Starbound Renegade is the solo music project of designer and author Jeff Finley. Infusing retro synthwave styles with catchy pop punk hooks and melodies, he presents a refreshing take on electronic music. Origins I started making digital music in 2001 using a digital drum simulator on my Windows 98 PC. I eventually discovered Fruity Loops v3.0 and started making beats and techno music under the alias BOXOMYLK. I played these songs at parties and my friend showed me the six step, a basic breakdance move. I got hooked on b-boying and my music was heavily inspired by the hip hop and funk. In 2004, my friends and I made a music video for the song Amorous Thorns which was inspired by the classic b-boy tune It’s Just Begun by Jimmy Castor Bunch. The video featured gallons of splashing milk, freezing cold temperatures, milk jug masks, and a CGI breakdancer that I animated and composited into the footage for my college filmmaking class. Hundreds of songs and four albums later including Tongue Dance, Mylkhead, Commence the Sickness, and Cinemaniac. The music styles would continue to evolve infusing elements of metal, punk, emo, and retro video games. Playing In Bands In 2005-2007 I started getting more involved in the DIY punk scene. I got my hands on a cheap drum kit and took up lessons while I started my first band By Bread Alone. I was finished with art school and was making a living doing graphic design for bands and clothing companies. Over the next five years, I would form and play drums for two more bands Parachute Journalists and Campfire Conspiracy while starting up Weapons of Mass Creation Fest with the help of my partners at Go Media. Professionally I was hitting my stride and wrote the book Thread’s Not Dead: The Designer’s Guide to the Apparel Industry which helped thousands of young entrepreneurs start their own indie clothing brand. My bands would play a bunch of shows in and around the Cleveland/Akron area and made for a great leap forward in my understanding of songwriting, composition, and music theory. Spiritual Awakenings After leaving Go Media, getting a divorce, and having a spiritual awakening, I started traveling the USA and moved to Austin, Texas. I got into a bunch of things there, but that’s when I started up my clothing brand Starseed Supply Co. selling patches, pins, t-shirts, and other metaphysical themed merch. My spiritual influences started to have a more prominent influence in my creative work. I wrote two more books including Wake Up and Maker/Mistaker and hosted a podcast for a few years. I felt inspired to retire the name BOXOMYLK and adopt a new name for my music project: Starbound Renegade. I had a bunch of unreleased music and launched two albums, Starseed Fun Time and That Midnight Soul. Since then I’ve been continuing to make music and blend my favorite genres together. Thanks for following along and enjoying the journey with me.