgotten despite all the years that have passed since then.

And so I recorded this song as a tribute to the good times of my collaboration with Näx, because the musical roots of Antichrisis also lie to a rather significant extent in Irish Folk, as can be quite easily heard on this recording.

Our next track will be released around Spring Equinox 2024.

I have always been a great admirer of bands and artists such as Neu!, La Düsseldorf, Wolfgang Riechmann, Michael Rother and Harmonia. To be honest, I was never particularly into Kraftwerk whereas OMD was much more my cup of tea.

Of course I looked up to Conny Plank, who in my opinion was the most innovative and forward-thinking German producer of all time. If I had ever been allowed to choose a favourite producer, it would have been Conny Plank — but unfortunately he passed away in 1987.

The influence of the aforementioned bands and artists can be clearly detected on our latest track "Nysnø" — and that is intentional, because "Nysnø" is our tribute to these innovative artists, who received only little recognition in Germany in their heyday, whereas abroad they are still held in high esteem and quite a few far better-known artists cite them as a significant influence.

And while we're at it and because it's that time of the year: here are our top ten songs of 2023:

Finbar Furey: I'll Take A Glass
Lisa Gerrard & Marcello De Francisci: When The Light Of The Morning Comes
The Düsseldorf Düsterboys: Sommer
Domhain: The Mourning Star
Sáasil: The Longest Winter
Kodaline: All I Want
Public Image Ltd. - Hawaii
The Last Dinner Party: Nothing Matters
Patrick Wolf: Enter The Day
Squirrel Flower: Alley Light

By the way: our next track is going to be released around Imbolc 2024.

On Samhain, the veils separating the world of the living from the other world are so thin that it becomes possible to make a connection between these two worlds - even if only in dreams.

And just as H. P. Lovecraft returned again and again to the same places in his dreams and met familiar figures there, we too can return on this hallows' eve to the place where our souls are at home, to meet other souls there to live our life in another world.

My special thanks at this point goes to our friend Harald Stürmer, who contributed his stirring lead guitar to "Another World".

Our next song will be released around Winter Solstice in 2023.

Humankind is sealing its own doom: economic growth seems to be more important than preventing climate change; our greed for wealth continues to exploit our planet until all resources are used up; and instead of taking measures against overpopulation, child wealth continues to be promoted although it is more than questionable whether these children will have a future at all.

Add to this increasing brutalisation, misogyny, homophobia, racism, religious fundamentalism, warmonger, lack of empathy, ruthlessness, selfishness, nationalism, recklessness, intolerance and stupidity -- and because of all this those two remaining lovers decide to go down to the sea, where a caravel lies waiting to carry them to the land beyond the rainbow: she will set course for their last refuge up North, where there will only be them with all the love that they share for each other.

Antichrisis' next song is going to be released around Samhain 2023.

There had been quite a few times in his life when I felt completely lost and forsaken: like a ship that no longer knew which stars to follow. Though I was searching for his way, I was unable to find it - until I went to the sea to find inner peace and tranquility again.

The waves of the sea sang of how I carried everything I was looking for inside of me, and that I should no longer let myself be distracted by people and their erratic behaviour, their fickleness and capricious emotions, but follow the compass of my dreams instead -- and that compass finally led me to Ayuma.

Ayuma and I have been married for 15 years by now, and each and every day we get to spend together is like a precious gift to us.

"Nehalennia" is both an ode to the sea, which always gave me comfort and strength when I felt lost, as well as a declaration of love to my wonderful wife.

"Just like a trail of scarlet
Your scent still lingers on
Echoes of your laughter
Never fading
Never ending

Words you've said
Tears you cried
Like precious diamonds
Your hands full of grace
Caressed my skin

All I ever wished for
All I ever dreamed of I found that night
In your warm embrace

Oh, my love
As I was lying by your side
You revealed paradise to me"

The feeling I’m describing in these lines has only become more intense in all these years we have been together - and it still feels like a dream come true to both of us.

Antichrisis' next song is going to be released around Autumn Equinox 2023.

The end of a relationship is never easy: something that you initially believed in wholeheartedly suddenly slips away and there seems to be nothing you can do about it.

In such a situation, it is of course the easiest and most convenient solution to put the blame for the whole mess on the partner, but apart from toxic relationships where physical or psychological violence is involved, both protagonists usually bear their share for this failure.

In these cases, it is important to acknowledge your own responsibility, as one-sided blame only leads to distortion of reality.

But if you realise that while you yourself are willing to admit your own failings and mistakes, your partner, on the other hand, insists that everything was merely your fault or, at best, a simple twist of fate that no one could have influenced, it is time to end this show and pull down the curtain of self-deception.

Antichrisis' next single is going to be released around Lughnasadh 2023.

Some songs come to me in my dreams: in that case it is important to wake up just in that very moment when I still can remember the song, getting out of bed immediately, picking up my guitar and playing and recording that song from the the realm of dreams.

Though this mode of operation leads to an interrupted night’s sleep, the interruption is usually worth it, because songs from the dream world always have a special quality to them.

This is how “The King of Emptiness” came to me -- not only with chords and melody, but also with its chorus lyrics, hence I kept them unchanged.

For this reason, this song tells the fairy-tale story of once fortunate king whose lands flourished because he had found his queen of hearts - until one day he lost her and had since become the lonesome king of a forsaken kingdom.

Our next song will appear around the time of the Summer Solstice.

Our time on this planet is running out: we are destroying the foundations for life, and although we have the means to tackle pollution, global warming, poverty, and overpopulation, we refuse to do anything that could possibly jeopardise our oh so sacred economic growth.

But on a planet with finite resources, there can be no infinite growth - yet instead of drawing the right conclusions from these developments, we point fingers at those who warn of the consequences of our actions.

We will inevitably be wiped off the face of the earth because we have proven ourselves to be too selfish, too brutal, and too ignorant - and when finally our last time comes, we will be no more than a speck of dust in the wind, and the last light of love will fade away into eternity.

"One Last Time" is dedicated to Greta Thunberg & Fridays for Future and is also available on all major streaming platforms from now on.

Antichrisis' next single is going to be released around Beltane 2023.

By the way, in case you're wondering why there have been so few vocal contributions from Ayuma on recent Antichrisis tracks and also no new releases of her solo project AYUMA, it's because she is unfortunately still suffering from Long Covid and therefore isn't yet able to do vocal recordings.

As a result, Antichrisis' latest releases often feature only Sid on vocals, but we very much hope that Ayuma's physical condition will soon be getting better so she'll be able to dive back into her musical work with full force.

Imbolc, the festival of the returning light, marks the beginning of spring, which for so many people is a celebration of joy, whereas for me it is associated with melancholy and sadness, because it means saying goodbye to the much loved dark and quiet season of winter.

Now spring is upon us again, which will be filled with the deafening screaming of mindless brats, the never ending and noisy activities of the do-it-yourselfers in our neighbourhood and the completely stupid changeover to daylight saving time, which means that it doesn't get dark for hours in the evening and there is no end to the hullaballoo of peasants outside.

That was one of the positive aspects during the pandemic, when people's mobility got restricted: all of a sudden it got wonderfully quiet out there and nature as well as wildlife could recover from humans.

Unfortunately, all that has now come to an end, and with the return of light there's also the restlessness and the hubbub of people returning - and the quiet time of contemplation and creativity, which gave rise to songs like "Light Up the Stars", is over until fall.

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
(Oscar Wilde, 1854 - 1900)

"Light Up The Stars" is dedicated to the one who walks among the stars and is also available on all major streaming platforms from now on.

Antichrisis' next single is going to be released around Spring Equinox 2023.

Life doesn't always turn out the way you want it to be -- and if you want to make God laugh, just try making plans.

Sometimes, out of the blue and without notice, life slams on the brakes and before you know it, you will find yourself in an utter kerfuffle that you never wanted nor asked for.

When the person you loved leaves you just like that, it feels like your world would be coming to an end. And of course it will take some time for the pain and numb feeling in your heart to finally subside. But eventually it will... and that's what "Out of the Blue" is all about.

"Out of the Blue" is also available on all major streaming platforms, and our next single is going to be released around Imbolc 2023.

Once we were lovers, but the river of time had separated us: we had taken different directions and could no longer walk down the same road together.

But when we met again after many years, you were still as familiar to me as if we had parted only yesterday.

And so I thought, "Why not forget all the quarrels and wrangles and enter the subways of time instead, laughing and dancing together for one last time as we did so long ago. And then let's say goodbye forever and keep the echoes of the past in our hearts."

"Subways of Time" is a tribute to past relationships: though they ended for good reasons, they nevertheless contain good and beautiful memories which ought to be remembered from time to time with a fond and thankful smile.

Ayuma and me can't tell yet when the next Antichrisis song is going to be released, as this depends on how well we are doing with forthcoming vocal recordings. But as soon as we have finished our next song, it is going to be released immediately.

"Arrival" is all about having finally found the love that you always dreamed of, even if you sometimes thought that this love would always remain just a beautiful dream and would never come true or would last forever.

But once you have found the one you have been searching for all your life, you instinctively feel with absolute certainty that you have finally arrived. And Ayuma & Me belong to those fortunate ones that have found all we ever dreamed of in each other, even if it took us such a long, long time.

"Arrival" will be available on all major streaming platforms from 02/09/2022, and our next single is going to be released around Autumn Equinox 2022.

This song is almost some kind of prayer: when night is at its lowest, the light of day is closest.

But there is no darkness so deep that the light of true love couldn’t illuminate it. Ayuma has lit up my life for sure, and we will walk our path together until the end.

"Stay" will be available on all major streaming platforms from 22 July 2022, and our next single is going to be released around Lughnasadh.

When love dies out, one wonders how it happened: was it carelessness or too much closeness? Was it just everyday life and routine that goes with it?

After an initial phase of falling in love, daily routine knocks on the door of almost every relationship at some point. This does not necessarily have to be a negative thing, because with everyday life comes familiarity, the true recognition of each other that goes far beyond the first days of acquaintance.

But there are also relationships that fall apart once the illusion of eternal romance can no longer be maintained i. e. when a couple's romantic stage play eventually has to stand the test of real life -- and that test sometimes requires both responsibility and renunciation. This is what „Wasted Time“ is all about.

Real love is not all about looking into each other's eyes, but also looking together in the same direction, as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once put it.

Our next single is going to be released around Summer Solstice.

Once you have found the one you have been searching for all your life, there is nothing and no one that could ever separate you from your one and only love.

And even if one day both of you will be gone, you will meet again in another life, because it is a bonding of souls that is made for eternity.

This song is dedicated to and written for my closest friend, my beguiling querida and my wonderful wife Ayuma.

Our next track will be released around Beltane.

When we got our tomcat Whisky from the animal shelter in 2010, we did not have an easy start: he had probably experienced a lot of bad things and was therefore extremely fearful and mistrustful. But with time and a lot of patience we managed to find access to him - and finally he became our most loyal companion who trusted us unconditionally and was always on our side.

The day he passed away, he took our love with him to his new home behind the rainbow - but somehow his spirit is still with us.

"And The Snow Falls" might sound somehow familiar to some of you, as this song once was the middle section of "Dancing In The Midnight Sun", a track that appeared on our "A Legacy of Love" album in 1998, which again proves that we are getting older, als this album was released more than 23 years ago.

However, we felt that it was time to turn this former middle section into a song on its own and thus tell a story on its own - and winter is just the right time to tell such a story while the snow is falling outside and the protagonist lets his thoughts wander through a peacefully quiet midwinter night.

In addition we would like to take the opportunity to thank Näx, the Prince of Pipes, for his wonderful collaboration, as he once contributed the dreamlike melody line to this song.

With "And The Snow Falls", Ayuma and me are wishing all our friends and fans out there a Merry Yuletide and a hopefully Happy New Year full of happiness, love and joy.

Our original plan was to release one last Antichrisis album, but due to recent developments (pandemic, climate crisis, overpopulation, water scarcity, droughts, unequal distribution of wealth and resources - you name it), making plans for the future is becoming more and more unmanageable because plans might easily fail within just a few days.

We don't want to sound like prophets of doom by any means (and maybe in a few years we will laugh about our assessment of the current situation) but basically it seems that making plans for the future is somehow redundant since this pandemic started, because we don't know what the world or our state of health will be like in, say, half a year.

For that reason Ayuma and me have decided to abandon our plan for a final Antichrisis album and to release the already finished songs one by one as single tracks instead -- and of course every other song that was planned for this album, too, as soon as it will be finished.

Since we had planned to release single tracks only after our last album anyway, we are coming up with this release strategy just a little earlier than expected -- but should we actually manage to finish and release all the songs that were originally planned for the forthcoming album, we could still compile them into an album afterwards.

Therefore, within the next few weeks we will be releasing all the songs we’ve already completed and that were planned for the last Antichrisis-album that might never come. Nevertheless we do hope that you will find inspiration and beauty in these songs and that they will light a spark of hope in these ominous times for you as they have done for us.

The first track that was originally planned for an album release is "Ghosts": you can find further information on that song here.

"How Can I Live On Top Of A Mountain?" was a question I couldn't find an answer to for so many years and for all sorts of reasons: sometimes I couldn't reach the mountaintop at all because it was shrouded in mist and thus all the way out of sight; whereas sometimes I could only linger for a short while on the top before being pushed back down again by a simple twist of Fate.

But with Ayuma, I set out for a last conquest and although the ascent was sometimes steep and arduous, in the end we’ve reached the summit on which we’ve been living ever since and where love is so much more than just a four-letter word.

"Living With You On Top Of The Mountain“ is dedicated to my wonderful querida Ayuma who is sharing life with me in true love, liberty, affection, passion, affinity and above all with lots of fun and laughter.

At the same time, this instrumental is also a tribute to Näx, who contributed the gorgeous track "How Can I Live On Top Of A Mountain?“ to Antichrisis’ second album and whose wonderful uilleann pipes playing marked both "A Legacy of Love“ as well as "Perfume“.

This song is the first in a series of single releases that will follow in the next few months as we will be releasing one last Antichrisis-album and only singles beyond that: you can read more about this decision in our blog post from June 2021.

"Living With You On Top Of The Mountain“ can be purchased and listened to on Bandcamp; besides it is also available on all major streaming platforms.