Zwoekie

Just a quick video secretly made by my wife while I was working on a track for my debut album.
This track is for a video about the Californian coastline which now has been burnt.
For more news please visit (expired link) or (expired link) (under construction)
I’m waiting for new synths and other equipment so the end result will be awesome!
Album release 2018, finally after a lot of set backs because of a heart attack. Stay healthy and enjoy this short piece of tranquility.....

Peace out ✌️

Marco

Hi everybody!!

Thanks for supporting me!
At the moment I've locked myself away in my studio to produce my first real full debut album. I've invested all my money in the gear I need to have a fantastic and professional sounding album for everyone who loves my music.
I know how difficult it is to reach the people who like my music and that's why I really appreciate the efforts you make.
I decided that all my new music will be released with the release of my debut album, plus the launch of a proper website, video's etc will all be done at the time sometime this year. All I can say about the songs I've written so far is that they are way better than what is currently is playing on N1M and the production quality will be as you are accustomed to from other artists you hear on the radio or Internet, to accomplish the latter I had to spend everything on effects and other stuff like equalizers, compressors and other stuff.
The music is all about Alaska and the North Pole and I hope you will like it. I decided not to join a label but stay independent but that also means recording, mixing, mastering, etc plus spreading the word all comes down to me and people like you who like my music.
That said, with no newsletter at the moment I can only ask you to visit my Facebook account, granted you have an account of course, at (expired link) for any updates but that will change as soon as the album is ready.
The temporary website at band page is still up and you can download stuff for free. I only put Shoreview Meditation on iTunes and other digital distributors because a lot of people said it was worth it.
Oh, this may sound lame but if you're able to visit my Facebook page, I'd really appreciate it if you give it a like. It doesn't mean that much overall but it's an extra motivation for me!

Thank you for everything you do and I hope you will like the album and video I finally scraped together.
It's all very new to me, professional mixing, but with books, YouTube and tutorials from the manufactuo of the stuff I bought I learn each day. I think if you like my music and are willing to spend your hard earned cash, I from my side must do everything that's in my power to give you the best, even if it takes longer than normal. In the end it will be all worth it.

Many greetings,

Zwoekie ;-)

Hi everybody,

I have left N1M because I'm curently working on an album.
I heard that there are still people out there subscribing to this newsletter but I will be active on line again after the release of my album until then its useless for me to spent a lot of money to N1M.

If you want to keep up to date you can reach me at±
(expired link)
(expired link)

You can download songs from my website or buy Shoreview Meditation from
itunes or cdbaby

(expired link)

(expired link)

thank you very much.

I hope everything is ok with you all

Zwoekie

Hi dear music fans!

I thank all of you who have been listening to my tracks during 2013.
N1M has told me I have been in the charts in Holland (the country I was born) for a while now and at the moment I occupy the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the instrumental/cinematic chart. This is awesome!
At the moment I'm busy writing and producing my debut album and I could really use your help.
I had Shoreview Meditation Mix remastered and it's now on iTunes for only $0.99.
I've been chronically ill for 14 years now due to a surgery gone wrong and cannot work anymore but writing music is the only thing I still can do.
I really hope that I can write music for documentaries or freelance stuff and of course write music for the people who love music, you! but I need a good quality catalog, hence the debut album.

I'm honored you guys are streaming my music but that will not give me the opportunity to invest in my studio.
So if you really want to help a struggling independent musician/producer please visit iTunes or CDBaby to purchase that one song (if you like it of course ;-)
It will make the start of 2014 for one independent producer an awesome start.
Hardware and software for a studio is expensive and it's a wonder I've come this far but if you are willing to help that debut album will be brilliant, that would be awesome!

You can find Shoreview Meditation at iTunes:
(expired link)

Or at CDBaby:
(expired link)

I'd really appreciatie it, because it will mean I can make investments and the production quality of my debut album will be so much better. Giving you better quality songs.

Thanks for reading and I hope you are willing to help me.

Thank you all very much,

Zwoekie
The Netherlands

My dear music fans,

This will probably be the last newsletter from me to you for a long time.
As most of you know, I'm currently working on an album which shall be released as separate downloadable mp3 files and a real CD when it's finished from CDBaby.
I already have some stunning video footage in my possession for one or maybe 3 videos for YouTube and my website.
In about a month my contract will expire with N1M and they're offering a renewal for $180. But my decision to release everything all at once means that the majority of that time will be just waiting time. I need some serious money for plugins to get the sound I want for my album and where I thought, my remastered version of Shoreview Meditation would earn me some money to invest in these plugins this wasn't the case at all.
Sadly, only 3 people bought the remastered version, that was pretty pathetic but that's how it goes.

Now just to be clear, I'm not creating music with the goal to get as much money as possible, first thing has always been to let people enjoy the music. But to produce a good track you need high quality gear and over the years I've built a professional studio on my own that can deliver that, I've really put every single cent I have into this.

This album will be released all at once and it has to sound good enough to attract people in the documentary or film scene and of course you, the people who love this kinda music!
The plugins will make sure that I can achieve that vintage sound I'm looking for because this company is renowned for their accurate software emulations of hardware from early as the 60's
I could sent all the tracks to a professional studio but they only do the last phase of the album, the mastering phase and for the money I invest in that alone I could buy the plugins to do the mixing AND mastering myself and use them for the next albums as well!
I therefore came to the conclusion to no longer extend my account and invest that money in the very necessary plugins and a long needed upgrade of my production software, Cubase in my case.

What will happen when I leave N1M?
For you? Probably nothing. N1M will keep on playing my tracks but there will be no newsletters (maybe that's a good thing, LOL!), no means to upload the new stuff, but that wasn't gonna happen anyway until the whole album was finished and videos etc are finished.
You will not find my "mini website" and new subscribers can't join this newsletter because I have no account anymore.
If in the future I decide to subscribe to N1M again, all my tracks plus the new ones will be uploaded and all your email addresses will be in the database so nothing will change on your side.

I want to thank you all for all you support over the years. When it was bad because of my health your email support got me through and I always took your advise as a guideline.
You are a real great bunch of people.
N1M mailed me that I'm now more than a couple of months at number 1,3 and 5 in the Dutch instrumental chart and number 15 (with Shoreview Meditation) in the all genre charts.
Something I thought was impossible, because I'm from Holland and thought I knew the general taste but I'm pretty proud of that! :-)
But although I am proud the tracks are well received, even in holland, no one has the money to buy a song from iTunes. I just had enough money to let a professional studio remaster the track and release the song and Shoreview Meditation was the most popular on N1M, so I choose that one.
At the moment I've got 1840+ subscribers to this newsletter so to sell only 3 copies was a bit of a disappointment, I think you can imagine that.

I really hope that with the release of the new album I can get exposure in the movie and documentary scene because I really would love to work again after 14 years of being ill. The signs are positive but we'll see.
I hope that this Arctic soundtrack album will be finished somewhere mid next year.
If for some reason I will get signed or other big events take place that may interest you I will sent you an email. I've always respected your privacy and I'm not about to change that.
I find it hard but in the end it always comes down to the $$$ and you have to choose wisely.

Again thank you for your loyal support and hopefully we'll see each other soon.

Many thanks to you wherever you are, I'm gonna miss you.

You can still purchase the remastered version of Shoreview Medtation at the following addresses:

iTunes:
(expired link)
CDBaby:
(expired link)

You can follow me on Twitter, Facebook and my temp website (but the newsletter function doesn't work
I'm positive my real website will be up and running before the release of the album.
There will be a newsletter feature in that website and much more but at the moment finishing this album is priority nr. 1 and when all is done you'll get a notification by mail, or via twitter or Facebook.

Facebook: (expired link)
Twitter: (expired link)
Email: hello@(expired link)

Thanks for your support and hopefully we'll see each other some where in the next year.

Take care everybody,

Zwoekie.....

website: (expired link)

Hi everybody!

How are you all doing?
It getting colder again and it's time to turn up the heat, well. It if you're in Inuvik but you know what I mean.
First of all I really like to thank the people who purchased the remastered version of Shoreview Meditation, thank you, I really appreciate it very much. I haven't got any idea how many have actually purchased it because iTunes releases this info almost 6 or 7 weeks after it's in their database. But if you did buy it, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

As for me, I've learned a lot about music distribution. Funny thing about being an independent music producer is that you have to learn things as you go along.
I released a remastered version of Shoreview Meditation on iTunes lately but I count myself lucky if I get my money back that I've invested to get the track remastered.
I probably waited too long and I didn't have the original tracks that make up the song so the remastering was limited to the whole song but I was pretty happy. I am happy people purchased it. And I got a 5 out of 5 from Japan!

But it made me rethink the strategy of the release of a complete album.
In this day and age you get pushed so hard by soundcloud, etc to release a track immediately when you have one but when it's time to really release stuff on iTunes everyone has heard the track a million times and are so familiar with it that the motivation to really spent those $0.99 for that track is almost gone.

You see, you don't learn this stuff at school. No you have to figure it out all by yourself, or you're signed and a label takes care of it, but then all the rights to your music ain't yours no more. So I stay independent.
I got some sound advice from someone on Facebook.
It was just in time because I just finished the intro and the first song of my album and came across a Norwegian photographer who creates the most amazing videos of the Aurora Borealis or Northern Light. I was so amazed how well my track fitted that video I asked him if he wanted to team up so we could help each other that way. I was totally psyched, how awesome this video looked with my music, I couldn't believe it. It was like a National Geographic commercial, it is that good, thanks to Erik's video.
But then I remembered the last release. Like I said if I get my investment back I will be very happy! This person told me, before you do anything, anything at all, finish your album. After that you can release videos and what not. Put it on your website, YouTube, think about other things, etc
When you've released you whole album you can concentrate on your next album.
I already have a subject I've been aching to write an album about for decades, but finish your album first!

It's really stupid, because if you take a look at your favorite band, they all release an album and go on tour and work on the next album. Well I ain't going nowhere, but the big bands do this all the time. I love writing music, especially for videos or movies and maybe I'll get the chance to do that for a living, maybe not, I don't know. I know one thing, I love knowing that my music helps them in one way or another.

So I've learned a lot. If you like my music especially Shoreview Meditation or the Dark
Prophecy, you're gonna like this Arctic album. I haven't got a title yet but please be patient.
I working on it, I have to purchase some pricy stuff for production but in the end there will be a great album about the Arctic.

I wish you all a fantastic day, wherever you may be.
If there is something to be said I'll sent a newsletter.

In the mean time enjoy your music.

Greetings,

Zwoekie
(expired link) (temp website)
(expired link)

To purchase Shoreview Meditation just visit:
(expired link)
I really appreciate it.

Hi my music loving fans!

It's been a while and I don't want to send a newsletter just for the sake of it. I'd rather wait until I have something that's worth telling you, we get spammed enough these days.
But I have news for you.

I've probably never told you guys this but I've been chronically ill for 14 years now. During an unnecessary surgery to my shoulder 14 years ago, a lot of things went horribly wrong.
I will not bore you with a list of the errors that were made but it could have been a good Stephen King horror novel. LOL!
In the end I left the hospital with a frozen shoulder and dystrophy syndrome. That last illness I had to Google because I never heard of it. But to put it bluntly, all my nerves and blood cells in my left arm do the opposite of what they supposed to do and this causes extreme pain 24/7 and there is no cure. Not in combination with that frozen shoulder anyway. So the only thing I can do is take painkillers, the very nasty kind.

It's not a surprise that I lost my job, my income, 80% of the things I was used to do were not possible anymore, and this may sound over dramatic, I lost all my friends (somehow people have a problem with long term illnesses, they just don't know how to handle it and in the end it's easier to forget about you).
To biggest blow was the fact I couldn't provide for my family anymore. When you're 29 years old you have a certain outlook on life but that outlook went down the drain when I left the hospital.
It's not something you really want to talk about, because I see it as a negative thing in my past but if I want it or not, it's a part of me.
6 years after the surgery I was finally able to put the whole thing somehow behind me and I was trying to focus on something else: life!

I decided to start making music again, something I already had done in the past when I was 10 years old, with a Commodore 64 and later a Commodore Amiga, the first let's say PCs. People liked my music and I was making music for all kinds of folks. First computer groups but later artists who wanted music during their exposition and I even made music for a fashion show! But at a certain point I had to stop because I had to work to pay the rent, etc.

So music it was, I was still incredibly limited but with an old PC and sound card I started making music. Bit by bit saving money I was able to buy a real synthesizer and it took me more than 8 years to build the studio I own now. And now, I'm only inches away from the production quality I need to release that professional sound that I want, the only things missing are these plugins.
After being ill for such a long time and with producing music being the only thing I still can do, there is still a sparkle of hope inside of me that tells me, maybe I can do this as a freelancer for documentaries, movies, games or just create albums people really enjoy.

I got in contact with an A&R executive via Facebook and she loves my music and told me to go on creating more music and when the time was there I should get in contact with people who work in the film and game industry.
Like I said in the last newsletter I started working on a soundtrack album about Alaska, the Northern territories in Canada and the North Pole and all the things you find up north. I almost finished the first song of the album and it sounds great.
I decided to re-master Shoreview Meditation by a professional studio and put it on iTunes! So now you can enjoy Shoreview Meditation on your mp3 player whenever you want and it sounds awesome!
Just follow this link:

(expired link) and you see the track.

I released it via CDBbaby because they distribute your music to a lot of digital resellers ((expired link). iTunes, Amazon, etc) but they can also release albums on CD.
They encourage me to ask people who buy the track to write a review so other people can get an idea of how my music sounds, so if you're in a good mood and want to buy the re-mastered version of Shoreview Meditation, please take a minute to write a review.
I already got a review from fans of this song from Japan (you can see the screenshot on my Facebook page)and that was totally awesome! I haven't got a clue what it says but I got a 5 out of 5 so that can't be bad, ;-)

The other songs The Dark Prophecy and Solar Eclipse Kyoto 2012 you can download for free at Soundcloud:

(expired link)

I want to thank you all for supporting me all this time, I am fortunate to have you guys always motivating me and like I said the first track is on ITunes!!
I really hope I can invest in those plugins so you can enjoy the future music even better.

Thanks everybody for your support, I wish you a great week.

Peace to you all,

Zwoekie

website: (expired link)
CDBaby: (expired link)
Twitter: (expired link)
Facebook: (expired link)
Soundcloud (expired link)

Hi everybody!!

Yes, another newsletter from Zwoekie Music ;-) I had an interesting couple of weeks behind me but I am happy to say I can write this newsletter on high note.
First, I started, as mentioned in the last newsletter, with the first couple of tracks of my Arctic project and its is really going in the great.

I have new fans liking my Facebook artist page! Thank you very much!
It's awesome you guys giving me this support! I know it's not about numbers on Facebook who like your artist page but it looks pretty awesome to have for example 1600 likes than 25, but I know you're out there!


There's a new music player on the Facebook artist page again, you can check it out on:
(expired link) , you can find out more information and totally useless but funny pictures on there as well.

In the last newsletter I said that to produce music which sounds good enough to get it on iTunes or to put it on a real CD. You definitely need professional tools, but they come with a real professional price as well!
My goal is to release the Arctic soundtrack album on iTunes, Amazon, etc and on a real CD as well. So people can enjoy it enjoy it everywhere and the way it supposed to sound.

A lot of you have been asking me why I am not on iTunes?
Well, the simple truth is, my music was not mixed and mastered good enough and I want to give everyone who loves listening to my music the best sound possible.
That's why I am saving up for the tools I need to deliver that quality.
But if someone who is making a documentary or something like that wants to use a track of mine it really has to sound like the stuff you hear on tv, radio or your favorite artist.

Thanks to Facebook I got in contact with a Hollywood based producer who has worked with other producers who have been nominated multiple times for a Grammy!
He loves my music and has the all tools I am saving up for already and much more.
I told him about my situation and he told me he wants to re-master the Shoreview Meditation track, so the production quality is good enough to release it on iTunes!

It's going to sound awesome and now people can finally go to iTunes and buy that song!
That will help me save up money to invest in my studio so in the future I can do this myself and all my music can end up on iTunes or CD.
The Arctic album will sound like it has been mixed and mastered by an expensive studio but it's all done my little old me. It's a lot of work but I love it and I love the feedback I get from you!
You guys give me the drive to go on, so although it's going slow, I am finally getting where I want to be.
Making good quality music which sounds how it's supposed to sound and you can enjoy the music the way you like it.

I have a great website ready but it needs a lot of work done but when it's finished it will give visitors the chance to listen to tracks, download them, watch videos, read reviews and there will be links to online stores where you can buy an album or just a mp3 whatever you want. But like I said before I do this by myself and you can do only so much.
I was over the moon that I got this deal with this producer to re-master that Shoreview track. He told me there are a lot of people just like yourself who love this kind of music and it would be a waste to do nothing with this song. So, exciting times!
I never thought this would ever be possible but its just a matter of keep on going and never give up and there are people out there who really want to help you, just look at the growing support from you!.
And you have supported me from the beginning, that's why I decided to produce a whole 60+ minute album.

In the mean time I created a temporary website at Bandpage, it's so much better looking than that one webpage that's been telling you the site is under construction for ages now.
You can visit the temp website at: (expired link) but you can use my own link as well, (expired link)
This is finally a proper website! There is music, video and you can even follow me on twitter!

Just yesterday I had contact with the guy who's going to re-master the Shoreview track, he loved it so much he really wants to create a professional sounding track. I can't wait to hear the end result because the way it sounds now is the only way I know.
I will let you know when it's finished and when it's on iTunes.

Currently I'm busy with writing new tracks for the Arctic project. Each time a track is finished I will release it on N1M and although I'm still saving up for those plugins you can listen how the whole album is going to sound.

Thank you all for your ongoing support and your believe in me.

Greetings to you all!

Zwoekie
website: (expired link)

Hi my musical friends!

Here's another update about how things are going.
I finally started writing my first couple of tracks for the Arctic Project.
It will be a soundtrack-like album and my goal is to release it on CD and mp3.
At the moment I just don't have the money for all the stuff I need to mix the tracks to a professional level but I'm trying to get the money.
I already sold some stuff, my cellphone, a keyboard, etc and I can almost buy one of the important effects for the mixing stage.
I must admit that my health has been playing up lately and some days I just don't have the strength to enter my studio. But every time I get a mail from someone to say hello or to subscribe to the newsletter that really gives the strength to go on. Thank you so much!

I'm not signed with a label, everything I do I have to do myself.
It means a lot of work and I have to buy every effect or whatever is needed for album production myself and I can tell you things are expensive.
But if I were to release an album or track I want you guys to enjoy the music on its best.
So I'm still looking for ways to gather money for production (there's only so much you can sell) but I'm convinced this will happen and I will be so proud if I can tell you guys that you can buy an album at iTunes.

My website is totally outdated, MySpace is no longer an option for an artist. Facebook has removed their music player so now no one can listen to the tracks I had. You now need a "catalogue" aka a CD and 5000 likes for your artist page and that will earn you a "listen" button on your artist page. At the moment I have 165 likes, so I've got a long way to go. ;-)
This button will redirect you to an music site or app like Deezer etc where you can listen to my music. I thought the Internet was meant to make things easier for an independent music producer, I guess it's a money issue, I don't know.
Well, I will focus on my music first and after that I will setup a website, hopefully with a direct link to iTunes or CDBaby.
I hope to offer visitors of my future website videos as well but like I said, music is the most important factor now and I have to shoot the videos myself.

Again, thanks for you support, it keeps me going and I will upload new stuff as soon as I have something decent. It will probably be a fade in and fade out kinda deal because N1M doesn't support long tracks. But I am busy with Soundcloud as well, they offer you a lot of server space.
I will let you know when the time is there.

Many greetings everyone!
Have a smashing day wherever you are!

You guys rule!

Zwoekie

My dear musical friends,

I'm happy to tell you that I have started with my project themed around the "Arctic Circle"
For now it's just called "Project Arctic" but when the work progresses I will sure come up with a proper name.
I uploaded an image of my FaceBook cover photo to let everybody see that this project is serious and I really am trying to create an atmosphere between "The Dark Prophecy" and "Shoreview Meditation". I mean Alaska can be beautiful but deadly as well, so I want to translate both sides into music.
Visit: http://www.numberonemusic.com/photo/97304/

Thanks for your emails and requests.
At the moment, I just don't have the money for the effects I need to produce this album.
I have the special hardware that is needed to create the warm, analog sound and effects but there is no money left for the plugins I need, so if anyone knows a miracle I'm open for it, big time!
This card (and plugins will create a warm, professional awesome album) I know you're gonna love it.

I want to try to catch as many elements from the Arctic in this album.
Just look at it as a soundtrack for the northern hemisphere. I want the whole thing to be available for everyone on iTunes or on CD via (expired link) but at the moment I'm still in the writing phase and looking for a way to get those plugins I need to make it sound good.

Thanks for your support, take care!

Zwoekie

Hi everybody!

It's been a while since my last newsletter and so much has happened, I can't even put it in this newsletter!
First of all, thanks for the emails, it's alway great to hear from you all and especially a big thank you to the folks in Alaska and Canada's Northern Territories, it's amazing how many people signed up.

Last time I was planning to move on to the trance scene and even had a guy with whom I could collaborate, but this has gone amazingly wrong.
In the end we decided to leave it and I decided to quit with the whole dance idea.
There are so many issues among producers, DJs and labels I got tired reading all the heavy discussions on Facebook.
Don't get me wrong, I really like some trance/dance songs and I even got some Facebook friends who produce trance or ambient but for me there are too many (unwritten) rules that restrict my personal musical freedom that I decided to return to my roots.
I mean (in short), you have to use the sounds that are popular now, otherwise you new track is already dated before anyone has heard it and there is so much more but that's not important.

But not all is bad, I learned a lot of cool stuff for producing. Sound effects, better sounding tracks and how to make your track sound like it came from an expensive studio. This will help me with the project I started and to get it on iTunes and CD.
I always wanted to go to Alaska and maybe I can in a few years but the Arctic is the theme for the project I am currently working on.
I'm trying to create a musical representation of all the things I know about Alaska, Northern Canada, Norway, the North Pole, etc
There are so many programs on Discovery nowadays about this topic, from Iceroad Truckers to people living near the Yukon river and the beautiful landscape of the Northern part of our earth.
There are many people who subscribed to this newsletter who live in Canada and Alaska.
I always try to look you up with google earth so I know where my music finds its way.
Places like Manitoba, Inuvik, Nunavut, Anchorage, Yellowknife, Yukon, etc really gave me inspiration for this project.
My great example will of course be Vangelis' Antarctica album, check it out if you haven't heard it.
There's enough to find on YouTube, I'd like to create something like that but with modern day beats but the vibe has to be the same. I hope to get in touch with you soon.

So my musical friends, that's it for now.
I wish you good luck and stay healthy.

As always, I really appreciate your support, thank you.

Zwoekie

Hi everyone!

I hope you all are doing fine.
First I want to thank all you new people who subscribed, the list is really growing fast, thank you!
A lot of people from DownUnder, awesome! People've been sending me mails, love that but can you give a reply back if I sent you one back? That would be great, thanx!

So what's happening here at Zwoekie's Music Production Box?
Well as the majority already knows I'm busy writing my first trance song and I really want it to have the quality so I can present it to a label.
So after months of searching for the right sounds, programming my synths and learning how to produce a good track I finally started with my first track yesterday.
I know, it took me a while, I lost about 32 people of the 200 who liked my Facebook page because nothing was happening, sorry you guys but if I don't have nothing to say I just leave it be. I'm not posting stuff just for the sake of posting stuff, I hope you understand.

I was wondering about all you guys who like the slow ambient/instrumental stuff I do like to write.
Would you be put off by music that's so much faster and the emphasis is on the kick drum instead of melodies and musical waves filling your room?
I wondered if there couldn't be a solution a best of both worlds if you will?
And there is!
My very smart wife pointed out to me that maybe it would be a great idea to use the breakdown period in a trance song (the bit where everything stops and becomes very relaxed and gives you a breather if you're on the dance floor before the whole Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom starts again) and create an ambient style mix from that.
The average trance track is about 7 or 8 minutes long and some songs I've heard have the most beautiful breaks, that piece alone could be an awesome track on its own.
That way, people who love the warm relaxed music are happy and the people who love trance are happy as well. This would mean I could keep creating music for all of you, who like that stuff and I can still explore this new direction I decided to take.
So I'm very happy about this.

So, yeah, N1M leads people to my Facebook page, that's why I pay them, to promote my stuff.
But I've got almost 1400 subscribers worldwide and went from 200 likes to 179. I know it's not the amount of likes that you see on FaceBook pages of Lady Gaga, but still.
If you are on Facebook, make my day and like my artist page, it's always way cooler to have 1000+ people liking your page than 179 ;-)

Take care you all, visit me at (expired link) if you have the chance.

Greetings,

Zwoekie
website: (expired link)