Time Falls Silent as we Seek the Profound
Return
Inspired by and dedicated to my wife and best friend; through the dusk and into the dawn... I flicked through old photos for a while and came upon the time when we first met. It made me sorrowful that time could not be possessed; taken and selfishly bottled forever. Standing grateful for all the experiences we have in a thousand colours and languages, I began to write with lost memories in mind; A touch of nostalgic yearning and warmth. Listening back, I hear our story in the music but I am also reminded of our son - strong, loving and thoughtful... Our daughter - Kind, determined and bright... My dad who has now sailed away on a silent ship... Our family and friends - stoic and dependable... Then comes the climactic ending with eyes looking towards the bright sunrise and the elements of time that we can control, knowing that we will stand together into infinity.
Taxi Unfamiliar
It has been almost 2 years since I last composed a piece of music so I'm both nervous and excited to present the Café del Mar inspired Taxi Unfamiliar. This track took me 8 months to complete using nothing more than a work laptop equipped with FL Studio stock plug-ins. One morning, I had arranged to be picked up for transit to the airport. The air was silent and the snow fell freely. I communicated with the taxi driver clumsily in a language I was unfamiliar with. He sent some bewildering images and words that did not align themselves with the scenario and I was left without a clear pathway to the airport. I contacted the helpline but they didn't seem to see my point of view. Much panic ensued before my family made other plans that eventually led to us taxiing on the runway, destined for warm winds, leaning palms and dusky ambience. In the air I had little more to do than create some music using FL Studio Mobile. The last few seconds of the finished track feature the chords I threw together on my way to warmer climes...
Pre 2021 Featured Compositions
In 2021 I moved to Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan. I have moved country 5 times in the past, but have never had to say goodbye to my home studio equipment. To compound matters, the laptop that I used for music production on the go finally lost its battle with age around the same time. I am currently diverting my musical attentions elsewhere and hope to return to composition soon, having learnt a lot through quiet reflection with limited resources. Discover 4 of my favorite compositions from the pre 2021 era here.
Black the Fall Soundtrack
Black the Fall is a beautifully haunting video game that I composed music for in 2014. The dystopian setting called for a myriad of different sounds including warped dubstep synths, large brass sections, horrifying reverbs, and grating metallic audio samples. I'm not sure how much of the original music remains in Black the Fall in its current form. Click here to listen to all of the tracks featured in the full OST.
Music for High school Live
High School Live is a YouTube channel that streams American high school sports matches. I was asked to compose music for the channel with reference to the numerous sports commentary segments seen on channels such as CBS and NBC. Inspired by what I had heard, I immediately gathered an aggressive collection of virtual instruments for the task such as Native Instrument's Battery, Scarbee Rickebacker Bass and Symphony Series Brass. Click here to discover all of the tracks that I composed for High School Live.
Compositions for Piano, Harp and Orchestra
A large portion of my degree was dedicated to the western tonal era and I developed a love for the expressive works of composers such as Vaughan Williams, Mahler and Mendelssohn. At one point, I had grand visions of creating symphonies and chamber works, but other influences such as EDM, metal, and sound synthesis wouldn't allow for such a strict path. I still love incorporating orchestral elements into my compositions but have since come to love what I am, and the stories I wish to convey. You can hear compositions with more of a traditional influence below or visit the full playlist here.
Exploring the Dark and the Strange
Sound is a fascinating thing. It can conjure a myriad of emotions or take us to places that don't yet exist in our minds. The following compositions harness some of the darker, more obscure, sample driven VSTs such as Galaxy Instruments X and Eduardo Tarilonte's Epic World to create a sense of unfamiliarity or tension in the listener. The entire playlist can be unraveled here.
Gurukul Soundtrack
Gurukul is an unpublished video game in which the protagonist explores 3 distinct biomes: The jungle, the arctic, and the desert. Composing music for Gurukul was an exhilarating experience as the development team desired unique themes for each biome, which in turn could shift through several different emotions. The team then threw the influence of chiptune into the mix and we ended up with 24 finished tracks. You can listen to my favorites below or hear all 24 tracks here.
Magiclicious
In 2015 I was asked by Big Jump Films to compose and produce music for a television show that fused magic tricks and the culinary world. I spent some time working with the early reference material and incorporated a wide range of synths and orchestral sounds into the original compositions. I don't think that Magiclicious ever went into full production but you can hear all of the music that I produced for it here.
Shootout in the West Soundtrack
Discover music from one of my first composition gigs for a 2D shooter game powered by the now redundant Flash. The music's distinct character is directly related to the archaic equipment I had available at the time. Slayer, FPC, and Boo Bass stock plugins from an older version of FL Studio align with orchestral sounds from EWQLSO to provide a simple yet brutal soundscape. Click here to find to the full soundtrack.
Angry Goats Soundtrack
Music composed for the (sadly no longer available) tower defense game, Angry Goats. In liaising with Mad Reactor Studio, it became apparent that they were unsure of whether they wanted to hear musical influences from pirate movies, alien films or the Halo franchise in the finished soundtrack. As a solution, I produced each piece of music three times to cover every avenue. Click here to listen to the full soundtrack.
My Reflective Journey as a Composer
As a self taught composer and producer I have had many trials and tribulations over the years. From discovering the wonder of automation, to learning that throwing a maxed out compressor on every channel is not the answer. The following creations each represent a step along the road of discovery and are riddled with imperfections, reflections, and naiveties. Navigate to my large bank of early compositions here or hear my 4 favorites below.