Steve Layton profile picture

Steve Layton

Take any sound and make it art

About Me

Composer and performer, long working out of Seattle but recently resettled in Houston. The music is classical at the center, but draws from any style, place and time. You are what you eat...

But the point of my page here
is the friend list below.

You want to find out about me & my music? Click on this link to NIWO , my real web home... But this page is a little different from the standard Myspace page; it's not really about me, and I purposely avoid regular "friends" (no matter how much I like you, guys), as well as "big names" who you find on any radio or CD store. My focus is on people who otherwise might never show up on your radar screen, yet are not just O.K., but rather truly excellent. My other criterion is that they make me sit up and really listen; they go someplace "beyond"... Beyond what's average, easy, comfortable. I need that; if you do too, let me guide you to wonderful, interesting and creative musicians who make paths, not just follow them.
I personally listen to all of these, and each is added only because I like what I hear. Their "name" factor, style they work in, or amount of training or resources... Who gives a damn? They're all stars in my field, touching some seriously creative place in my ear; there's the spark of something we used to call ART, not just entertainment.
And don't forget to go past the "top friends"! There are more than 800 (!!) great discoveries on the list so far; get in there and click, lose yourself... Or maybe, find yourself...
Also, I help at another great new-music site started by my composer-friend Jeff Harrington: NETNEWMUSIC . Come visit, join, share your own sound and thoughts.
Places like this can be powerful tools for discovery and connection, so take advantage. The world is open like never before, but you've got to know where to look... and listen. That's where each of us comes in: don't just pass it back, pass it on!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/28/2006
Band Website: niwo.com/steve
Band Members: Steve Layton (ASCAP)
Influences: Start with Leonin and keep moving up and out...
Sounds Like: Messiaen, Varese, Ligeti, Kagel, Reich, Bayle, Kraftwerk, King Crimson, Magma, Soft Machine, places close or far away... or none of these. But no "songs" for American Idol, sorry...
Record Label: NiwoSound
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

New CD appearing!

The latest CD release on my NiwoSound label has just appeared on iTunes (US, Europe/UK, Australia & Japan), and eMusic. This is an online album available by download only, no physical CD. This tim...
Posted by Steve Layton on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:37:00 PST

The Six Tracks

Since there's no other good way to tell you about the tracks here, I'll put some notes up for the curious: On the Great Longing (2002) Large orchestra with organ. A huge chorale finally gives way to i...
Posted by Steve Layton on Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:21:00 PST

Four CDs now available for purchase/download

My latest CD "The Composer Plays IV", has just become available on iTunes as well as Emusic. It collects my pieces and performances from 2005 and 2006. If you're on iTunes the link for this CD, as wel...
Posted by Steve Layton on Sat, 21 Apr 2007 08:50:00 PST

Tokafi "interview"

Tokafi.com has a great project on their site: "15 Questions for..."  -- All kinds of musicians give their personal perspective on their work, aesthetic, and the current musical scene. Tobias ("To...
Posted by Steve Layton on Fri, 05 Jan 2007 08:00:00 PST

Discover more...

Connection is the key, and while there's a lot of great work on this site, I want to make sure you know about a couple other places. Jeff Harrington started NetNewMusic a few years ago; I've been...
Posted by Steve Layton on Mon, 01 May 2006 12:24:00 PST

Just because...

I've been around a lot of places web-wise since 1997, so no reason not to put a few pieces up here. This isn't pop. It may be "difficult", but that doesn't make it hard. We're all prisoners of our own...
Posted by Steve Layton on Sat, 29 Apr 2006 09:19:00 PST