Two days ago, on October 3rd, 2025, our very first single was released: The Niles Bittersweet Song.
For us, this piece feels like a journey into the depths of life, telling of the two sides of the Nile: its power to bring new life, but also its relentless force that can cause loss. It is this very tension – between hope and pain, between birth and death – that makes the song bittersweet.
Perhaps it is fitting that this release comes so close to the Day of German Unity. Boundaries and shores, division and connection – these are themes that our upcoming album, The Stories of Nil Young, will touch upon again and again. But this first track is devoted entirely to the ancient, universal energy of the Nile.
Additionally, in this episode, Detlef reflects with AI co-host Sophia on the release of "The Niles Bittersweet Song," the very first single from WAW (Wild Atlantic Way), his collaboration with Dirk Schlömer. They explore the dual nature of the Nile — giver of life and bringer of loss — and how this theme became the foundation of their upcoming album The Stories of Nil Young.
The episode travels between Berlin and West Cork, tracing how geography, myth, and multilayered storytelling weave into music that resists mass production and insists on lived experience. Detlef shares the dream that gave birth to “Nil Young,” connecting cycles of beginnings, endings, and myth, while Sophia frames the release as more than a song: it’s the opening of a poetic universe.
This is not just a track in the endless stream — it is a statement, a promise, and the beginning of a larger journey.
The Niles Bittersweet Song flows between myth and memory — a meditation on life’s dual rhythm. Inspired by ancient stories of Hapi, the river god of renewal and destruction, the song follows Kamau, a man standing at the river’s edge, mourning what the waters give and take. Schlömer & Schlich blend haunting melody with lyrical storytelling, where loss and rebirth drift together like silt in the current.
lyricsThe Niles Bittersweet Song
Chorus
The Niles bittersweet song, sweet song
The Niles bittersweet song, sweet song
Verse 1
Kamau stands by the river, where the waters rise and swell
Recalling tales of Hapi, and the stories elders tell
Each year the floods bring life, a gift to the arid land
But in its embrace, a fate he hadn't planned
Chorus
The Nile is in his heart, the tears are in his eyes
The river's bittersweet song
Brings life and takes away, takes away
Verse 2
Kamau remembers laughter in fields of golden grain
But the river's gift one year, brought with it the pain
In its nurturing flood, his brother was swept away
A reminder of the river's price to pay
Chorus
The Nile is in his heart, the tears are in his eyes
The river's bittersweet song
Brings life and takes away, takes away
Bridge
Kamau feels the wind whispering across the flood
A dance of life and loss, in the river's mud
He knows the Nile's power, both cruel and kind
In its waters, the story of life entwined
Do you mind? Really? Do you really mind?
Verse 3
When Kamau watches the children playing by the shore
The cycle of life continues, as it has before
Chorus
The Nile is in his heart, the tears are in his eyes
The river's bittersweet song
Brings life and takes away, takes away
Outro
The Nile's bittersweet song
The Nile's bittersweet song
The Nile's bittersweet song
The Nile
Detlef Schlich is a rock musician, podcaster, visual artist, filmmaker, ritual designer, and media archaeologist based in West Cork. He is recognised for his seminal work, including a scholarly examination of the intersections between shamanism, art, and digital culture, and his acclaimed video installation, Transodin's Tragedy. He primarily works in performance, photography, painting, sound, installations, and film. In his work, he reflects on the human condition and uses the digital shaman's methodology as an alter ego to create artwork. His media archaeology is a conceptual and practical exercise in uncovering the unique aesthetic, cultural, and political aspects of media in culture.Detlef Schlich
ArTEEtude
I love West Cork Artists
Detlef Schlich
I love West Cork Artists Group
ArTEEtude
YouTube Channels
visual Podcast
ArTEEtude
Cute Alien TV
official Website
ArTEEtude
Detlef Schlich
Det Design
Tribal Loop
Download here for free Detlef Schlich´s Essay about the Cause and Effect of Shamanism, Art and Digital Culture
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303749640_Shamanism_Art_and_Digital_Culture_Cause_and_Effect
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By Detlef Schlich
5
22 ratings
Two days ago, on October 3rd, 2025, our very first single was released: The Niles Bittersweet Song.
For us, this piece feels like a journey into the depths of life, telling of the two sides of the Nile: its power to bring new life, but also its relentless force that can cause loss. It is this very tension – between hope and pain, between birth and death – that makes the song bittersweet.
Perhaps it is fitting that this release comes so close to the Day of German Unity. Boundaries and shores, division and connection – these are themes that our upcoming album, The Stories of Nil Young, will touch upon again and again. But this first track is devoted entirely to the ancient, universal energy of the Nile.
Additionally, in this episode, Detlef reflects with AI co-host Sophia on the release of "The Niles Bittersweet Song," the very first single from WAW (Wild Atlantic Way), his collaboration with Dirk Schlömer. They explore the dual nature of the Nile — giver of life and bringer of loss — and how this theme became the foundation of their upcoming album The Stories of Nil Young.
The episode travels between Berlin and West Cork, tracing how geography, myth, and multilayered storytelling weave into music that resists mass production and insists on lived experience. Detlef shares the dream that gave birth to “Nil Young,” connecting cycles of beginnings, endings, and myth, while Sophia frames the release as more than a song: it’s the opening of a poetic universe.
This is not just a track in the endless stream — it is a statement, a promise, and the beginning of a larger journey.
The Niles Bittersweet Song flows between myth and memory — a meditation on life’s dual rhythm. Inspired by ancient stories of Hapi, the river god of renewal and destruction, the song follows Kamau, a man standing at the river’s edge, mourning what the waters give and take. Schlömer & Schlich blend haunting melody with lyrical storytelling, where loss and rebirth drift together like silt in the current.
lyricsThe Niles Bittersweet Song
Chorus
The Niles bittersweet song, sweet song
The Niles bittersweet song, sweet song
Verse 1
Kamau stands by the river, where the waters rise and swell
Recalling tales of Hapi, and the stories elders tell
Each year the floods bring life, a gift to the arid land
But in its embrace, a fate he hadn't planned
Chorus
The Nile is in his heart, the tears are in his eyes
The river's bittersweet song
Brings life and takes away, takes away
Verse 2
Kamau remembers laughter in fields of golden grain
But the river's gift one year, brought with it the pain
In its nurturing flood, his brother was swept away
A reminder of the river's price to pay
Chorus
The Nile is in his heart, the tears are in his eyes
The river's bittersweet song
Brings life and takes away, takes away
Bridge
Kamau feels the wind whispering across the flood
A dance of life and loss, in the river's mud
He knows the Nile's power, both cruel and kind
In its waters, the story of life entwined
Do you mind? Really? Do you really mind?
Verse 3
When Kamau watches the children playing by the shore
The cycle of life continues, as it has before
Chorus
The Nile is in his heart, the tears are in his eyes
The river's bittersweet song
Brings life and takes away, takes away
Outro
The Nile's bittersweet song
The Nile's bittersweet song
The Nile's bittersweet song
The Nile
Detlef Schlich is a rock musician, podcaster, visual artist, filmmaker, ritual designer, and media archaeologist based in West Cork. He is recognised for his seminal work, including a scholarly examination of the intersections between shamanism, art, and digital culture, and his acclaimed video installation, Transodin's Tragedy. He primarily works in performance, photography, painting, sound, installations, and film. In his work, he reflects on the human condition and uses the digital shaman's methodology as an alter ego to create artwork. His media archaeology is a conceptual and practical exercise in uncovering the unique aesthetic, cultural, and political aspects of media in culture.Detlef Schlich
ArTEEtude
I love West Cork Artists
Detlef Schlich
I love West Cork Artists Group
ArTEEtude
YouTube Channels
visual Podcast
ArTEEtude
Cute Alien TV
official Website
ArTEEtude
Detlef Schlich
Det Design
Tribal Loop
Download here for free Detlef Schlich´s Essay about the Cause and Effect of Shamanism, Art and Digital Culture
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303749640_Shamanism_Art_and_Digital_Culture_Cause_and_Effect