Kevin Braheny Fortune

Kevin Braheny Fortune grew up in Elgin, IL and currently lives in Los Angeles, CA.  He attended VanderCooke College of Music in Chicago, IL where he studied composition and was taught to learn and play every string, wind and brass instrument available. Despite the broad tonal palette of those common instruments, however, his mind was filled with musical sounds beyond those tones, and he was driven to find a way to produce them. After two years he applied to Berklee College of Music in Boston but he opted to forgo this opportunity due to the fact that they would not accept his academic transfer credits.

It is at this point that he discovered the new frontier of electronic music. His first synthesizer was the Electro Comp 101. Complementing his interest in the emerging field of electronic and inspired by the otherworldly “ Switched on Bach” recordings, Kevin began to experiment with modulating frequencies into complex musical tones with his Electro-Comp synthesizer. After having such great success in the field on the west coast he decided to relocate to Los Angeles, CA but before doing so he immersed himself in classes in basic electrical theory (Ohm’s law, circuits and capacitors), knowledge that would soon be put to good use.

While working in Los Angeles he worked with top talent at the time and had the opportunity to learn engineering during recording sessions with top artists like the Isley Brothers. He also began to write sound tracks for Disney short educational films as well. But it was the opportunity of working with Malcolm Cecil, an electronic genius and pioneer Moog synthesist where he met Serge Tcherepnin the creator of the of the Serge Modular Music System while teaching at the California Institute of Arts. Serge hired Kevin to prototype circuits for a more stable synthesizer as those back then were not very stable and did not stay on tune. Hence the customized “ Mighty Serge” was created. Much of the work that Kevin did for Serge since then has originated from Kevin’s modifications. The Serge Modular Music System remains one of the most vital and influential instruments in the world of modular music. In addition, because of his vast knowledge of the Serge, he offers help in repairing original Serge synthesizers.

Not long after he built the Mighty Serge, he experimented and developed that intuitive relationship with sound by playing music for Emilie Conrad’s Continuum Movement classes. He explains: ”Back then she was exploring how the body works through movement and micro-movement and a lot of her focus was on healing. She would explain what she was working on, and then I would start patching the synthesizer with the sounds that would come to me. Those weekly live performances helped me to develop a richer palette in sound and music as well as the emotional dynamics of the experience of sound”.

One of his best known albums “Music From the Hearts of Space” contains the album’s 35-minute improvisation performed and recorded live for the legendary “Music From the Hearts of Space” radio program. This is an example of what can be done “live” on radio with a large Serge synthesizer with no keyboard. Space music for him is very visual and when effective, sets the stage for creating imagery as well. Chords and intervals have colors and we have the capacity to perceive those colors.

Kevin Braheny Fortune is a true Renaissance Man. He is a multi-instrumentalist; he has been a session musician and recording engineer for over 40 years, and a composer of electronic ambient “Space” music for over 45 years. He has been involved in the production of leading-edge electronic, prototyping and building his own synthesizers, the NTO and the EWI, all of which he uses while composing. He is a Space Music pioneer whose music is heard on hundreds of radio and television programs: Apple Music, Amazon Music world-wide, and he has added his musical mastery to hundreds of recordings, He has been a featured soloist on many albums by Paul Avgerinos including the Grammy winning “Grace”.

“Ultimately, I perceive that the creation of music is all about love- the love of the electrons, the love of music, sound and space between the sounds. Music is only heard when it passes through the air rich with fields of invisible particles. Then it is gone and there is nothing left except what was imprinted or decoded or perceived about it. For me, whatever spiritual insights I can impart through my sounds, through my music, that is a love song”.