I work with artists who are ready to explore uncharted sonic territory. My approach combines rigorous compositional thinking with experimental production techniques, helping musicians discover sounds and structures they didn’t know were possible within their work.
My versatility as a producer is uncommon: I have performed fully improvised solo piano shows, written orchestral arrangements, mixed pop records, and created live electronics shows. I play multiple instruments and move fluidly between traditions—jazz, classical, experimental, avant-pop—bringing this breadth of experience to every project. This range isn’t just technical facility; it means I can hear possibilities in your music that others might miss.
With a background spanning contemporary classical composition, electronic music, and free improvisation, I bring a unique perspective to production. I’m not interested in making records that sound like everything else—I’m interested in helping artists create their most adventurous, authentic work.
Whether integrating live electronics with acoustic instruments, reimagining traditional song structures, or developing entirely new sonic palettes, I approach each project as a genuine creative collaboration. I push artists to rethink their assumptions and discover new possibilities while honoring the core of what makes their music distinctive.
What I Bring to Your Project
Compositional Rigor PhD-level understanding of structure, harmony, and form applied thoughtfully to any genre—from experimental jazz to electronic pop to avant-garde classical.
Genre Fluidity Equal comfort working with jazz musicians, classical performers, electronic producers, and experimental artists. I understand the language and aesthetics of multiple traditions.
Conceptual Depth Every sonic choice serves the larger artistic vision. Whether abstract or narrative, each project is grounded in clear conceptual thinking.
Technical Innovation Custom electronics, prepared instruments, unconventional recording techniques, and live processing systems designed specifically for each project’s artistic needs.
Collaborative Exploration I don’t just capture your vision—I challenge it, expand it, and help you discover what you’re capable of creating. Expect to be pushed in the best possible way.
Sonic Imagination My greatest strength is imagining possibilities outside the ordinary—helping you hear what could be rather than what already exists.
Recent Projects
des de la profunditat(From the Depths) Aruán Ortiz & Joan Arnau Pàmies New York City, U.S. | Barcelona, Catalonia Genres: Avant-jazz, experimental, electronic music
A 50-minute experimental work addressing the climate crisis through prepared piano and live electronics. We developed a system where acoustic and electronic elements interact in real-time, creating sonic metaphors for drought, extreme heat, and flooding. The piece premiered at Grec Festival (Barcelona) and was subsequently performed at Fondazione MAST (Bologna), demonstrating that experimental approaches and ambitious concepts can find audiences when executed with rigor and emotional honesty.
The debut album from Claudio Niniano and Jonathan Norani, blending jazz and folk traditions through a minimalist lens and modern production techniques. The music is characterized by lush melodies paired with exceptional use of space—silence, breath, and atmosphere treated as compositional elements in their own right. The production approach emphasized restraint and clarity, allowing the duo’s musical conversation to breathe naturally.
Fandamane Jozéfinn’ Austral View La Réunion, France Genres: Jazz, fusion, Indo-Oceanic traditions
The album from Jean Pierre Jozéfinn’ and his multinational ensemble, exploring musical syncretism by blending traditions like maloya, sega, salegy, tsapiky, and goma with jazz. Drawing together exceptional musicians from the southwestern Indo-Oceanic region, the work represents a remarkable journey across geographic and cultural boundaries. The production challenge lay in honoring the group’s diverse heritage while creating a unified sonic vision that could contain the rich polyrhythms and layered harmonies without losing the intimate, emotional core of the music—particularly evident in deeply personal tracks like the tribute to Jozéfinn’s late mother.
Imagining Hands Kathryn Schulmeister San Diego, U.S. | Honolulu, U.S. Genres: Contemporary classical, free improvisation
The upcoming solo album from Hawaii-born bassist Kathryn Schulmeister, whose practice spans from classical to experimental with a fearless curiosity for collaborative environments. The record showcases her dual mastery as both improviser and composer, revealing how she transforms an ostensibly ungainly instrument into something capable of extraordinary expressive range. The production challenge lay in capturing the full sonic spectrum of her approach—from microtonal explorations to the visceral physicality of extended techniques—while preserving the intimacy and spontaneity that makes her performances so captivating, creating a document that honors both the intellectual rigor and emotional immediacy of her artistry.
a nothing / a void St. Catherine’s New York City, U.S. Genres: Ambient, experimental
An experiment in letting go—an album that drifts between intention and accident, composition and chance. Built from fragments gathered across a year, these pieces resist resolution and embrace presence, favoring texture and atmosphere over structure. The production approach was about creating space for the unexpected, capturing moments that exist between thought and action.
Sis poemes de Cesc Pla Santamans Rai Paz Barcelona, Catalonia Genre: Classical
A bold departure from Rai Paz’s jazz guitar roots, this album dives into the world of classical music with a lieder cycle inspired by Catalan poetry. Drawing from the tradition of 19th-century European art song, the production honors the historical form while bringing contemporary sensibility to the recording and mixing approach. The result bridges historical reverence with present-day sonic clarity.
Espai Dual Espai Dual Lleida, Catalonia Genre: Avant-pop, surreal pop
The debut album from Marc Cruz and Eduard Morell, a work of enormous originality expressed through irony, satire, and self-reference. Full of musical references spanning countless genres, the production needed to honor the duo’s playful intelligence while maintaining sonic coherence. The challenge was creating a sonic world that could contain their wide-ranging influences without becoming chaotic.
A journey through Catalan composers across different periods and regions, unified by Shymanska’s distinctive musical and personal perspective. The production approach focused on capturing the intimacy and clarity of her pianism while honoring the varied compositional voices. The album became a traversal through both repertoire and soul—a deeply personal statement within the classical tradition.
The Beast Within Fantast Vienna, Austria Genres: Alternative, pop, electronica
The new EP from Viennese brothers Daniel and Mario Gschwendtner, a dynamic work that fuses experimental pop, electronica, and hip-hop with the raw energy of classic rock instrumentation. The project showcases a bold sonic approach that incorporates guitars, drums, and bass alongside immersive electronic textures shaped by synthesizers and digital audio. In the lineage of TV on the Radio and Radiohead, the production challenge lay in balancing the visceral immediacy of live instrumentation with the depth and atmosphere of electronic manipulation, creating a sonic universe where analog warmth and digital precision coexist without one overwhelming the other—honoring the band’s avant-garde vision while maintaining emotional accessibility.
The Heart of the Heart Julieta Brur Berlin, Germany Genres: Alternative, pop
The upcoming album from singer-songwriter Julieta Brur, based in Berlin, exploring themes of self-compassion and forgiveness. Known for crafting a powerful yet nostalgic universe through orchestral arrangements mixed with arpeggiators and shamanic evocations that combine influences from both north and south, Brur’s work demanded an expansive production approach. The album features an elaborate sonic tapestry—strings, clarinets, guitars, synthesizers, piano, and hundreds of meticulously layered vocal tracks—requiring a delicate balance between lush orchestration and intimate vulnerability. The production challenge lay in unifying these vast instrumental and vocal elements into a cohesive emotional journey, ensuring that the album’s elaborate arrangements enhanced rather than obscured the raw, personal core of Brur’s songwriting.
Deep Listening We start with extensive conversations about your artistic vision, influences, and what you want to explore or challenge in your work. I want to understand not just what you’re making, but why it matters to you and what you’re trying to say.
Sonic Exploration Before committing to an approach, we experiment. I introduce techniques, references, and ideas you might not have considered. This is about opening up possibilities, not narrowing them down prematurely.
Collaborative Development We develop the sonic world together. I bring technical expertise and creative provocation; you bring your artistic voice and instincts. The best results come from genuine collaboration, not top-down direction.
Thoughtful Production Recording and production are guided by serving the artistic vision, not generic notions of “professional” sound. Sometimes rawness serves the music better than polish. Sometimes unusual techniques reveal something essential.
Refinement & Completion We work until it’s right—not until it’s “done.” Every detail serves the larger artistic statement. I’m committed to helping you achieve something you’re genuinely proud of.
Services
I work on a limited number of projects each year to ensure each receives full creative attention. Every project is unique, and I approach each with the commitment it deserves.
Album Production — Full creative collaboration from concept development through final master
EP Production — Focused projects for artists exploring new sonic directions
Single Production — Testing ground for new approaches or standalone artistic statements
Creative Direction — Consultation and guidance for artists developing new work
Mixing — For completed recordings that need experimental or unconventional mixing approaches
Project costs depend on scope, timeline, and project complexity. I’m selective about the projects I take on, but flexible about arrangements for work I believe in deeply.
For inquiries, please contact me with information about your project, timeline, and artistic goals. I respond personally to every serious inquiry.
Background
I hold a doctorate in Composition and Music Technology from Northwestern University and founded my label, Protomaterial Records, in 2022. Currently serving as Composer-in-Residence at the Association of Concerts of Reus (2024-26), my works have been performed at prestigious venues and festivals including Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, MATA Festival, Grec Festival, Darmstadt Ferienkurse, and Museo Reina Sofía, among others.
My compositions have been performed by new music specialists including the JACK Quartet, Arditti Quartet, Ensemble Dal Niente, TAK Ensemble, and Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble. I have also served as guest professor at ESMUC (Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya) and have written on music and culture for publications including NewMusicBox, Open Space Magazine, and Núvol.
Many of the albums I produced have been featured in leading music publications and national radio programs across Europe and North America.
Selected Press for Productions
“Its musical and poetic dynamism transcend any particular listening methodology… a vivid nexus of classical tradition, folk, and experimental music that feels utterly natural and at ease within itself.” — Bandcamp Daily on Anaïs Maviel’s listen to the rain
“Renacer confirms Carretero as one of the most interesting voices of the contemporary Spanish scene.” — Ritmo on Alberto Carretero’s Renacer
“This music lives through suggestions of popular electronic dance music styles, while remaining in its noise character always several traces under the tremendous loudness of the Japanese scene.” — HörBar NMZ on Christopher Lock’s Ephemerist
“Deeply imaginative and rigorous… each piece reflects some element of or engagement with the natural world.” — Bandcamp Daily on Luis Fernando Amaya’s Cortahojas
“An elegant and high-quality work that invites the listener to slow down, breathe, and simply be present.” — Parkett on Crabs & Feathers’ Rarefaction
“Siwane are so in sync, guided by the interdependence of each other’s respect for music traditions and abundant talent. Their brilliant playing and exploration make their debut a must-listen.” — The Other Side on Siwane’s Amann
Productions Featured In
Bandcamp Daily
KEXP Seattle
WXPN
Stereogum
Headphone Commute
New York City Jazz Records
Spanish National Radio
Catalan National Radio
3Cat
Scherzo
Music Dances When You Sleep
Beat Radar
a closer listen
Ritmo
Cast the Dice
The Moderns
Enderrock
Parkett
HörBar NMZ
Prxludes
Foxy Digitalis
Obscure Sound
Mundoclásico
15 Questions
We All Want Someone to Shout For and many others
Personal Recognition
“Chaotic and elemental yet discernibly balanced” — The New York Times on [IVflbclVIvln/c]
“The most beautiful piece in the Aristotelian sense of proportion and harmony” — Revista Musical Catalana on Lied
“The album’s tour de force… where [Laura] Cocks eventually trades their flute for an aluminum foil sheet and glass bottle” — Chicago Reader on Produktionsmittel I
“Compositions shaped by precision and freedom of expression” — Headphone Commute on Guidelines/Fonaments
“Takes a variety of approaches on a single album, from jazz to pop to modern composition, acoustic to electronic, instrumental to vocal” —a closer listen on Guidelines/Fonaments
“I could listen to tracks like this for hours and hours” — Beat Radar on Esperança
“It is not easy to achieve a personal and specific sound for a series of pieces, something like finding a poetic voice in the literary field. Joan Arnau Pàmies does it” — Melómano on Nocturnes, fantasias
“Connects Stockhausen’s electroacoustic music of the 50s and 60s to experimental techno” — Mundoclásico on Nocturnes, fantasias
Let’s Create Something Extraordinary
If you are ready to push boundaries and discover new sonic possibilities, let’s talk.
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Joan Arnau Pàmies 