Alex Maiman is adding to the noise that escapes the parties and bustle on Comstock Avenue. With just his laptop and a keyboard, Maiman produces his own music tracks.

Although he’s only released two songs so far, Maiman, a senior psychology major, is working on a collection of 10 complete songs. His songs are a mix of R&B, rap and house music: a genre called progressive trap.

Maiman’s music producer name is kah-Lev, which means Caleb, his middle name, in Hebrew. Listeners can find the songs he creates and releases on SoundCloud.

“I’m a producer at heart, but have been experimenting with my voice a lot too,” Maiman said.

So far the two songs he’s released are called “Kobe” and “Side Hoe,” both composed and recorded solely by Maiman, who’s never been part of a choir or a cappella group.

The song, “Side Hoe,” was released in April, and now has over 1,000 listens on SoundCloud. “Kobe” was released in June.

Maiman said one of his earliest influences is rapper Kanye West, after becoming acquainted West’s sound with at the age of 12. West’s “Graduation” was the first record he ever bought, Maiman recalled.

The record showed Maiman how impactful using a lot of different instruments in music could be. He also said that West taught him the importance of melodies, and also about fitting the right melodies with the right instrumentals.

“[West] combines all different elements into his music,” Maiman said. “Elements from everything like classic rock to blues and soul, he makes it consistently work and has impacted the culture with almost everything he’s done — for better or for worse.”

In Maiman’s opinion, West’s albums are consistently better than any other rapper’s.

Maiman said he also values West’s work ethic, and how West knows that good things come out of hard work and patience. He said he was impressed by how each of West’s expresses his talent from start to finish. For this reason, Maiman does not want to release new music, and therefore the new collection, until everything is perfect.

When he was growing up, Maiman also began listening to classic rock artists like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. The balance between West’s R&B and Led Zeppelin’s rock formed the basis for Maiman’s sound.

Currently, Maiman already has 30 different beats produced, but for his 10-song collection, he still needs to piece together the details that will form this upcoming project.

Maiman is now writing lyrics that are a complete reflection of his life up until this point, he said. Common themes in his music are hardships and big moments he’s experienced, which he expects are relatable.

Maiman said he’s trying to steer away from the subjects mainstream rap music seems to rotate around — sex and clothes — and would rather represent his life on a deeper level.

“I want to connect to other people in a really personal way, by being real.” Maiman sad.

Although Maiman has never performed his music for a public audience before, he aspires to in the near future.

Last year, Maiman transformed his entire bedroom into a music studio, with his keyboard, microphone and laptop. His roommate, Mike LaGuardia, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, remembers how Maiman would sit there for hours every day, working on his music.

“He’s really talented,” said LaGuardia. “He departs from the mainstream norm and pretty much has made his own sound, which is pretty challenging as an aspiring artist.”

Published on September 6, 2016 at 9:11 pm

Contact: lmeyers@syr.edu