Justin Kennedy
Composer, Performer, & Music Producer
ABOUT ME
I am a composer, performer, and producer with experience in commercial and classical music. I've always enjoyed making music and finding the time to get better at it. I like to think I've advanced my skills pretty well over the years, thanks to some great teachers.
My mom gifted me my first beret when I was young. She always wore one when she owned and operated her photography studio. That studio was special to me. It felt like a place where anything was possible. So, I wear berets during musical activities as a way of summoning the courage to express myself that my mom gave me in that space.
Composition Reels
Commercial & Popular Genres
Classical & Avant Garde
I studied music at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts. I've worked in the commercial market as a composer and producer. It's always fun to learn more about audio in a recording studio! I can write and produce a wide range of commercial styles, having done client work in cyberpunk, new age, R&B, and beyond. I'm also classically trained.
Make the Change
Featured Full-Length Tracks
2a03
Make the Change is a track with two contrasting sections. One section is a 1970s funk-rock throwback and the other is jazz fusion. In addition to being the composer for this song, I was lyricist, music producer, principle arranger, and the bass synth player.
This track is a chiptune written as an homage to Mega Man composers Manami Matsumae and Takashi Tateishi. It is written for live performance in Ableton, through the use of a launchpad and MIDI keyboard. The title is a reference to the Ricoh 2a03 microprocessor used in the Nintendo Entertainment System. The sounds in this piece emulate those produced by that chip.
Live Electronic Music
I've been performing my original electronic music internationally for 15 years. I specialize in launchpad and analog synth performance. In my live set, I incorporate non-traditional input methods such as face-tracking and QR code tracking, mapping the data from those sources to control various parameters of sound. I am a seasoned Ableton Live and Max for Live user. My go-to digital instruments include Serum, Massive, Cherry Voltage, Spitfire, and EastWest. In addition to composing and performing my electronic music, I often serve as mixing/mastering engineer for them as well.
Coming Soon
I've got some music and even a music video I'm going to be releasing pretty soon. I'll be posting those here as well as on social media. I hope you'll stop by, check them out, and maybe even make a purchase so I can buy a coffee. Thanks for checking out my music!