Music & Audio Projects
Songs, tools, and experiments in original production.
This post is a brief synopsis of my journey back into music and a preview of some upcoming projects.
A Personal Journey
Music has always been my main passion. I’ve been creating music since I was a teenager, but after a few personal tragedies, I took a long break. I eventually got back into it—tentatively. I created a fictional label and artist roster to help me explore different sounds and genres without being tied down to a single identity.
The first album I released was a mixed bag of old beats I’d been sitting on. It was rushed—more of a tribute to my mom and cousin Quincy. My mother nurtured the creative spirit in me early and always did her best to keep something musical around me. Quincy was the biggest supporter of my music, and was my greatest teacher when it came to beat-making unbeknownst to everyone. He was murdered in 2011, and his death marked the start of a long period of depression and anxiety that still lingers today.
I released the project on my mom’s birthday. She passed from cancer two years later, and sadly never got to hear the album.
Losing the Spark
From 2015 to 2024, my creative output slowed to a crawl. Where I used to make five beats a day in high school, now I couldn’t even finish one. A hard drive crash wiped out most of my sample-based catalog—over 2,000 beats. I tried to rebuild from scratch, avoiding samples, but nothing felt right.
My anxiety made it nearly impossible to create. Some days I’d force out a track, but it always sounded “off” to me. After the loss of my mother, father and cousin, a bad breakup and the loss of a child, I stopped making music entirely.
I attempted a comeback in 2020 during quarantine—right after a full-blown mental breakdown in 2019. It was rough, but it planted a seed. In the past year or two, I’ve slowly become grounded again. Now, I’m finally creating with purpose.
Why This Blog Exists
This blog is part diary, part digital lab notebook. It’s where I’ll document my return to music and my progress in technology—particularly in IT, which I got into because of music.
I created Grey Key Studios as the fictional label housing all my pseudonyms and musical styles. It’s not a real label (yet), just a central hub for everything I make.
Artist Roster
Each persona serves a different genre or concept. Here’s a breakdown:
The Beautiful Uglies — Neo Soul / Psychedelic / Experimental
- The original project name for my first album.
- A fictional “band” that could one day become real.
- Musical vibe: raw, genre-blending, emotionally charged.
Bio: This is the pseudonym I released my first album under. I was originally going to release everything under that name. I think it was the way the first album was non-cohesive that made me create the other artists when i got back into music.
It was always supposed to be a fictional band that could morph into a real band, and it still is really. I am an intermediate keyboardist and struggle with guitar, bass and drums so making something that sounds like a band is really hard but I try lol. Hopefully one day I will actually have a band of my own.
Mr. E. — ???
- Say it fast 😉
- Mysterious persona for unknown vibes.
Bio:???
Mic Titan — Hip Hop Instrumentals / Remixes
- My first producer and rap name.
- Retired after my cousin’s death but revived for future boom-bap and sample-flip projects.
Bio: This was my first producer name, It doubled as my rap name back when i thought i could rap lol. I gave up that name around the same time my cousin died. I just didn’t like the name anymore and hip hop’s coffin was already being lowered so i planned to go a different route.
That’s when The Beautiful Uglies was created shortly before he died. I plan to start making hip hop beats again with and without sample. Now that tools like Tracklib are around i plan to flip something crazy hopefully.
Walton Grey — Post-Rock / Bedroom Pop
- My “experimental indie” outlet.
- Inspired by Stereolab, Tortoise, The Sea and Cake, and similar artists.
- I’ll be “singing” here—thanks, AI.
Bio: While i was away from making music I think it made me a better fan. I started listening to more genres of music and one of the ones I fell in love with was rock. There were a few rock songs that I liked when i was younger but it wasn’t in my regular rotation. I did discover a lot of great older stuff looking for sampled when I was younger but nothing that I would bump daily. I discovered so many artists that amaze me from so many different genres.
Back in 2007 I really got into Post rock with groups like Stereolab, Tortoise, The Sea and Cake, and The High Llamas. There were a few other groups that I liked but those were the stand outs and got heavy rotation. During the long hiatus i’ve found other groups outside of my elite 4 of more modern rock listed above. too many to list.
It became one of my favorite genres. The same things that I like about hip hop and jazz are present in a lot of this music. Really I like almost anything jazz influenced, so when I say rock it’s probably not the rock you’re thinking of lol. I also plan to sing on the Walton Grey projects so wish me the best of luck cause I don’t sing, so with the power of AI I might be able to make my terrible voice work lol.
Adwo Nyumbani — Jazz / Jazz Fusion (Pronounced “AHJO”)
- This project is calm, meditative, and hopefully convincing thanks to tools like vHorns.
Bio: Jazz has always been in a rotating spot of 1A and 1B with Hip Hop for my favorite genre of music. I hated Jazz up until i was 11 years old. I was listening to Jazz 88 FM and heard a song that blew my mind. i’ve been a jazz fan ever since.
I’ve tried to create jazz since i start making music but never had a band. with my limited skills its pretty hard to make realistic sounding jazz in a DAW. but with modern plugins i think i can at least if not make it sound real. make it sound Jazz.
The Bobbie Backfat Band — Funk
- Because I needed a funk band. Might only release one album, but it’ll be funky.
Bio: TBD
The Broken Shortcuts — Covers
- A place for covers I’ve always wanted to make across different genres.
Bio: TDB
you can find the “real” bios for these artists on my website greykeystudios.com.
Upcoming Projects
Here’s what I’m working on right now:
🎵 Private Karate
Artist: Walton Grey
Theme: A musical battle with anxiety and depression
- 24 songs written, aiming for 10–12 on the final album
- Rock-inspired with vocals (yes, I’m singing)
Snippet:
This album was initially on the back burner since i’ve never really made a rock project before, but the songs just kept coming out. I’m up to 24 tracks written and I hope to dwindle it down to the best 10-12. I will be “singing” on the Walton Grey projects so though most of the music beds are finished and lyrics written, the vocals remain to be recorded. Still a ways before it’s out but it’s the closest to completion.
🎥 Winter – Music Video (AI-Generated)
Tools Used: Suno, Sora, NightCafe, Trellis
- A track from Private Karate turned into a visual
- Winter is personified as an icy anti-hero that returns each year to haunt the town
Pics:
Video:
There is a song on the Private Karate Album where Winter is a person who comes to town every year and terrorizes the place lol. I decided to try and make a music video for it with AI.
🎸 Untitled 80s Album
Artist: Walton Grey
Vibe: 80s nostalgia
- Touching genres like synth-pop, R&B, and lo-fi sci-fi
- No lyrics yet, but strong progress on the instrumentals
Snippet:
I have 3 Walton Grey projects in the works. a rock album, this one with more 80s aesthetic, and a neo soul joint project with The Beautiful Uglies. Since the rock project has been coming along so well I haven’t written any lyrics for this one, but i made a good amount of music for it. I’ll try to touch a few 80s genres from pop, to soul, to r&b, to whatever that weird scifi movie intro music from that time was lol.
🎷 Calm Home
Artist: Adwo Nyumbani
Vibe: Chill, mellow jazz
- Hoping to simulate a live feel with plugins like vHorns
Snippet:
🌙 Midnight
Artist: The Beautiful Uglies
Concept: A journey through each hour of the night
- Each track will be named after a specific hour (e.g., 1:00 AM, 3:45 AM)
Snippet:
🕹 Games On Channel 3
Artist: Mr. E
Concept: SNES soundfonts + original compositions
- Like a lost retro game soundtrack
🌀 Soundtrack for an Unmade Film (10th Anniversary)
Artist: The Beautiful Uglies
Concept: The first project, remastered and re-released
- A raw, genre-defying mix of early beats and emotions………(lol)
My first album, remastered (as best as I could) and re-released on its 10th anniversary. It was a mess—but it was honest.
🌀 Destination: Terra Gaia Album
Artist: Mr. E
Concept: Mr. E embarks on a planet of the apes like journey on a planet run by robots.
This is the First Mr. E release. I used public domain samples and AI voiceovers to tell a story across the tracks. I’ll eventually add visuals to match.
🎷 1899 Waltz-Single
Artist: Adwo Nyumbani
Vibe: Chill, mellow jazz, breakbeat
This is the first thing released from Adwo Nyumbani. It wasn’t as traditional as it was intended to be when i started making it but I figured instead of dwelling trying to make this one thing perfect. I should probably keep it moving because i have a lot of music to make.
What’s Next?
There’s more in the works—including production tools and educational projects. I’ll document everything here, one post at a time.