I should probably clarify before I move on. I recently found an “Achievement List” while I was browsing through the Internet. I happened to find one of my older profiles and found some corrections from my previous blog.
So it looks like I actually won a couple more things in 2002 than I remembered. At www.broadjam.com, I won a spot in the top 10, for a remix contest of a Madison Park song called “Who’s Got the Time”. I also won an honorable mention (which I laugh at now because I guess it was a big deal for me back then) for a remix contest held by www.Alternate-Earth.com which was a breakbeat electronic music website.
So with that documented, let’s move on!
There comes 2003, I’m an 11th grader at Pacifica High School. The “Reflections” contest didn’t happen that year, but that didn’t stop me from pursuing music.
I got heavily involved with electronic music in 2003, and was finding my way through it. At this point, I was working on music almost every single day for about at LEAST six hours a day after school. I really wish everyone could experience what I did, although it wasn’t healthy living at all, it gave me a feeling of fulfillment and purpose. It was a great time and I enjoyed every minute of it. It literally consumed my life. I wanted nothing to do with anything else, and it was then, I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. I made a vow to myself that I would never ever find a real job. This definitely pressured me to work even harder. The fear of having to live on the streets!! Really, that was my reason. And, music was really the only thing I seemed to be good at without making a huge effort. I was never really that great in school. I hated waking up early and I hated homework and the pressure of tests. I never got used to them.
In 2003, I became involved with www.Acidplanet.com (AP), which was/is a great online community for electronic musicians including trance, techno, breakbeat, nu-skool, jungle, etc. composers. They held contests every so often and I did my best to enter every single one. I really wanted to win! There were always hundreds and hundreds of entries, but that didn’t stop me. A year of crazy obsession with music production and composing paid off slowly.
I entered a contest for Warner Bros. BWB remix contest on AP and placed 3rd. You could hear it today…it’s still there. I won some loop packages and the latest copy of Acid Pro. I was happy for even placing in the top three and it validated that I should keep pursuing music. I remember being so sick and tired of the pre-made loops that came with Acid Pro that I connected my Yamaha EX5 keyboard and created my own loops as well as recorded parts directly from my keyboard. The sounds weren’t great, but they were all original parts. And it won 3rd place.
I also entered a contest held by the “Call to Arts!” expo, which took place at Cal State Fullerton (a state college). I found out about the contest through the Internet. I entered my song “Lost Memory” into the contest and won for the “Creative Visions” category. I went to the school to pick up my prizes (dumb prizes) and some medals. It was something, but I think I was happy at the time.
Another contest I entered that year was for a piano loop company called “Hark Productions”. They wanted people to make “recreations” of their original song. So basically, a remix. Duh. I was a runner-up, which was a little disappointing, but the people who won definitely had better remixes than me.
When I think about why I did these contests back then, it was to prove to everyone - parents, friends, and especially myself that I would be able to become something more than just a flaky kid who plays computer games all day. Since the day music grabbed a hold of me, I never let go, and I wanted to get deeper and deeper into all things musical. Not only did I research ALL OVER THE INTERNET for music production advice, but even the business side of it. I figured, “Hey, if I’m going to do this professionally, then why not learn about the business side of it too?” So everyday, there were hours and hours dedicated towards all things music.
With the help of my parents, my persistence, and a credit card, I also joined a couple “music communities” like www.tonos.com (which shut down) and www.letstalkmusic.com (inactive) where people discussed, critiqued each other’s music, and just hung out. I made many great friends there (whom I still keep in contact with) and learned a LOT. Definitely was a major shift in my musical journey. This was when I started writing songs with melody/lyrics…
More to come! Please comment! It’ll inspire me to write the next one…
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