Cloud Surfer

The Story Behind the Song

By the time Cloud Surfer came along, I'd released three consecutive instrumental tracks.

That wasn't really part of some grand plan. I simply wasn't happy with the lyrics I was writing at the time, while many of the musical ideas seemed stronger without vocals competing for attention. Sometimes the melodies were already telling the story on their own.

Looking back, though, there's an interesting contrast. Behind the scenes, my career was still in transition and I was becoming increasingly cautious about spending money promoting the project. I had no idea how long it would take to find my next consulting assignment, so every decision suddenly carried a little more weight.

You'd never guess any of that from listening to the song.

If anything, Cloud Surfer radiates optimism. I wanted it to capture that wonderful feeling when everything seems to flow effortlessly — a perfect night with friends where you feel unstoppable, or the quiet walk home as the sun begins to rise, replaying the night's best moments in your head and already looking forward to telling the stories the next day.

The title says it all. I wanted the music to feel less like walking through life and more like floating above it for a little while.

The production took an unexpected turn when I began experimenting with a softer section for the breakdown. At first it was simply meant to create contrast, but the idea grew into something that deserved a life of its own. Inspired by the soundtrack to It's All Gone Pete Tong, with its separate Night and Day albums, I decided to release two versions of the track instead: the Midnight Mix and the Morning Mix.

The Midnight Mix became the energetic centerpiece, blending progressive trance, Balearic influences, soaring arpeggios, and piano melodies. The Morning Mix explored a completely different mood, slowing everything down into something closer to trip hop, with an upright bass taking over the melody during the breakdown. I've always loved that sound, ever since hearing similar bass melodies in songs from artists like Paul Young and Éric Serra's film scores.

The visual direction followed naturally. The cover artwork showed an airplane flying just above the clouds at sunrise, while the promotional videos leaned into the feeling of walking home in the early morning after a night worth remembering. Both versions found their audience, eventually accumulating more than 40,000 streams each.

At its core, Cloud Surfer is about those rare moments when life feels completely weightless. The problems are still there. Monday morning is still coming. But for one night — or one sunrise — you get to feel like anything is possible.

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