Big Things Coming Soon is a 19 song album. This is the pursuit of blending musical influences from jazz, rock, classical, acoustic folk, hip hop, etc… to make a cohesive storybook with a variety of themes. Each song is meant to build off the prior in terms of the story arc. The album name originated from a common phrase in the music community that is used by small local bands that unite and make a social media page, however immediately break up. The overall concept is a tongue in cheek semi-self deprecation comedy but also a reflective take on traumatic trials and tribulations. It rides a balance of sharing vulnerable art while using comedy as a vessel to come to terms with life.

This album is sequenced so that the listener establishes a connection to the music as if you were going through the process of forming a friendship with a person. A comedic introduction transitions to a chill mood where vulnerability is expressed and raw hurt feelings get mixed with exaggerated self depreciating comedy. The peaks and valleys of the story use music genre as a metaphor for different moods and themes. For example, the acoustic songs are more emotional and unfiltered than the electronic songs.

Themes tackled in this record are coming to terms with father abandonment, rapid technological development, step-father domestic abuse, heartbreak, grieving, friendship, love, happiness, contemplation of one’s place in society, and most importantly- radically accepting that life may not always change to what is desired. I think a lot of people use comedy as a coping mechanism to come to terms with trauma in their lives and I think that the underlying pain in this album is meant to tackle that and make the album metaphorically be a relatable self-reflective statement on what it means to grow up being “weird” or “alternative”.

https://www.twine.net/signin

Genresis is a term coined for this three part sound composition that stands for genre synthesis and genre genesis. My aim is to synthesize acoustic recordings of different genres and merge with experimental and electronic music. In Genresis III, the AI narrator sounds human and almost not detectable that it is generated. Genresis III is the most organic and natural sounding of the three parts of Genresis and is noticeably voiced by a female AI. This change in narrator is meant to make Genresis III the most inviting and comforting installment. This decision to progressively change the narrator’s artificialness from maximum to undetectable captures the real time evolution of the progress AI is making as well as symbolizing our growing acceptance of this technology in our everyday lives.

This composition starts with a familiar instrument- an acoustic 12 string guitar. When the drums and bass join into the audio story, the music invites the listener to be taken away by the current of where music is taking us. Music is the sonic mirror of society. Music dismantles barriers, both as a reaction to our society and is a catalyst to ignite a generation to act. The profound power of music to act as both an agent of change and a bridge between worlds is ascribed to no other art. Music invites the listener to interact with the art either in nodding a foot or singing along to a chorus.

With such a diverse range of genres, we see how music captures the human experience like none other. Cultures can cherish their unique forms of music and instruments made within their cultural history.

There are dangers though. Just as music can be used as a catalyst for change, it can be harnessed by those with ill intentions. The use of eerie sounding electronic music amplifies this feeling of unease. Music can be used to adopt cultures into a collective assimilated bundle of melodies packaged for commercial gain for a targeted audience. Music becomes boiled down to songwriting formulas and loses track of the intrinsic power of itself.

What music is uniquely capable of doing is transporting the listener into a story never before experienced. Greater empathy can be gained through listening to the struggles of a person singing their heart out.

Genresis is a summary of my musical understanding and abilities inside this medium of sound art. Genresis III is a proper resolution to the questions posed throughout this sound narrative. Music is a medium of expression. Music is a purpose people use to keep living. Music changes the world. Music is fine art.

https://www.twine.net/signin

Genresis is a term coined for this three part sound composition that stands for genre synthesis and genre genesis. My aim is to synthesize acoustic recordings of different genres and merge with experimental and electronic music. In part two of Genresis, the AI narrator is noticeably more human and less artificial. This progression will continue such as the real time evolution we witness with AI advancing rapidly. This installment is a story about the significance we grant music vs visual art in the realm of fine art.

The flow of this story follows a curator of a prestigious fine art institution and their desire to present a modern and experimental musical installation that expands the boundaries of music as fine art. This musical narrative takes the listener on a journey with the curator and the sound art installation.

Music deserves to be celebrated as fine art. It is a uniquely human expression that makes people empathize with others. Visual art does the same, so why should we view music as any different?

https://www.twine.net/signin

Genresis is a term I created that stands for Genre Synthesis and Genre Genesis. Genresis I is the exposition that introduces the audio story to the listener and sets the scene for further plot development. The goal of this project is to synthesize traditional acoustic instruments with electronically generated sounds and to tell the story of music, spanning several genres. This story is underscored with a dynamic and responsive score that, when combined, creates a narrative connecting organic music and an AI generated voice. This juxtaposition is meant to highlight the evolution of music alongside human existence from the perspective of an AI analyzing music’s connection to the origin of humans. Incorporating different genres at different moments in time as well as explaining the history of musical progression demonstrates my unique compositional ability and my storytelling nature. I believe that this synthesis of technology and music history told through different musical genres works well as a medium to tell this story. The question answered is why does music exist, and this is the story of its progression alongside us. My aim is to synthesize acoustic recordings of different genres and merge with experimental and electronic music to deliver this story.

This story is narrated by an artificial voice with a script generated in part with the help of AI. For this three part story of Genresis I asked ChatGPT what music was to humans. I asked about the importance of music in our lives throughout time. Music is a common language we have been developing since the origin of humankind. Music can explain what it means to be human and that concept being discussed with an AI can illuminate how foreign and sterile the concept of music is- but the music composed for this project highlights the boundless expression that music is.

It concludes with the choir singing a chord that does not feel resolved. This is representative of the continually evolving story of music alongside human progress painted by the diverse and evolving human mind.

https://www.twine.net/signin

Hide N Seek is about school shootings from the perspective of a special needs child who is trying to process this continuing trauma. Currently in today’s climate, Special Education teachers in elementary schools are trained to use an innocent child’s game to safely get these children to be quiet in the event of an active shooter. This is the reality of the world we live in. These children with special needs cannot conceptualize the rapid response that a person is actively trying to shoot up a school; hide and seek is used as an effective method to get children to shelter in place quietly. This is not outwardly spoken in the song, in fact it is quite upbeat. It is being presented as something that is casual and not alarming to us anymore. This song, Hide N Seek, is supposed to be a mirror- this is a perspective from one of the most vulnerable groups in our society.

Occentatia is a project that explores inclusivity and queer theory through world and character building, influenced by an action-adventure, platform-gaming lens. Presented not just in the art and concepts of video game development, but also through ethical world-building with members of a collaborative design team. We push for and incorporate women’s, queer, and marginalized voices. Occentatia utilizes several formats, including concept and video game art, character design, sculptures, digital paintings, programming, and electronic music. A team of artists, gamers, technophiles, producers, graphic designers, and writers collaborate to produce these various elements.

Track 7 was composed and produced by Noah Renken-Kapatos.

This is an original composition written by Noah Marney. Noah Marney is now a graduated graduate student of Illinois State University. This was an end of the year reading by the Spring 2023 Illinois State University Wind Symphony.

This composition was recorded May 5th, 2023 at the Center of Performing Arts auditorium at Illinois State University, Normal, IL.

This audio recording was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Noah Renken-Kapatos.

https://www.twine.net/signin

Is Propaganda Art? asks: Can propaganda be used as an art-form to control the population? Is art itself inherently propagandistic by making you feel a certain emotions and thoughts? Is all art propaganda? These themes are tackled through weaving together vivid metaphorical lyrics subtly provoking these complex thoughts with melodic hooks you won’t forget.

Is Propaganda Art? contains 13 songs, and is expected to release in June 2022. Drawing inspiration from a wide variety of artists such as Modest Mouse, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Blur, Queens of the Stone Age, Peach Pit, Alt-J, Radiohead, Tame Impala, Cage the Elephant, Mac Demarco, R.E.M. and more.
The singles for Is Propaganda Art? are Blush, Tea, and Gen Z the Great Society Blush’s melodic hook will leave you in a media-fueled, Hallmark love craze; especially when love should be directed inward first. Tea is a catch-all for body image, anorexia, and the loss of one’s ability to perceive themselves clearly. Gen Z the Great Society channels the zeitgeist of the war against truth between propaganda, ideals, and facts of previous generations in our modern world.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nzXGggwOAJDfkL1Sfq4HoAeQuwB3ZyMkA

Disassociation Nation is written to be experienced together to get the full picture and over-arching narrative. Through 7 tracks at roughly 23 minutes long, it weaves together a journey that one goes through when experiencing the highs and lows of mental illness and a story of growth. Where you begin in the record is not where you end emotionally.

https://www.twine.net/signin

The story behind the album 6am was that it started out as a complete joke between my
friends and I. One night my best friends and I were drunk and playing the boardgame Risk.
The night started out light-hearted but fell into disarray and ended in a fist fight between my
friends and of course I had to film it. The next morning, I woke up with a hangover at 6 am
and thought it would be funny to create some hip-hop music for the video of the fight. That
was why Drop Kick was written. Then once I had a taste for creating hip-hop, I thought it
would be fitting to continue waking up at 6 am to compose more beats.

https://www.twine.net/signin