Joe Atlan (born July 23, 1989, in
Málaga
Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
) is a Spanish Keyboardist,
Composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
, YouTube Partner, and Speaker. He has performed with several musicians such as
Timo Tolkki
Timo Tapio Tolkki (born 3 March 1966) is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing ...
and has shared the stage with other artists like
Sungha Jung
Sungha Jung ( ko, 정성하; born 2 September 1996) is a Koreans, South Korean musician who specializes in acoustic fingerstyle guitar. Jung creates acoustic covers and arrangements, typically by ear and/or by watching videos, and composes o ...
. Joe Atlan is also known for his academic writings and
conferences
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...
about Music, Art, and Internet, including a
TED
TED may refer to:
Economics and finance
* TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar
Education
* ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association
** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey
** Transvaal Education Depa ...
talk. He has a YouTube channel where he frequently uploads videos and publishes his music for free.
Biography
He first played a keyboard at the early age of 5, but he didn't go back to the music until he met the Italian
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
band
Rhapsody
Rhapsody may refer to:
* A work of epic poetry, or part of one, that is suitable for recitation at one time
** Rhapsode, a classical Greek professional performer of epic poetry
Computer software
* Rhapsody (online music service), an online m ...
. Atlan has stated many times in interviews or answering to comments on his Facebook/YouTube page that he discovered the "true Art" with
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philology, philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was ...
and the "art in Music" for the first time with Rhapsody. Since that moment, when Joe Atlan was 16, he started to play and compose music on the piano.
In 2007, Atlan went to
University of Navarra
, image = UNAV.svg
, latin_name = Universitas Studiorum Navarrensis
, established = 17 October 1952
, type = Private, Roman Catholic
, chancellor = Fernando Ocáriz Braña
, president = María Iraburu Eliz ...
in
Pamplona
Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region.
Lying at near above ...
, where he studied Audiovisual Communication. He was seen often playing in charity/alumni concerts. During his studies at university, he showed interest for
Film Scoring
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
, and even though the degree was mostly about Cinema & TV production, he decided in his 2nd year that he would dedicate his life to Music. Atlan has composed the soundtrack of several short films and documentaries over the last few years, as well as the original music for a Spanish TV series.
In November 2009, Joe Atlan was asked to play with the guitarist and
Stratovarius
Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1985. Since their formation, they have released sixteen studio albums, five DVDs and six live albums. In its history, the band has gone through many chaotic lineup changes, and after fo ...
found member
Timo Tolkki
Timo Tapio Tolkki (born 3 March 1966) is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing ...
in his Guitar Beyond Infinity Seminar
Tour
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed b ...
2009–2010. The contact was done by Tolkki's manager. Atlan has mentioned Tolkki as one of his greatest musical influences many times, being this tour an "incredible honor" for him.
On February 10, 2010, he collaborated in the production of the World Record's biggest
Lipdub ever made until that date, with almost 400 people in a single
Long take
In filmmaking, a long take (also called a continuous take or continuous shot) is a shot with a duration much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general. Significant camera movement and elaborate blo ...
.
During his university time and afterwards, Joe Atlan showed a deep interest for the academic and philosophical aspects of Music and Art. He has always talked about the importance of "true music" and a "selfless and pure attitude" from the musician towards Art. Atlan has stated several times in interviews and social media that he is writing a book about Music, the importance of a pure art and the artist's attitude towards it. In 2010 he contacted
John Petrucci
John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with former member Mike Portnoy before he departed the band in 2010 ...
, the guitarist from the
Progressive Metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...
band
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...
, to ask him to participate in the project. Some months later, Joe Atlan said also that he talked to
Michael Romeo
Michael James Romeo (born March 6, 1968) is an American guitarist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Symphony X. He is one of two members to appear on every Symphony X release (the other being Michael Pinnella).
Romeo was ra ...
, guitarist from
Symphony X
Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1994, the band consists of guitarist Michael Romeo, keyboardist Michael Pinnella, drummer Jason Rullo, lead vocalist Russell Allen and bassist Michael Lep ...
about the project. According to Atlan, both of them were interested in collaborating on the book.
On September 16, 2012, Joe Atlan was one of the winners chosen to participate in Youfest, an international entertainment Festival starring famous YouTube stars from all over the world, such as
Paul Potts
Paul Potts (born 13 October 1970) is an English tenor. In 2007, he won the first series of ITV's ''Britain's Got Talent'' with his performance of "Nessun dorma", an aria from Puccini's opera ''Turandot''. As a singer of operatic pop music, Po ...
,
Rick Astley
Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and radio personality, who has been active in music for several decades. He gained worldwide fame in the 1980s, having multiple hits including his signature song "Ne ...
or
Sungha Jung
Sungha Jung ( ko, 정성하; born 2 September 1996) is a Koreans, South Korean musician who specializes in acoustic fingerstyle guitar. Jung creates acoustic covers and arrangements, typically by ear and/or by watching videos, and composes o ...
. Atlan was chosen from an arrangement he did with piano and keyboards of the
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
soundtrack on YouTube.
In October 2012, Joe Atlan was called to play in a national TV talent show similar to
America's Got Talent
''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...
but in Spain He performed
Chopin's
Fantaisie-Impromptu
Frédéric Chopin's ''Fantaisie-Impromptu'' ( pl, Fantazja-Impromptu) in C minor, Op. posth. 66, WN 46 is a solo piano composition. It was composed in 1834 and published posthumously in 1855 despite Chopin's instruction that none of ...
.
In 2013, Joe Atlan was asked to give a
TED
TED may refer to:
Economics and finance
* TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar
Education
* ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association
** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey
** Transvaal Education Depa ...
Talk about Music in
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and N ...
. Atlan called the conference "Can Music tell a story?" and he did it entirely with piano music without saying a word, just some projected text on a screen. In the "talk", Joe Atlan exposed that what attracts humans to stories is not what they actually watch or read, but what they feel when they do that, the "ineffable", what "can't be described through words". On that basis, Atlan stated that Music can skip the intermediary speaking directly to the human soul, with the final answer to the title of the conference being: "Music can make you feel a story without telling it".
In 2016, Atlan performed at the opening ceremony for
League of Legends
''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for War ...
All-Star Event in Palau St. Jordi, Barcelona.
YouTube Channel
In October 2010, Joe Atlan started uploading his music to YouTube. In just a few days, one of his piano songs received more than 100,000 views. Since that moment, Atlan has used YouTube as the main way to share his music, projects, and stay in touch with the fans. His videos are a display of musical experimentation, sometimes with a touch of humor, usually combining instruments and sounds with no particular
Genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
, or making original arrangements from movie
soundtracks
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of ...
, such as
The Hobbit
''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the '' ...
,
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
, or
Pirates of the Caribbean
''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with th ...
. Atlan tends to show
virtuoso
A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...
skills as an entertainment and way to practice, specially using his
Roland AX-7
The Roland AX-7 is a keytar that was manufactured by Roland Corporation from 2001 to 2007. This modern instrument contains many more advanced features than early keytars such as its predecessor, the Roland AX-1, and the Yamaha SHS-10. It runs on ...
Keytar
The keytar is a lightweight synthesizer that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement onstage, compared to conventional keyboard ...
, which has become his signature instrument. He also shares his piano compositions there and publishes them for free. Joe Atlan's songs are usually instrumental piano tracks with an
epic fantasy
High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Pl ...
, oceanic and hopeful atmosphere. His work on YouTube is often featured in digital magazines and music-video websites. In 2013, Atlan was also contacted by the
Dubbing
Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production sou ...
and
Voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...
actor who does the official Spanish voices of
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...
,
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...
among others, to start a project combining Music and Poetry.
[ Spanish Wikipedia article about Pepe Mediavilla]
Equipment
*
Roland AX-7
The Roland AX-7 is a keytar that was manufactured by Roland Corporation from 2001 to 2007. This modern instrument contains many more advanced features than early keytars such as its predecessor, the Roland AX-1, and the Yamaha SHS-10. It runs on ...
Keytar
*
Kurzweil K2600X (88 keys)
*
Korg Karma
*
Casio
is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. It ...
Celviano AL-100R
*
Roland JV-1080
The Roland JV-1080 ( Super JV, Super JV-1080, or simply 1080) is a sample-based synthesizer/sound module in the form of a 2U rack. The JV-1080's synthesizer engine was also used in Roland's XP-50 workstation (1995). Due to its stellar library ...
Personal life
Joe Atlan was born in
Málaga
Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
, but he has always lived in
Marbella
Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the r ...
, where he currently resides. He is the oldest of 6 brothers. Atlan has often said through his social media pages that he does
Archery
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
,
Taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...
and Volleyball in his free time.
Discography
Singles
The following list consists of Joe Atlan's piano singles available at his YouTube Channel.
*"Sea Light" (2010)
*"A Breeze Away" (2011)
*"The Shoreline Pearl" (2011)
*"Dawn Drops" (2011)
*"Draw the Bright Side" (2011)
*"Healing Sands" (2012)
*"Seahorse's Little Wish" (2012)
*"Arisen Spirit" (2012)
*"Crystalline Voice" (2012)
*"
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
Medley" (2012)
*"
Pirates of the Caribbean
''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with th ...
Medley" (2012)
*"River's Ending" (2012)
*"Facing the Storm with Optimism" (2012)
*"Song of the Lonely Mountains (from
The Hobbit
''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the '' ...
) (2012)"
*"Musical Poem: Lagrima" (2013)
See also
*
University of Navarra
, image = UNAV.svg
, latin_name = Universitas Studiorum Navarrensis
, established = 17 October 1952
, type = Private, Roman Catholic
, chancellor = Fernando Ocáriz Braña
, president = María Iraburu Eliz ...
*
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...
*
Timo Tolkki
Timo Tapio Tolkki (born 3 March 1966) is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing ...
*
TED
TED may refer to:
Economics and finance
* TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar
Education
* ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association
** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey
** Transvaal Education Depa ...
*YouTube
*
List of keytarists
References
External links
Joe Atlan's YouTube ChannelWebsite & Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlan, Joe
1989 births
Living people
Spanish pianists
21st-century pianists