Discography

Album released August 19, 2022

“The Sickness” is the album that healed me. It covers a lot of musical ground and continues the departure from earlier works with its much warmer, almost ‘retro’ sound. Sidetrack Walker’s trademark melancholy ties it all together into a condensed emotional package. There will be no physical release for now.

Liner Notes & Credits

Single released July 29, 2022

The second preview single for “The Sickness” is quite different from the album version, offering a much more concise, immediate experience and turning the song into an almost radio-friendly number. Therefore, it works far better in isolation than the album version would, opening up an entirely new side to the song and giving it more of a life of its own.

Single released July 15, 2022

This single version, released as a preview to “The Sickness”, only differs from the album version in that it fades out fully at the end rather than blending over into the next track. I recommend purchasing the album, which will automatically give you the single version of “Broken Barrel” as a bonus track, too.


EP released November 7, 2021

The first official release for my electronic side project The Real Redeemer, this EP was released by British Drum'n'Bass weblabel Omni Music. It features two original tracks and a remix of each of them, created by long-time collaborator Andre Jonas (Strukt) and Omni artist Geety respectively.


Single released May 28, 2021

This single marks a departure from the natural-sounding approach of previous releases, foreshadowing a dirtier, sampling-heavy aesthetic. Lyrically, it deals with the sensory and social overloads experienced by people with autism. Bandcamp buyers receive an exclusive bonus track.

Liner Notes & Credits

Album released April 24, 2020

Sidetrack Walker’s darkest album to date features a stronger focus on fragile Modern Classical arrangements and unexpected electronic twists. The preview single ‘The Host’ returns here with an improved mix. A CD version limited to 100 hand-numbered copies is available from Bandcamp.

Liner Notes & Credits

Single released December 27, 2019

Apart from a full version and a radio edit of the title track, this haunting new single also contains a remix by Strukt, an electronic project by none other than Andre Jonas. It is a sign of things to come for 2020: the song will re-appear on the upcoming full-length later this year with a slightly updated mix.

Liner Notes & Credits

Album released January 25, 2019

The most diverse Sidetrack Walker record to date, conveying a broad palette of emotions and featuring a far richer instrumentation than its predecessors. Mastered by Prog legend Jacob Holm-Lupo. Order your CD (limited to 500 copies) from Bandcamp.


Liner Notes & Credits

Album released September 28, 2018

This early album offers a melancholic blend of singer-songwriter and chamber music. The material dates back to 2004–2006 originally, laying the foundation for much of my later musical direction. Order your CD (limited to 300 copies) from Bandcamp.


Liner Notes & Credits

Album released August 18, 2017

A collection of 100% improvised, mostly minimalist piano instrumentals drawing on influenes from classical music and Jazz, and permeated by a melancholic atmosphere.



Liner Notes & Credits

Album released February 1, 2017

This double-CD tribute album to Doom Metal legends My Dying Bride was organised by Doom-metal.com (click for details) back when I was still a staff member. I was involved in two tracks, one with my band Memoirs, the other with a unique international collaboration called Vita Dolorosa. Download and CD available on Bandcamp.


Sidetrack Walker: Deprivation

1. Deprivation (6:57)
2. Deprivation (Strukt Remix) (4:34)
Bonus Track (Bandcamp exclusive):
3. The Host (first sketch) (5:42)

Total playing time: 17:13

All music and lyrics written, arranged, performed, produced, recorded and mixed by Dominik Sonders.
Track 2 remixed by Andre Jonas.
Mastering and cover layout by Andre Jonas.
Photography by Dominik Sonders.
Golden ratio drawing by Tilla.

Bonus track:
This is the first sketch of “The Host”, recorded on my phone in June 2018 when I came up with the basic idea for the song. The recording was never meant to be released. Rather, it was intended as a rough-and-ready memory aid so the ideas wouldn’t slip away. The lyrics, too, are an early version that differs from the final one in several places.
All this notwithstanding, I found myself returning to this recording again and again for its raw authenticity. Led only by acoustic guitar and vocals with all of the fancy arrangement details still to be developed, its naked, spontaneous character brings out an entirely different side of the song. At the same time, it offers unique insights into my workflow, drawing back the curtain of my often obsessive perfectionism to reveal the bare-bones inspiration that starts off most of my pieces. I de-noised the recording and gave it a mild mastering treatment, but left its imperfections untouched. Enjoy!

Web: sidetrackwalker.de
Contact & Booking: info@sidetrackwalker.de
Spotify: sptfy.com/sidetrack
Bandcamp: sidetrackwalker.bandcamp.com
Facebook: facebook.com/sidetrackwalker
Instagram: instagram.com/sidetrack_walker/
Twitter: twitter.com/SidetrackWalker

Special thanks to Andre and Tilla.
Thank you for buying this single and supporting my art. Your appreciation means the world to me.

Sidetrack Walker endorses the autism awareness movement.

The Art of Starvation

All music and lyrics written, arranged, performed, produced, recorded and mixed by Dominik Sonders, April–October 2018. Final mixdown: October 2019.
Photography by Dominik Sonders.
Background paintings by Tilla.
Design and layout by Bertrand Marchal and Valérie Grigorellis.
Logo by A.D. Jansen (endira-art.deviantart.com).
Mastered by Andre Jonas (www.andrejonasmusic.com).

“Will to Leave”: in loving memory of Jörg Hetmank who left on April 8, 2011.

Thank you:
Tilla (words simply can’t express what your unwavering love and support mean to me); Andre for technical support; Vivien for letting me sample and abuse her voice; A.D.; Bertrand and Valérie; former members of the live line-up; friends and family, most notably Benjamin, Autumn, Mia, J.S., Marcel, Fleah and Mike for their support, valued feedback and general awesomeness; all the journalists that have supported Sidetrack Walker.

This is for the faithless, nameless and faint of heart.

Sponsored by the State Capital of Kiel. / Gefördert durch die Landeshauptstadt Kiel.

The Host

All music and lyrics written, arranged, performed, produced and mixed by Dominik Sonders, June–October 2018.
Track 2 remixed by Andre Jonas.

Mastered by Andre Jonas (www.andrejonasmusic.com).
Cover image “Blue As I Can” by @RuheSelbst.
Cover layout by Dominik Sonders and Andre Jonas.
Sidetrack Walker logo by A.D. Jansen (endira-art.deviantart.com).

Web: www.sidetrackwalker.de
Contact & booking: info@sidetrackwalker.de

Dominik and The Undead raise a toast to:
Andre Jonas for technical support and mastering, @RuheSelbst for letting me use her magnificent artwork, J.S., Autumn Ni Dubhghaill, Sunny Schramm and the Sidetrack Walker live gang for valued feedback and general awesomeness. This is for the faithless, nameless, and faint of heart.

© 2018–2019 Dominik Sonders. All rights reserved.

Come What May

All music and lyrics written, arranged, performed and produced by Dominik Sonders except:
Bass guitars on 1, 4 and 9 performed by Ben Beck.
Guitar solo on 6 written, performed and recorded by J.S. Dach.

Recorded by Dominik Sonders in sporadic sessions between July 2015 and September 2017. Drums, acoustic guitars and parts of the vocals recorded by Andre Jonas.
Mixed and co-produced by Andre Jonas (www.andrejonasmusic.com).
Mastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo (www.duderanchstudio.com).
Additional post-production by Dominik Sonders and Andre Jonas.
Cover image by A.D. Jansen (endira-art.deviantart.com).
Design and layout by Bertrand Marchal and Valérie Grigorellis.

Instruments used on this album:
Vocals, Kawai ES7 digital piano, Roland JD-Xi crossover synth, LÂG Tramontane T100ACE acoustic guitar, Ibanez GRG270B electric guitar, E-bow, Hohner Power Melodica, drums, djembe, kitchen knives, fretted and fretless bass guitar.

© 2015–2018 Dominik Sonders. All rights reserved.

Mirrors and Mirages

This is not actually a new album: in fact, it dates back to the period 2004–2006, laying the foundation for much of my later songwriting and musical direction. Back then, these songs naturally evolved into some sort of loose concept album. The result was my first full-length, piano-based album project which I originally planned to release under the old moniker Unmasqueraded.
However, it wasn’t until 2015 that I finally had the chance to record the songs properly. While I felt that they needed some strings to properly unlock their potential, my search for suitable session musicians was long and fruitless. Eventually two violinists did agree to contribute some parts, but then disappeared without a word. When I got my hands on a high-quality string library after another two years, I decided to create the strings myself with midi sequencing, which may not be quite as cool as having ‘real’ strings, but saved the project from oblivion and gave me total freedom over the arrangements.
It may sometimes be true that good things come to those who wait, but in my experience you’ll often have to help them along somewhat. Finally, after all these years, I can present this old material to you. In hindsight, this is where my current style started to form, and while I can’t quite identify with the lyrics anymore, I still think these songs have a lot of musical merit.

All music and lyrics written, arranged, performed, recorded and mixed by Dominik Sonders.
Cover image by Dominik Sonders.
Cover layout by Andre Jonas and Dominik Sonders.
Logo and handwriting by A.D. Jansen.

Mastered by Lion’s Heart Productions (www.lionsheartproductions.com).

Thanks to Andre Jonas, Marcel Gülzow, Mike Liassides, A.D. Jansen, Mia Muukkonen, Jürgen Baur, Benjamin Heidtmann and Joël at Lion’s Heart Productions, who, each in their own way, helped bring this album to fruition and offered valuable advice and feedback. Cheers to friends and family.

© 2004–2018 Dominik Sonders. All rights reserved.

Confessions in Silence

This album is a collection of entirely improvised tracks recorded on my then-new digital piano in 2014/2015. No MIDI editing or any other type of tampering with the original recordings has been used, apart from a mild final mastering: all the pieces are 100% authentic, complete with mistakes and structural inconsistencies, and employing whatever sound settings I had active on my instrument at the time. They are, therefore, very immediate emotional snapshots, unspoiled by the filters of conscious, purposeful musical arrangement. While Confessions in Silence may not be an essential, ‘core’ release for Sidetrack Walker, it is nevertheless relevant, documenting a time of musical and personal development. In a way, improvisations like these are, in fact, the closest I’ll ever get to my artistic ideal of absolute authenticity.

All tracks improvised and recorded by Dominik Sonders, 2014/2015. Mastered by Andre Jonas (andrejonasmusic.com), 2017. Artwork and handwriting by A.D. Jansen (endira-art.deviantart.com), visual editing and layout by Andre Jonas and Dominik Sonders. Thanks to Andre and A.D. for the invaluable help, and to Kris Clayton for the technical advice!

© 2014–2017 Dominik Sonders. All rights reserved.

Memoirs

Between 2014 and 2017, I was a musician, singer and co-songwriter for Memoirs (Atmospheric Chamber Pop). The Band has since gone into an indefinite hiatus. Alongside a number of new tracks, the material of our demo Unwritten Chapter will be re-mixed and released as a proper album at some point.

Vita Dolorosa

For Vita Dolorosa, a new Extreme Doom outlet, I am currently preparing a first full-length. This project debuted with a contribution to the 2 CD My Dying Bride tribute album A Lake Of Ghosts: The Long Shadow Of My Dying Bride (2017), which also features a track performed by Memoirs.

The Real Redeemer

As The Real Redeemer, a project still in an embryonic state, I am planning to dive deeper into electronic music in due course. To this end, I would like to collaborate with creative, like-minded people who should ideally have some more experience with electronic music than myself. If you’re interested, please get in touch via the contact form!

MC D.

Finally, in late 2014, I assumed the alias MC D. for my first and, as of now, only performance as a rapper. Albeit more of an ironic side project, this is something I would like to pick up again at some point.