Driving indie dance rock courtesy of Dana Castillo

War Machine

I made this track in honour of "808 Day", where the only drums used come from the 808 drum machine.  I hope you enjoy this track created in Nanostudio 2 on iPhone.  Cheers.

JWM - The Light Amidst the Darkness

Even though I'm releasing this EP around the start of Autumn, I built this EP during Summer 2024.  I originally planned for it to be an album to be released 1 September, but I got stuck in a music creation block.  So it turned into an EP instead.  Here's the track listing.

0'00" - The Secret Garden (World Music EDM)
4'15" - Trina (Electro House meets Italodisco)
8'59" - The Light Amidst the Darkness (Sorta Trance)
16'10" - What a Rush (Trance)
24'18" - Take a Break (Lofi Trip-Hop)
30'53" - Salvador (Extended Version) (Reggaeton)
37'55" - Scarlet (Trance)

"The Secret Garden" was a track originally conceived in Korg Gadget 2 back in 2021.  Its original title was "Sakura".  However, the melody doesn't necessarily sound Japanese, so I retitled it and now call it as "World Music EDM", lol.

"Trina" is currently the last track I made with a Deadmau5 influence and was the first track I produced for the EP.  I created this track for a friend of the same name.  However, instead of pure Electro House, I added elements of Italodisco, especially in the drums.

"The Light Amidst the Darkness" was my first attempt at making a pure Trance track for the EP.  However, it lacks in the rich sonic layering that the Trance genre is known for, which is why I rebranded the genre as "Sorta Trance", lol.  I created this track for 808 Day this year as most of the drums used are from the 808 drum machine.

"What a Rush" is pure Trance with a bit of a late 90s attitude directly inspired by Paul Van Dyk.  It was the track I produced right after "The Light Amidst the Darkness" and what that track should've been to be quite honest.  My favourite part of the track is the breakbeat section.

"Take a Break" definitely provides a break from the other EDM tracks that preceded it.  I said to myself I wouldn't produce another Lofi track until 2025, but I couldn't resist trying to produce Trip-Hop with a Lofi aesthetic.  And that is how "Take a Break" was conceived.

"Salvador" is a track I originally created in 2022 for my "2023 EP", but now it's vastly improved with better production values than I had in 2022.  I created this track for my sister's father of the same name.  He has become a second father figure to me since I first got to know him, so this track is for him.

"Scarlet" is a track I originally created in 2002 in MTV Music Generator 2000 on PC (yes, that Playstation title also had a Window equivalent) and is one of the first tracks I've ever produced.  I created the track with four movements in mind, sort of like a Trance symphony.  Of course my production skills were severely lacking in 2002 despite the fact I had the know-how back then to create memorable melodies.  And here's a quick fun fact - the intro to the new 2024 version was actually the fourth movement in the original and was a Trance section.  I decided to remake it as the first movement with a medieval flair.

And this is "The 2024 Summertime EP".  I created the tracks in Nanostudio 2 and mastered it in Multitrack DAW, all on iPhone.  Hope you enjoy it.  Cheers.

JWM - A 2024 Summertime EP

Brand new track inspired by late 90s electronic rock 

Written by Billy Castillo

#AOKICHALLENGE

Useless

Becky’s Song

Another fun collab with PBelgium8 here.  He gave me permission to use his smokey bass guitar loop to form a piece of music.  This time, I went the Jazz route.  LOL!  Please enjoy this fun playful piece of music.

PBelgium8 vs JWM - Free For All

I really enjoyed making this happy little piece in Auxy Studio.  I hope you all enjoy it too.  All the best!

JWM - The Electric Fields

Given the piece's title, you think I'd have added a piano. 🫠 Oops.  Ah well, enjoy this relaxing orchestral piece.

JWM - Pianissimo

The instrumental of this Pop tune was created in Auxy Studio, and vocals recorded, processed, and layered on top in Cubasis.

JWM - Same Mistakes

Just a quick little piece of Ambient made in Korg Gadget 3.

JWM - 122725a

As we approach 2026, I present to you the final piece of 2025!  Please enjoy this small dose of Ambient done in Korg Gadget 3.

JWM - 2026 Approaches

Formed in 2001, Fear 2 Stop consists of Billy & Dana Castillo, along with daughter Jaymie (b.2007) , cofounder Raymond Proseus, and friend  Dean Entwistle . Mixing influences as diverse as Brian Wilson, Clairo Skating Polly , hip hop, and new wave, Fear 2 Stop is unlike any group out there. 20 years and still going strong...and in fact better than ever...

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