 The previous two videos were about music I like to play. This video is about music that is a good choice to demo it. It has to be interesting music, but even more it must tickle the auditory system. Its music I like to call ear candy. The secret about good demo music is that it should sound immersive or impressive without being too complex. A track like Altango de Roxane from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack is impressive if your stereo is up to it, but many stereos aren't. What happens then is a completely clocked up stereo image with painful evidence of lacking resolution. What you want to show off your stereo to your neighbor is open arrangements with percussive sounds. Many audiophiles start playing jazz combos for that reason. In this video I describe a number of tracks that I use if I want to deflower audiophile virgins. They tickle the auditory center of the brain with easy to grab information. What makes music ideal for demoing? Well it has to be recorded very well. Has to have a lot of transients like latin percussion, finger picking guitar or bells. The brain uses transients for more than just keeping track of the rhythm in the music. It also uses it to process tonal balance. When synthesizers were just introduced, musicians loved the extremely low tones it can produce. But those tones often disappear in the mix or are not reproduced because of the limitations of the reproduction system. It was then discovered that mixing in solitude waveforms made it stand out in the mix. This is because of the fast rise time of the solitude waveforms. Time to start with the first track. The album for the Throne is inspired by the HBO series Game of Thrones. This track is by Maren Morris that debuted in 2016 with the hit single My Church from their album Hero. Kingdom of One opens with acoustic guitar that sounds open and pure, accompanying Morris warm voice that is placed nicely in front of the hall. When the song progresses, the soundscape is filled up with atmospheric long notes and a big bass drum that really goes deep. Kingdom of One will be to a broad taste. The other tracks on the album are more specific, taste wise. The song comes from the album with the same name and is good demo material. But I like the same song from the live album Reels Turn Many My Feet. It's built around bass drum, bass and rim shots on snare and is slowly extended with acoustic guitar and other instruments. But it swings voice that is immediately taking all attention as soon as he starts singing. Not only because of the voice itself but also because of the acoustic environment it is placed in. This is typical of recording that grows on you when you upgrade your stereo. Johannes Anna Brunvol in Norway, she now lives in Stockholm, Sweden and performs under the name Anna Brun. I heard this song the first time during a demo by Lars Wörre of Dali Loudspeakers. That was the normal album version. I liked the live version even better because of the atmosphere. She sings more freely while the drummer has even more drive than on the album. The stereo image is great, you hear the hall with her place in front of it. The rather dominant drums are placed deeper in the hall leaving sufficient space for the voice. The deep bass adds to the weight. Great music, great recording. Level 42 is best known for Mark King's slapping bass. Their big hits are love games and lessons in love. This is an instrumental track that shows King's bass playing talents go beyond just slapping the bass. The track was used by Grimm Audio at the introduction of their Mu1 digital player. It is based around a repeating theme on bass, dressed up with synths and drums. Since the instrumentation is kept simple but impressive, it is a great demo track. I was puzzled at first. Portugal, period, the band, is that the band's name? It's a stranger name, especially since they come from the States and not from Portugal. It is not the most perfect recording but it starts off with a high pitched bass, soon completed with a bass in the normal range. The lead vocals make you wonder if it's a man or a woman. The official clip doesn't answer this since they show alternatively a male and a female. But it's a nice tune that offers a frequently changing soundscape and thus keeps you engaged. Pure ear candy. This is one of those tracks you often hear at shows. An acoustic guitar recorded directly from the pickup and Lovegren's great voice, placed in the live venue. Not only physical, it's a live recording again but the venue is very nicely integrated or simulated in the recording. And the guitar playing is great, the song is built up dynamically and the audience reacts to it enthusiastically. Again a live recording and again a track I heard at a Dali loudspeaker demo. And again just one acoustic guitar, this time mic'd and a voice. And what a voice. The added charm of this song is that everything is kept small. No overwhelming guitar work, no loud singing, just a pressing message brought intimately both musically and audio wise. Quite different is this recording. The stereo image is full of percussive sounds, something our auditory system is fond of. The jazzy sound of the band Ann Wilson is very popular on shows. It sounds great on most stereos and even greater if you play it on a system that has oodles of resolution. The opening with percussion, then bass drum, piano, followed up by horns to switch to accordion, it's all well thought over, which isn't strange for a band with such a long track record. They score the hit with La Bamba already in 1987. Getting back to this track, it has lots of fine details and percussive sounds and a nice lazy pace. Yet another show track. A great slow blues track by guitar virtuoso, Stevie Ray Vaughan, that unfortunately died at the age of 35. But if you look at the number of albums he made, he spent a time he had to live very well. The recipe for this track is simple but brilliantly executed. Take a slightly heavy bass, add drums and have a brilliant guitar player sing with a hazy voice while playing brilliant licks. Apart from the fills, drums and bass sound drone like. All dynamics come from the voice and certainly from the guitar. Brilliant track. This is not only a song with a strong engagement, played by a very good band and its leader, flugelhorn player Yule Mesaquilla. It's also a very good example of good musical dynamics. It tells a story of collared mine workers that are recruited in the neighbouring countries to work in the mineral mines of Johannesburg. The name of the track Stimula comes from Stima Line, the train that takes them to Johannesburg. Don't start too loud or you might end up at a level that might be too much for your stereo and or your neighbours. This is a track I rediscovered by chance. The blessing of Roon's radio function. It has a great 70's sound. It's the original cream recording with klebsenonguitar and vocals, Jack Bruce on bass and vocals and ginger baker on drums. That's all. This track is not about the high highs and the low lows. It's about the vibe, the groove, the feel. If the bass and rhythm is kept intact by your stereo, that is. Doton Harper now is Jerusalem born, but grew up in Amsterdam, where he still lives. Home is built on the rhythm of a bass drum, snare and bass. Also the arrangement is kept simple and in function of the larger dynamics that go up and down several times. It all plays on a nice virtual stage with multi-vocals and choir. This is a bigger than live track that starts with drums and guitar, followed up by a rough voice. From time to time the stereo which is loaded with voices and next almost empty. This brings the musical dynamics that makes this track extra interesting. A great rock song. The Dutch Sharon Kovach tours the theatres with her own show. Her voice is winehouse-like, to give you a reference but that doesn't do her full credit. The arrangements are quite different with tubular bells, strings and lots of brass. This all is recorded with good taste. I'm not sure this album will be available worldwide, please let me know. I don't have to explain the qualities of Paul Simon. But combine that with Tony Levin on bass, think Peter Gabriel on King Crimson and 50 ways to leave your lover Steve Gad on drums. Then you get a swinging bass for an album full of good tracks. Of those tracks the title song One Trick Pony is an ideal demo track for it has good bass and great drums. It's on all the recording and thus not as compressed as is currently popular. Another good track from this album is O'Marion. This recording is from 1971 but played on the proper stereo it sounds magical. That of course is due to the legendary musicians but also due to engineer Bruce Botanik and mastering engineer Doug Sacks. Unfortunately there are many digitally remastered versions around. Try to find the oldest release you can find or the MQA version if you use player software that can do the first on-volt or you own an MQA player or DAC. Whether these tracks will work on your stereo is something you have to try. They work on all my reference setups. See the video on my reference setups, links in the top right corner, below this video on YouTube and at the end of this video. If you have great demo tracks to share, please add them to the comments. The community and myself will appreciate it. Which brings us to the end of this video. I'll be back next Friday at 5 pm Central European Time. If you don't want to miss that, subscribe to this channel or follow me on the social media so you will be informed when new videos are out. Help me reach even more people by giving this video a thumb up or a link to this video on the social media. It is much appreciated. Many thanks to those viewers that support this channel financially. It keeps me independent and lets me improve the channel further. If that makes you feel like supporting my work too, the links are on the comments below this video on YouTube. I am Hans Beekhuyzen, thank you for watching and see you in the next show or on theHBproject.com. And whatever you do, enjoy the music.