Surfin' by robIN

A classic instrumental surf album inspired by the early 1960s, driven by reverb-soaked electric guitars, fast tremolo picking, and melodic minor-key themes. Energetic drum grooves, walking bass lines, and warm analog production evoke sun, waves, hot rods, and open coastal highways. Vintage, raw, and cinematic — pure surf music with no vocals.
I used Suno Ai to produce this album by uploading ten original piano compositions, each providing a harmonic, melodic and rhythmic core, and invited Suno to produce and arrange them using a detailed stylistic brief. The result is not a replacement for human musicianship, but a fast, provocative extension of it: a way of hearing the music I created through a radically different production lens.
The guiding prompt was:
“Create a cohesive instrumental album in the style of classic early-1960s surf music. Bright, reverb-drenched electric guitars lead the sound, using tremolo picking, rapid melodic runs, and minor-key surf scales. Support with driving, simple drum grooves, walking bass lines, and occasional rhythm guitar accents. The feel is energetic, coastal, and cinematic, evoking sun, waves, hot rods, and open highways. Production should sound vintage and analog, with spring reverb, tape warmth, and a slightly raw, live-in-the-room quality. No vocals. Each track is catchy, propulsive, and melodic, ranging from fast, wave-riding instrumentals to slower, moody surf themes, maintaining a unified retro aesthetic throughout the album.”
What emerges is a conversation across decades: new musical ideas, shaped once slowly by hand, at machine speed, revealing new colours, tensions, and possibilities.

I first picked up the guitar at 15 in the late 60's to learn Led Zeppelin riffs.
In 2008, after 40 years of playing and teaching the guitar, I switched to the piano and have never looked back.
Piano has greatly assisted my composition and improvisation skills and is brilliantly useful in the production process.

robinthomson.com.au
YouTube