Spy Jazz
James Blonde
Original spy-jazz action cue inspired by classic espionage cinema, composed and produced for full band from the ground up.
MJ Habal — Composer · Recording Engineer · Mix Engineer · Mastering Engineer
Hey! This is MJ.
Everything here is the sort of thing I'd bring up if we had too much coffee and too much time.
Some of it is practical. Some of it only becomes interesting if you enjoy asking questions. All of it felt worth writing down.
About
If We Met At A Coffee Shop
I'd probably tell you I work in digital marketing. True, and also the least interesting version of the story.
Eventually I'd mention a couple of years in real estate, enough to learn what people actually mean when they say "let me think about it."
Later I'd admit I've been arranging and producing music for nine years, and that I still lose entire evenings to a two-decibel decision.
Somewhere along the way we'd end up talking about systems, human nature, incentives, ethics, or why people so often act against their own interests.
This website is a record of those rabbit holes.
Because beneath most of my interests sits the same question:
Why do things work the way they do?
Music Portfolio
All music portfolio → 
Horror
Haunted Asylum
Original horror underscore built from scratch: tense atmosphere, dread, and cinematic suspense for abandoned corridors and unseen threats.
MJ Habal — Composer · Recording Engineer · Mix Engineer · Mastering Engineer
Jingle
Salmon PH Jingle
Brand jingle for Salmon PH: advertising music written, performed, and produced end to end for broadcast and digital use.
MJ Habal — Composer · Arranger · Guitars & All Instruments · Lead Vocals · Background Vocals · Recording Engineer · Mix Engineer · Mastering Engineer
Pop / EDM
Instagram Crush
Modern pop/EDM composition: bright hooks, electronic production, and contemporary dance-pop energy built from the ground up.
MJ Habal — Composer · Recording Engineer · Mix Engineer · Mastering Engineer
Notes From Various Rabbit Holes
A few observations from spending too much time thinking about music, marketing, decision-making, and why people do the things they do.
Music × Marketing
A landing page with too many claims reads like a mix with no space.
The instinct is to add more. The fix is almost always subtraction.
Sales × Philosophy
People rarely change their minds because of a better argument.
They find a better explanation for a decision they already wanted to make.
SEO × Audio Engineering
Most failures happen long before anyone notices.
The audience hears it when the mix collapses. The traffic vanishes when Google notices first.
Music × Systems
Remove one instrument from an arrangement and the whole song can fall apart.
Systems are held together by parts nobody notices until they're gone.
Real Estate × Human Behavior
Buyers rarely decide on the first visit.
The first visit is for information. The second is for certainty.
Marketing × Psychology
The best marketing rarely feels like marketing.
The best persuasion rarely feels like persuasion.
Sales × Marketing
Most businesses don't have a lead problem.
They have a handoff problem. A great campaign cannot survive a broken process.
Philosophy × Technology
Every tool changes how we think.
The danger is not using technology. It is forgetting what the tool is changing in us.
Music × Leadership
People assume leadership is about being heard.
Music taught me it's often about deciding who shouldn't be playing right now.
Decision-Making × Systems
Most bad decisions aren't irrational.
They're rational decisions made inside a broken system.
Writing × Marketing
Clarity is not saying more.
It's removing everything that makes the reader work harder than necessary.
Sales × Human Nature
People ask for confidence.
What they usually need is clarity. The two get mistaken for each other constantly.
Get in touch
Email if you want to connect. I reply when I can.