Everyone has their own quintessential summer event. It might be watching the fireworks with friends on the 4th of July, or jumping into the sweet relief of a pool on that absurdly hot day. Maybe you’re still a kid at heart and it’s not really summer until you hear the ice cream truck for the first time. For me, summer was and still is all about road trips: new adventures with old friends and seeing the country from behind a windshield. I may have traded in my Firebird for a Corolla and my high school buddies for a wife and a sheltie, but as long as I have a new playlist ready, the summer road trip remains the same.
And so, with our eleventh edition of the Student Spotlight series, highlighting the brilliant work of Soundfly alumni created in our courses and Headliners Club mentorship sessions, we humbly offer up some new music for your favorite summer playlist.
Whether they’re pushing the contemporary boundaries of songcraft in Songwriting for Producers or laying out crushing bangers in our brand new The Art of Hip-Hop Production courses, or carving their own path in a custom Headliners Club session, each one of these students created something to be proud of. We hope you enjoy some new music from these incredible Soundfly artists.
Here’s the full playlist. Scroll down to hear a little more about each track and what each student set out to accomplish with the help of their Soundfly Mentors during their session.
“Kyouna’s Theme”
Student-Artist: Taylor Doyle
Course: Headliners Club
Mentor: Tim Maryon
Focus: Write two new pieces in the style of an epic anime.
Tim: Taylor has created some really impressive work this session! Both his technical and creative understanding of his process have exponentially increased over the two sessions we’ve had together. I look forward to the next one!
“You Do”
Student-Artist: Alicia Borromeo
Course: Headliners Club
Mentor: Raven Katz
Focus: Work on three different song seeds and further them along in the composition and songwriting process.
Raven: Alicia is just a special student. She comes to songwriting with a bright and unique voice, crafting lyrics that are conversational yet biting. As a student, she is diligent and hard-working. She receives feedback with grace and uses it as a means to enhancing her writing. I can’t say enough good things about her!
“Remade By Fire”
Student-Artist: Lisa Reshkus
Course: Headliners Club
Mentor: Sırma Munyar
Focus: Finish this track, and begin to develop a live performance setup around it.
Sırma: This was my second Headliners Club session with Lisa and just like last time, it was a very productive and inspiring experience working with her. To me, Lisa is a very refreshing electronic composer, continuously flourishing…. She’s not afraid to try new techniques, she embraces technology, and she’s so open to taking direction while maintaining her musical identity at the same time. But she is new to composing with her voice, and it was really exciting to explore this new territory with her on this track. We kept her vocals in focus, from spoken-word sections to harmony and double layers and pad vocals. She went from “I don’t really sing” to making a track that revolves around her vocals. Isn’t that amazing?! She’s amazing.
“Carefree”
Student-Artist: Emily McCullough
Course: Headliners Club
Mentor: Joseph Capalbo
Focus: Understand how to use Logic Pro thoroughly and to improve recording and mixing, as well as composition and songwriting skills using both audio and software instruments and samples.
Joseph: Emily’s music drastically improved when she started to use the higher quality samples and sounds that Logic Pro offers. She learned the foundation of Logic in Soundfly’s Intro to Making Music in Logic Pro course so that she can now transfer her compositions into fuller productions.
“Coming for You”
Student-Artist: Barry Zito
Course: Songwriting for Producers
Mentor: Sam Friedman
Focus: Fully write and produce one complete song.
Sam: Working with Barry was such a wonderful experience. He was always friendly and confident, never shying away from criticism or feedback. While his work in the beginning of the course was impressive, his final piece showed tremendous progress, and I couldn’t be more proud of the work he did during our time together.
“Lost River”
Student-Artist: Storm Erlingson
Course: The Art of Hip-Hop Production
Mentor: Ryan Lindberg
Focus: Work on making better hip-hop instrumentals to pitch to rappers and vocalists.
Ryan: Working with Storm was awesome. He was always prepared and enthusiastic about learning and willing to put in the work to get through obstacles in his production. We focused on hip-hop production and Storm really went in on the concepts. His sampling, drum programming, and use of 808s are top notch. Can’t wait to hear how his instrumentals develop as he works with more vocalists and rappers down the road.
“Control”
Student-Artist: Chris Bassaline
Course: The Art of Hip-Hop Production
Mentor: Ian Barnett
Focus: Further develop production abilities in the trap style.
Ian: Chris did an incredible job on the course assignments and demonstrated a real knowledge of beat making and composition. He also showed that he can make tracks very fast and I was impressed with the quality of his mixes from week to week.
“It Was My Fault for Waiting (Maria Lui Mix)”
Student-Artist: Maria Lui
Course: Faders Up I: Modern Mix Techniques
Mentor: Andrea De Carlo
Focus: Gain confidence in mixing drums.
Andrea: Maria was an excellent student and she worked so hard during the course. She asked tons of great questions on our calls and was a pleasure to work with. Probably one of the best sessions for me so far!
Ready to reach your musical goals?
Our one-on-one mentorship program is built on our belief that accountability and guidance can have a huge impact on students reaching their goals and developing their musical identities. Soundfly’s community of mentors will help you set the right goals, pave the right path toward success, and stick to schedules and routines that you develop together, so you improve every step of the way.
Tell us what you’re working on, and we’ll find the right mentor or course for you!
