The song begins with a low hum, a soothing birdsong, and a man’s reading of “Do not go gentle into that good night.” Then the drums and synths set the tempo and add energy. Senior musician Joachim Panitz conveys the tone of “Titan,” his song inspired by a god walking through fields, all without using lyrics.
Panitz, who uses the stage name Tact, started producing music at the age of 12 and has released his music on Spotify since 2023. His non-lyrical music blends different genres and is inspired by a variety of cultures and art.
Panitz said he discovered his passion for music through his parents, who inspired him to learn the piano. After moving from Brazil to the United States, he took digital music production courses where he learned how to use FL Studio, a music production software.
“I can download a lot of sounds. I can download samples as well, like [of] old music. I can resample things into a different sound. I also use regular instruments too, like guitars, violins, and piano. Occasionally, I do use some kind of microphone to take vocals, but not lyrics,” Panitz said.
Panitz’s friend, senior William Hanaghan, said Panitz decided to pursue music during the coronavirus lockdown, and that over the past three years, Panitz’s production skills have improved a lot.
“He used to just do beats for rappers, but now he’s branching out and he’s able to produce songs instead of just repeating beats over and over again. It’s really impressive,” Hanaghan said.
Panitz said his music is often inspired by various cultures and media, including the films “Interstellar,” “No Country for Old Men” and “Whiplash.” For his song “Titan,” he was inspired by Greek myths.
“I took inspiration from a Titan called Cronus, who is the Titan of time. The story goes that he got jealous of his sons and daughters, and he destroyed them, consumed them,” Panitz said. “It’s a metaphor comparing the passage of time with staying true to your roots and not letting greed and temptation take you.”
During his four years at the high school, Panitz took Digital Music Production and Composition and Jazz, Rock, Hip Hop Ensemble multiple times. “I’ve always been able to get some kind of music in at school, but usually at home, after I’m done with all my homework, I like to sit down and write music or polish some of the projects that I’m working on,” Panitz said.
Band Director Carolyn Castellano, who taught Panitz in Jazz, Rock, Hip Hop Ensemble and Digital Music Production and Composition, said Panitz is musically open-minded.
“When we went to Amsterdam with the Music Collective, he learned to play some songs on bass. I really like that he’s open with different genres of music,” Castellano said.
Panitz said that in the future, he hopes to improve his music and release a song with lyrics.
“A lot of the quality of music isn’t just about what you hear necessarily. It’s about how loud the music is and how it’s transferred onto platforms like Spotify and Apple Music,” Panitz said. “So my goal for the future is to have a song with lyrics and better quality music.”
