Mentor My Mix: Find Your Career in the Music Industry!

In this episode, Greg interviews musician, producer, mix engineer, and label boss Michael Starita. They discuss the power of saying yes even when you think you might not be ready and the importance of having the drive to learn as you go. Tracks from Michael Starita’s latest release are highlighted to show his techniques for producing and collaborating with other artists, as well as the influence of spirituality and meditation practice on his music. Michael Starita also gives us insight into his personal journey to find fulfillment in the music industry as an artist/producer and engineer.

Featured Tracks;

Middle track, “The Dream” featuring Christan Scott aTunde Adjuah and Trent Park from his latest album The Wakeup Call

Michael Starita Wrote produced and played keys on this track, with songwriting and trumpet playing from Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, songwriting, lyrics, and vocals from Trent Park, and songwriting and guitar from Robin Applewood. This song and album were released on Michael Starita’s Be Still Records label, which is dedicated to spiritual music. Michael challenged himself and his collaborators to channel the music on the project from the heart, rather than overthink anything when writing and performing the music.

Last track, “The Search” featuring Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band from The Wakeup Call

Michael Starita wrote produced and played keys on this track, with songwriting and vocals from Sean Johnson of Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band. Sean Johnson sings a Mantra, from Hindu and Yoga Tradition, about the concept of the Guru, what it represents, and how it permeates everything, including each person. Michael Starita talks about the process of writing this song, by passing musical Ideas back and forth between him and Sean Johnson until they felt ready to send each other multitracks and get mixing.

Michael Starita is an artist, producer, mix engineer, founder of both the Starita Music and Be Still Records labels, founder of Bay Area Music Collective, and the former president of the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy. He has produced and engineered tracks for a plethora of artists including Los Amigos Invisibles who were nominated for a Latin Grammy in the song of the year category, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Third Eye Blind, A Tribe Called Quest, Yo Yo Ma, and Childish Gambino to name a few. Michael Starita blends his influences and roots in Rock, Soul, and Electronic music with his spiritual practice and meditation to create genre-bending and introspective music.

Website https://www.staritamusic.com/

Be Still Records website https://bestillrecords.com/

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In this episode, Greg speaks with Pyramind Alumni and recording artist, Sheridan Carter. Sheridan shares insight into his newest track "Toes Done" and how he meets and collaborates with the producers who have helped to craft his sound. They discuss the inspiration behind telling stories as a songwriter with his start singing in church and the influence his mother had on him pursuing his craft. Great tip on using his phone for writing to make sure everything's backed up in the cloud and accessible across all his devices. The loss of his mother and former producer Cosmo who tragically both passed away. How he turned inward for inspiration and dealing with the grief and wrote tracks like "I Miss You Mom" and "Lay Away" about his mother and how she continues to be a theme and source of inspiration. The importance of working on himself to better himself and sending that out as a message in his music. How the number one reason he came to Pyramind was to network and meet and collaborate with new artists and producers. Seeing the long arc of his career and the impact that collaboration has had in advancing his career opportunities including his collaboration with fellow Pyramind student Colin Sentz AKA Shrike on a track that they recorded & produced at Pyramind Studios for NBA 2K Games and how it's also been released as a single and on the Pyramind Records "Game Sound On" music compilation release. The importance of the business negotiations to make it all possible and keep up with the negotiations. The mixture of styles that made the sound pop and how that's such a driving force in the evolution of music. How "listening to more music" is so important to have as many different references and points to draw from. Cross-pollinating audiences to help drive interest to bigger audiences. The need for a "calculated push" and his business collaboration with Pyramind music business instructor Steffen Franz and Independent Distribution Collective to market and promote his releases. Peaking at #17 on the Itunes Hip Hop charts. Getting within the first five albums of the pre-release order charts. The creation of a virtual event in lieu of being able to tour during Covid. Breaking down the track, "I miss You Mom". and revealing his approach to songwriting with melodies & lyrics. They end with a sneak peak at up and coming releases and why smoking weed is an integral piece to activating his voice and feeling more comfortable and less anxious.

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In this episode Greg interviews Multi-Instrumentalist, Producer, Label Boss, and Ableton Certified Trainer, Kiva. They discuss both live and studio production techniques for producing Dub-style music using Ableton Live. Featured tracks from Kiva's new album are highlighted for various drum & Dub production techniques referenced in Kiva's Pyramind Youtube videos. Kiva explains the message behind his new record and how he has held true to his vision as both an artist & producer and discusses the business of running his label Adios Babylon.

Featured tracks:

Opening track, "Holy Mountain" from his latest album Odium

Kiva played all instruments: piano, guitar, melodica, trumpet, live percussion, live drum set, etc and sing the vocals as well. The live drums and percussion were recorded using only a laptop mic on the other side of the room to catch a dirty textured recording to blend with the clean programmed drums.

Middle Track: "Return to Your Silence" feat. Ancient King produced by Kiva from album Swords of Wisdom*the drums and percussion on this song were created using the specialized rack technique demonstrated in his drum rack tutorial for Pyramind

Ending Track: Akae Beka (pronounced Ahh-Kay Beh-Kah) "Power of the Trinity" Kiva 321 remix*. This song features one of the greatest and most prolific vocalists in the history of reggae, the late Vaughn Benjamin of St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands who released over 70 albums with his bands Midnite and Akae Beka before he transitioned from this world in 2019. Kiva played all instruments and this song also features a beautiful acoustic guitar section near the end he composed using alternate string tunings.

Kiva is an artist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of the record label Adios Babylon. Founding his record label Adios Babylon circa 2004 in NYC, Kiva has released numerous albums and has produced and remixed for many underground soul, hip hop, reggae, & dance music artists. His style blends elements of dub, soul, hip hop, and futuristic electronics. He has delivered his music through high-energy performances and DJ sets through sound systems from Brooklyn to Tokyo, and is a regular performer at the renowned “Dub in the Rainforest” festival in St. Croix, USVI. He has shared stages with reggae and dubstep artists Lee Scratch Perry, Midnite, Pressure Busspipe, Mykal Rose, Akae Beka, I Grade Dub, Kode 9, Joe Nice, RSD, and many more. His latest full-length solo instrumental album “Odium” was released mid-2021.

DJ Kiva is also a world-renowned Ableton Live Certified Trainer with over 15 years teaching experience. He has taught Ableton and music production to over 7000+ students worldwide, from novice producers just beginning to pursue the craft, to legendary top professionals looking to embrace new music technology.

website: www.adiosbabylon.com

online music store: https://adiosbabylon.bandcamp.com/

Book Kiva for a private one on one session here: https://pyramind.com/product/kiva/

Kia's Youtube tutorials:

Specialized Drum Racks in Ableton Live: https://youtu.be/IJ7myDC-338

Slice To MIDI sample chopping: https://youtu.be/_7k4o3_ChUI

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Todd “Kush” Kushnir is an artist and creative explorer who has been free-diving at the intersection of sound, video, and experience design for more than 30 years. A native of Silicon Valley, a graduate of Humboldt State University, and bus-traveler and sonic-manipulator with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, Kush and Greg talk about the real-world experiences that brought them together professionally and the foundation that led to his career-altering decisions that laid the foundation for his twenty-plus years in the recording industry and his recent foray into the world of NFT's. Kush has created multimedia experiences for DJ Shadow, Meat Beat Manifesto, Dream Theater, and numerous other artists. His extensive experience as a live and studio engineer, video producer, multi-instrumentalist, 2D/3D graphic designer are all on display in his latest work in the NFT world. 

Kush’s latest audio releases include Everyone Orchestra releases found here:

https://everyoneorchestra.bandcamp.com/

Kush NFTs are scattered across the Metaverse:

https://linktr.ee/kushnadas 

Beats with Visuals:

https://metashrooms.io

https://foundation.app/kushnadas

The latest Drop is here:

https://knownorigin.io/kushnadas

Abstracts Collection here:

https://opensea.io/collection/kush-abstracts

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Jef Stott, Global Bass and ambient music recording artist, producer, and educator. In this episode Jef discusses his transitioning sound from hard hitting Global Bass to the more ethereal and ambient sound of his most recent collaboration with Mah Ze Tar for The Zikr Project, and their latest release, Ishq on Black Swan Records. Jef also talks about his series, "The World is Sound", and how he seeks to bring rich music culture to a wider audience. The meaning of Global Bass Music. How to infuse ethnic instrumentation into electronic music. The Oud and percussion, and how to integrate that into live sets. An Ableton Live breakdown delineating the difference in stylistic approaches between his tracks Osiris and Ishq.

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Bob Duskis, president and co-founder of Six Degrees Records looks back on 25 years of music and experience running a record label. How to get a smash hit song with TikTok and the impact it has on an artist's visibility and sales. How to find and select international artists for your music label. How to work out record deals from an independent label perspective. How to work with global distribution deals for varying international markets. Developing and nurturing a new audience based on instrumental tracks recorded and produced specifically for guided meditations. Music from Dom La Nena, Karsh Kale, and Bombay Dub Orchestra. How 2020 pushed independent artists to evolve and produce music on their own. A retrospective look at Six Degrees Records with Bob's upcoming new podcast.

https://www.sixdegreesrecords.com/

https://www.sixdegreesrecords.com/dom-la-nena/

https://www.sixdegreesrecords.com/karsh-kale/

https://www.sixdegreesrecords.com/bombay-Dub-orchestra/

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Gavin Hardkiss, electronic musician, DJ, label owner, producer, remixer, author and artist who has performed under the name "Gavin Hardkiss" and "Hawke", shares his journey as a pioneer of electronic music in San Francisco in the 1990s. Gavin talks about the formation of the Hardkiss Brothers, with partners Scott and Robbie. He shares stories of the underground rave scene from Philadelphia, to Brooklyn to the UK to the San Francisco Bay Area. Pre-Internet raving and getting to San Francisco in the summer of '91 to light a fuse in the dance music scene. Renting San Carlos airport to throw a rave from 10 PM to 8 AM the next morning in a hanger. The formation of the Hardkiss Music label and Sun Burn Recordings. Signing with Sony Music. The importance of retaining the rights to your own music, and how it helped him run a profitable label while under Sony. Gavin talks about producing and releasing his most recent Album: The Dark Art Of Light Work and Greg and Gavin debate Spotify and other streaming platforms. Gavin talks about NFTs and how they could change the future for artists and musicians. Greg and Gavin break down the Ableton session for his newest Hawke track played at the opening and closing of the Podcast, Ping Pong.

https://www.hardkiss.org/

https://soundcloud.com/gavin-hardkiss

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Heather Christie presents her perspective on "music-preneurship", remixing songs for more reach, the negative effects of American Idol, and the Hero's Journey in music. Heather shares her range of artistic experiences in dancing, acting, producing, and performing, as well as her transition from musical theatre to singing and songwriting. Heather talks about her influences from Latin American culture, her travels to Mexico, Ecuador, and Guatemala, and writing songs in Spanish. She then reflects on her experience on American Idol, and how that sparked her to learn music business and take control of her own career. Heather talks about practicing, performing and producing music with her husband and partner, multi-instrumentalist Vir McCoy and using the stems of many differents world instruments from many of his recordings to create new and exciting dance music geared towards the ecstatic dance community.

Opening and closing music is Space Between, by Heather Christie.

Book a Mentorship session with Heather.

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Brian Schmidt & Greg Gordon discuss Pyramind partnering with The Game Audio Network Guild for a full-ride scholarship for Pyramind's Sound for Picture and Games program. Brian goes on to share his deep insight on working on more than 130 titles for most of the major game developers in the industry, being the program manager of the Xbox Audio and Voice Technologies division at Microsoft, patents he has helped develop and strategies for immersive audio. The conversation also covers the genesis of the annual GameSoundCon conference, game audio employment and freelancing, and Brian’s continued work as the acting President of GANG.

Opening and closing music featured by Brian Schmidt for Mutant Football League.

Click here to learn more about the scholarship

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Martin Luther McCoy: singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and native San Franciscan. Martin Luther shares stories of his career starting from a gospel music childhood in San Francisco’s Bayview, to performing and touring with Philadelphia-based Hip Hop Band, The Roots, and being cast as Jo-Jo in the Hollywood musical, Across The Universe. Experiences and lessons learned, including adapting to an industry shift from physical to streaming services, and networking and making opportunities in the competitive music industry. Learning to balance what feeds your soul and the business savvy required to nurture the relationships that drive success. Building his "team" including influential Bay Area attorney Michael Aczon. Martin Luther talks about his development as a singer, producer, and entrepreneur with his label, Rebel Soul Records, and the empowering messages he aims to deliver through his music. Touring and performing with Kev Choice and being invited by Randal Kline, (founder of SF Jazz) to join the SF Jazz Collective and performing with an all-star group of top players on their respective instruments. This Podcast features Martin Luther’s most recent production at the time of this recording, "Warmth of Other Suns", co-produced and arranged by Minna Choi, and featuring The Magik*Magik Orchestra, String Quartet, and Kev Choice on Piano.

Warmth Of Other Suns Music Video

Martin Luther Mccoy on Band Camp

SFJAZZ ALONE TOGETHER: MARTIN LUTHER MCCOY & KEV CHOICE

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