From his dwelling studio in Edinburg, Joe Steven composed an instrumental soundtrack he hopes will take listeners on an intergalactic expedition.
Steven’s inspiration for the 10-song album, “Starman: Mission to Mars” sparked on the day he visited the SpaceX Launch Facility in Boca Chica for the primary time on an October day in 2019. He’s all the time had an affinity for house saying he spent quite a lot of time as a toddler stargazing, so seeing the Starship MK1 was a particular second for him.
Being within the presence of a spacecraft which might in the future go away the Earth’s orbit and peruse the cosmos, move by a number of stars and contact floor on a special planet left Steven shocked. Through the hour-and-a-half drive dwelling from SpaceX, he realized there was no different approach he may course of his expertise than to compose music.
“Seeing the precise spaceship itself actually pushed me to wish to create one thing timeless and extraordinary, one thing that might match the expertise I felt that day,” stated Steven. “And seeing it in individual was not the one inspiring half, but in addition trying ahead to the following 5 to 10 years, realizing that what I’m seeing in entrance of me goes to be very properly advancing human spaceflight and sending folks to the Moon and Mars.”
The album is ready to be launched on January 1, 2021 by way of JoeSteven.com.
An alumnus of Edinburgn’s J. Economedes Excessive Faculty, Steven performed as a trumpet participant for each the college’s band and symphony orchestra. The 29-year-old additionally performs a number of different devices, together with the guitar, piano, bass guitar and French horn.
The soundtrack’s songs vary from dreamy and playful strings and bells, to sturdy and lavish trumpets and horns — all of which element a stage of a an astronaut’s journey to Mars.
Steven stated the album’s third observe “Mission Management” is concerning the morning of the house launch at Boca Chica, which leads as much as elevate off within the fourth tune, “Starship Launch.” The album’s journey concludes when the astronauts land on Mars within the ninth observe, “Star Man,” and so they plant an American flag on the planet on the tenth tune, “A New Dwelling.”
“It’s like you’re touring on this journey as you’re listening by way of this complete album,” stated Steven, who graduated from the College of Texas Pan American, now UTRGV, with a level in advertising. “My objective is to inform a compelling story by way of my composition that evokes highly effective feelings in folks.”
The recording artist and composer who based Sundown Data, an unbiased document label, stated he not solely wished the album to be one thing listeners may hum to, however he wished to create one thing utterly instrumental in order that anybody wherever may be a part of the house expedition.
“I simply need folks to really feel a way of solace and journey once they hearken to the album,” he stated. “And it’s additionally about creating high-quality music that folks can hearken to and luxuriate in irrespective of the place they’re on this planet. I wished this album to have the attribute qualities that emulate that marvel in folks’s lives, and particularly give them inspiration in the course of the troublesome instances we face proper now.”
Steven is referring to the COVID-19 pandemic which has had a grip on the group for almost a 12 months now. Not solely has it barred him from performing to stay audiences, nevertheless it modified the way in which he collaborated with different musicians to compose the soundtrack.
Many of the album was produced by Steven, however some songs characteristic world-class artists, together with French violinist Esther Abrami in “Starlight,” French classical guitarist Alexandra Whittingham in “Boca Chica,” and Hollywood cellist Michelle Pacman in “Moon Waltz.”
“I’m extremely proud to be from the Valley, and I do know there’s quite a lot of amazingly gifted artists and musicians who’re simply as artistic in nature right here,” he stated. “I can’t be extra happier to be doing what I’m doing… I’m actually excited for what the long run holds for us and I do know these are troublesome instances however we are able to take this as a problem to encourage others.”
