Class Radical

These songs were originally composed between January 9th and February 9th, 2023. During this time I was in my 3rd year winter quarter at UCLA, enrolled in the requisite class “Sociology 101: Development of Sociological Theory”, and the elective class “Ethnomusicology 175: Sociology of Music”.

This quarter was my real awakening to sociology, and the added layer of learning about the study of sociology through music was very helpful in my rapid immersion and alignment with sociological thought. While I still approach music from a very instinctual perspective, this course in particular showed me how I was already imparting my own political and social views into my music. With this knowledge in mind, I set out to write one song idea a day for a month using FLStudio. I came up with 36 songs in 31 days. Over the next year and a half, I regularly revisited these song ideas and listened to them deeply for the messages I had subconsciously encoded into the melodies and rhythms. I taught myself how to bring the messages to the surface through improvisational lyrics– over time each song aligned itself with a particular lyrical theme which eventually became the title of the song. Many of these themes emerged parallel to my deeper study of sociological theories and methods through my coursework.

I would describe this as Emperor Steve’s most personal album, because it really is a product of my experience as a sociology student at UCLA. To me, this is more than “instrumental music to inspire creative thought”--for once, I feel like I have something important to say. The range of this work allowed me to convey the wildly complex ideas and emotions which situate my own perspectives; yes, it is cynical and aggressive at times, but it is also proportionally hopeful and loving. My education has shown me the importance of overcoming this paradox to not only imagine better futures, but to take revolutionary action in the present towards them.

This also marks a technological shift for Emperor Steve’s production.

My brother Jon gifted me a AKAI Fire Midi interface, which I used to actually physically play each part.

I have always used the mouse and keyboard to compose music, having a physical instrument to compose more naturally felt like a large and very welcome shift from my previous writing approaches.

About Emperor Steve

Justin C.M. Brown has produced electronic music as Emperor Steve since 2002. Emperor Steve has previously released 6 albums (Steve’s Empire Volume 1-6) and a 27 song Audio Gallery (ERA). Justin has also performed and produced music in The Brownsbrothers, Browntown Sessions, DJ Big Whup, Friend’s Friends, and Eleganté. He graduated from UCLA in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and is an alumni of Santa Monica College. Justin is also a visual artist (JCMBmade.com) and writer (ZodiacWaning.com).

As Emperor Steve, I would like to thank my parents for the original FLStudio software license.

I would like to thank Jon Brown for the AKAI Fire Midi instrument which I used to compose this album.

Big thanks to drummer extraordinaire Joel Willis for the drum samples used in this music.

I would also like to thank my dear friends and family for their support, feedback, and motivation through this process.

Supplemental Reading

As I have mentioned above, this music was greatly influenced by my experience of attaining a bachelors degree in sociology at UCLA. Because I am able to draw a clear connection between my coursework and the evolution of the songs themselves, it became apparent that in order to help a listener really “get” my personal intended message of a song, it would be appropriate to draw from diverse perspectives to share the supplemental materials which most accurately inspire and convey a segment of my unifying message. Below is a selection of academic and popular material which I have come across which I believe will enhance the understanding (and hopefully enjoyment) of my body of work.

My inclusion of these materials does not indicate my explicit endorsement of any particular idea within them. I have selected these materials to present ideas and perspectives which I believe are important for members of all societies to consider in creating greater shared futures.