EP 47: Adam Reifsteck on Bringing People Together Through Music - a podcast by Musicians For Musicians, MFM

Our guest for this episode of MFM Speaks Out is Adam Reifsteck. Adam is a New York-based composer, electronic music artist, producer, entrepreneur, and music activist. He writes for small ensembles, produces electronic music, and performs improvised group compositions on Wi-Fi-connected laptops. He has collaborated with string quartets, university choirs, and visual and electronic artists. His approach to composition includes elements of improvisation.

He is a recipient of grants from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, and the Kalamazoo (MI) Community Foundation. His music has been performed by the Attacca Quartet, Amernet String Quartet, Cadillac Moon Ensemble, Duquesne University Chamber Singers, Flutronix, Gaudete Brass Quintet, Mana Saxophone Quartet, Western Michigan University Chorale, and many other ensembles.

Adam is also an active recording engineer and producer whose studio alias SONIC FEAR has become synonymous with lush, genre-bending sounds—from dance floor ready tracks to downtempo meditations. He is the founder and CEO of Teknofonic Recordings, an independent record label and artist development platform providing electronic musicians with learning resources, networking opportunities, and career support.

Adam holds a master’s of music degree in composition from Western Michigan University and a bachelor’s of music in music technology from Duquesne University. He is a member of Broadcast Music Inc., the Society of Composers and Lyricists, the Recording Academy, the Audio Engineering Society, and Musicians for Musicians (MFM).
 

Topics discussed:

Adam's beginnings with the European classical tradition and modern electronic music, his use of elements of improvisation, his methods of classical and electronic composition, how they overlap, and descriptions of a few of his pieces, the origins of the name Sonic Fear, his collaboration with artists such as She's Excited!, how he approaches the art of remixing, what he looks for in an artist and how he brings out the best in them, the ways he finds and creates ways to monetize his music, his label Teknofonic and what he sees as the most important aspects of running a record label, Teknofonic's distribution and promotion, his involvement with the iConcert project and the use of the Blind Ear software, his founding of the Music Producer's Alliance, their Mentorship program, courses, and instruction, the future plans for Teknofonic and MPA, new methods of promotion and marketing that have and will arise in light of new changes and innovations in business, economics, and technology (which include blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, NFTs, and Artificial Intelligence), how his longtime membership in MFM affected his career in a positive way, MFM's primary strengths and assets to musicians, and what MFM needs to do regarding its marketing and promotional methods in order to reach the larger music community it needs to survive, prosper, and empower itself and its members. 

CLICK HERE to download the PDF guide "21 Income Streams for Music Producers"  mentioned in this episode.
 

Music featured in this episode:

1) Gloria (from Misa Cor Inflammatus) featuring Western Michigan University Chorale, conducted by Karl Schrock

2) No Way Out (from Excursions for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano) featuring Michael Tolbert, Nelly Smukler, and JP Calitz

3) Aurora by Sonic Fear  

(All music by Adam Reifsteck. Used with permission)

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