Join the journey of the Knight as he goes on his Riverside Quest to rescue a princess. But, rescuing the princess from the Dragon in the castle in the dark mountains is merely the beginning of the struggle. Both his physicality and mentality are put to the test, and slowly it dawns on him that a very fundamental question is being asked of him: Stay loyal to what you are supposed to be, or to what you want to be?


As a little boy, the Knight had always dreamed of adventuring. Finally, he was old enough to set out on a journey to rescue the Princess from the Dragon. His travels to the castle led him along the River, and after the mighty Jambalaya Falls he came across a village. It was there, where he decided to rest for a bit and stock up on supplies, that he meets a Girl, who was so very kind and helpful to him. The village was small and rather poor, but oh so lovely, and the two quickly begin to fall in love. But, the Knight’s duty and honour pushed him on, to rescue the Princess from the Dragon. Was that not his chosen purpose in life?
As the Knight progressed, the landscape became rougher, and the journey harder. Until one dark evening, he found himself before the heavy gates of the old Castle of the Dragon. The Castle is shrouded in silence, and the sounds of his footsteps echoed through the halls. But soon the signs of the Dragon became undeniable: scorch marks, burnt corpses, and the thundering footsteps in the distance. Dashing away through the hallways and rooms, the Knight escaped from the dragonfire, claw, and fang. Only, at one dead corridor, confrontation was unavoidable. Their battle was long and intense, but the Knight eventually was victorious, and could finally rescue the Princess from her tower.
The two soon married in the Kingdom, and went on to live in their own castle. The Knight became a Knight of the Shine, the highest honour. However, he always kept Longing for the River: to simpler times when the day itself, and the company of the Girl, was already enough. Soon, he found himself in Empty Halls, devoid of laughter and joy. His Princess sure was a fine lady, but they just weren’t a match. Only their honour and vows kept them together.
Until one day, the Knight was called for duty. Goblins, ogres and trolls made an attack on the Kingdom. Since the demise of the Troll King on the Mountain, the other races have been struggling for power. The Knights of the Shine decide to intercept the forces on a large field near the River, to keep the Kingdom safe. The Battle of the Ochre Fields has begun. It was a heavy battle; the forces of Evil were overwhelming. Even though the sun shone brightly on their shimmering armour, the Knights faced certain defeat. The Knight bravely fought of his opponents, but they were too many.
In the final moments, as his Life was bleeding from him and Death took him within its grip, the Knight thought back about the Love in his life. His thoughts wondered not to the Princess in their castle, but the Girl at the riverside. As his soul leaved this realm, his body was tossed in the river, and was carried downstream by the currents. After days of floating in weightlessness, the Girl found him, and made him a grave. One night, when the full moon illuminated the meadow, they danced a dance of sorrow and hope on that grave. The moonlight reached all the way to the underworld, and the Knight was called by it. He felt he was being lifted up, and slowly he faded back into the light. There, the Knight and the Girl were finally reunited. No one is freer than he who has died. And in the village the bells sounded. The bells of a place called home.


I wrote this album over the course of three-and-a-half years, working on it in periods in between my Pocket Operator albums. I think this album nicely shows my musical progression and maturation, also with respect to workflow and mixing. I have no clue how to label the music – so please help me out here haha. But of course no need to label anything. Music is music, and there to enjoy!


Let me know what your favourite track is!

All the music is made in the DAW (digital audio workstation) Renoise, which was very suitable for some of the break-heavy songs (Jambalaya Falls), but not as much for the ones with mostly long recordings, like Longing for the River. Most songs are made in a slightly different way, as I was also experimenting with the programme, and with new musical ideas (see song descriptions for the specific ideas per song). Some songs took years to finally wrap up, as I struggled to make a nice cohesive unit out of them.

The order of when I began working on the songs was:

The Knight and the Dragon; Jambalaya Falls; Bells of a Place Called Home; Dance on my Grave; Empty Halls; Life, Death, and Love; Fade into the Light; Longing for the River; Adventure Dreaming.