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Math Major Fine-Tunes Career as Music Producer, Composer

Larce Blake
Larce Blake

Larce Blake remembers being “forced” at age 10 to take piano lessons.

Three years later, stirred by listening to old-school jazz and funk artists like the Gap Band and Earth, Wind & Fire, he started tinkering with tracks and composing music.

Now a junior math major in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, he works as a record producer. His tracks have gained a following on streaming services.

Blake is hoping to take his talent as a regional record producer and composer to the national level.

At 23, Blake is an in-house producer for the Dallas-based record label IRAS (Independent Recording Arts Society), making tracks for hip-hop and rhythm and blues artists.

He also composes his own music, a blend of R&B, hip-hop and dance styles. His smooth, contemporary sound provides an easy listen, and his digital compositions showcase layers of intricate sounds.

In 2014, Blake released his first extended play album “Balmes” on SoundCloud. His second EP “Why Can’t I Sleep” came out in April 2017. The single “Can’t Do It” from his second album has had nearly 200,000 plays on Spotify. This month, Blake released a new single, “For Me,” and in June his first full-length album of 10 original songs, “Concord,” will be available on SoundCloud, iTunes and Spotify.

When he transferred to UT Dallas from Collin College in 2015, Blake extended his local fan base and added Twitter followers by hosting a program on Radio UTD called “IRAS Coast Radio.”

Blake rounds out his musical interests by working parties as a DJ and doing sound design work for short films. His dream is to expand to a national audience and hopefully make a living at it. That would likely mean a move to a music hub like Los Angeles.

“I definitely see myself achieving more, getting a major label to receive funding for my projects,” Blake said. “I want to be able to provide for myself and my future children. Getting a few accolades along the way, like a Grammy nomination, would be nice.”

Read the entire story on the UT Dallas News Center.