Letting Go and Leveling Up: How 'Till Now I Was Blind' Pushed My Musical Boundaries

As many of you know, I've been hard at work on my album 'Hope,' sharing each track as it's released. Today, I'm excited to present the fourth single, 'Till Now I Was Blind' - a song that's been in the making since at least 2017. This track is a journey through sound, blending world music influences with rock energy. It starts with a massive orchestral gong, builds through intricate guitar work and powerful vocals, and culminates in a ripping guitar solo. The song's evolution from its early demos to this final version mirrors its theme of awakening and personal growth. 'Till Now I Was Blind' holds a special place in my heart, and I believe it's the most complex and interesting track on the album. Today, I want to take you behind the scenes of this song's creation and share some exclusive content with you.

From Demo to Finished Track

"Till Now I Was Blind" began as a collaborative effort with my former band The Candidates. For those curious about the song's evolution, check out these exclusive tracks on SoundCloud.

The tracks offer a unique glimpse into how "Till Now I Was Blind" has grown and changed over the past few years. It's fascinating to hear the world music vibes on the first track featuring Indian hand drums, the shaky beginnings of our first song rehearsal (you can hear me test vocal phrasings), and the live performance from our 2017 tour (you can hear how Dan is a much better singer than I am).

As you can see in the teaser video, the band was on fire while recording. We knew right then: this was going to be the “biggest” song on the record.

To reflect the grandiosity from the beginning, we used the song's final chord and inverted it, creating a massive orchestral gong. It’s the very first sound you can hear on the recording. I love the sense of circularity this production choice creates. It mirrors the song's theme of awakening.

How I Let Go of Lead Guitar

When I began preparations for this album, my friend and bassist Thanos took me aside. and said “I think the record would benefit from a lead guitarist. I mean, you’re a great player, but honestly, lead guitar is not your forte. Maybe you want to bring someone else into the band?” Well, that was a blow to my confidence. I am definitely new to singing but to suggest that someone else would play the guitar on my record… I mean, I’ve been playing for 25 years!

But listen for yourself: One of the standout features of “Till Now I Was Blind” is Tal Arditi's ripping guitar solo closing the track. Tal's virtuosity adds a layer of intensity and emotion that elevates the entire piece. Moments like these remind me why I love making music with talented artists… and why it pays off to work with the best. “Be the dumbest person in the room” turned into “be the least talented musician in the studio”.

Lyrics: A Dialogue of Perspectives

The lyrics of "Till Now I Was Blind" were penned by The Candidates’ former singer, Dan Simmons. I'd like to share his commentary on the song's meaning:

'Till Now I Was Blind' is a song about reconnecting with ourselves and with our deepest potential. It's about seeking and experiencing freedom beyond the obvious material reality. It's about seeing past the illusion of our egos that makes us feel disconnected from ourselves and each other and noticing that we're all inextricably connected. 

In moments of quiet meditation and contemplation, I have observed a deep reservoir within myself of peace, great joy, and a love for all humanity, nature, and living beings. This happens when 'I,' i.e., who I imagine myself to be with all my stories and opinions, am not the focus - when I am not focused on my thoughts but rather, I am just being. In these moments, there is no separation between 'myself' and 'other'. I am not special - many have experienced and reported similar throughout human history. 

Surely, we all have this potential and can live life in beauty and harmony? Why is it so hard? 

Change starts with you. 

'Till Now I Was Blind' is a reminder that maybe there's more to life than just the daily grind, our opinions, stories and egos - a reminder that underpinning all things, maybe there's just love. To all those whom these lyrics touch, I hope you find peace and happiness and a profound connection with yourself and others.

Dan's words resonate deeply with me, and have taken on new meaning in my journey. To me, this song is about getting out of my head and feeling at ease in my body. It's about those moments when we drop into a relaxed self-confidence, leaning back and breathing out. 

Artwork

As with the previous singles, I relied on generative AI to produce artwork based on the lyrics. For this song, DallE came up with interesting options almost right away. The result is a vibrant, psychedelic visual that perfectly captures the song's expansive and introspective vibe, evoking the spirit of classic jam band artwork while resonating with the track's themes of awakening and self-discovery.

Ultimately, I felt like I needed Dan’s blessing on the artwork for this song.

Dan’s comment was clear: 

Sometimes, decisions are that easy.

Looking Forward

This song pushed me in my abilities as a musician, and it means a lot to get to share this track and its story with you here. I invite you to take a listen!  Whether it inspires a moment of reflection or provides a few minutes of musical escape, I hope it touches you somehow.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me. Your support means the world, and I can't wait to share more music with you in the future. Feel free to reach out with your reactions! Music is a dialogue.

I’ll be back with more writing on entrepreneurship, systems thinking, and personal development–don’t worry! It’s taken a lot of my life and learning to realize that I can do both, express my life in music as much as I can in leadership and business, and share it all with you here in writing. 

The ultimate gift would be to inspire just one of you to bring more of yourself to life – to share more of yourself with those who matter to you.

With gratitude and excitement,

Julius

Credits

• Music: Julius Bachmann, Athanasios Karakantas, Daniel Simmons, Robin Ketterer

• Lyrics: Daniel Simmons

• Vocals & Acoustic Guitar: Julius Bachmann

• Electric Guitar: Tal Arditi

• Bass: Thanos Karakantas

• Drums: Rafat Muhammad

• Strings: Héloïse Lefebvre

• Horns: Johanns Böhmer, Leonie Freudenberger, Markus Ehrlich, Friedrich Milz