Work samples

  • 'Kalapati' (2023) - Music composition for art installation

    When I was asked to compose original music for "Kalapati," it became a very personal project for me due to its subject matter. This piece is part of a larger installation that relates to the history, separation, and gradual fading of what once was in my sibling's and my family.

    "Kalapati" is a multimedia exhibit and part of my sibling Kat Navarro's experimental, multimedia installation, "When You Arrive."

  • 'In Love With God & Chaos (featuring Abdu Ali)' (2023) - From 'SIMULATION & SIMULACRA'

    This is one of my favorite songs that I created in 2023, a collaboration with Abdu Ali. In their words, this song can be described as,

    “One's connection to spirituality, God, and the universe. The person is singing and confessing their will of submission to the flow of the universe and life.”

    When producing this instrumental, I aimed to capture a spiritual driving force inspired by Baltimore club music and experimental electronic music.

    Abdu Ali's lyricism and performance truly encapsulate and tie together the idea of letting go into the universe, as if dancing and singing freely in pure primal instinct and release to the flow.

    Vocal Production and Lyrics by Abdu Ali

    Music Production, Recording, Mixing & Mastering by Mark Kent Navarro

  • 'Lyra & The Ferocious Beast' (2023) - Sound director & Composer - Original sound design & music score

    I was thrilled to be commissioned by Truepenny Projects to join their team and contribute to bringing Tatiana Nya Ford's original play, 'Lyra & The Ferocious Beast,' to life. In my role as the sound director, I was tasked with creating the ambiance and sonic setting of the planet Minvera, where our titular characters find themselves marooned.

    For the sound design, I sampled various nature and animal sounds, transforming and editing the material to give it an otherworldly quality. Although the play has a sci-fi theme, I opted for a more tactile and familiar base of sounds that we encounter every day. The goal was to alter them sufficiently to make the audience feel they had left planet Earth.

  • DIMMER (2023) - Music production, Screenplay & Direction for G.O.L.D's 'LIGHT MY FIRE!!!'

    Aside from being the music producer in G.O.L.D, working on the "DIMMER" music video was something I was proud to accomplish. This was my first time writing a screen play and directing a music video. 

    'DIMMER' Music Video / director & producer for G.O.L.D (2023)

    In the hauntingly beautiful music video for the song of lost love, we find a man suspended in time, gracefully descending into the tranquil embrace of shimmering waters. As he drifts in slow motion, memories flood his soul like echoes of a fading symphony. Through the refracted ripples, we witness the poignant dance of his reminiscences—the tender caresses, the bitter tears, and the laughter that once filled the air. With each underwater reverie, the depths of his heart's ache are laid bare, creating a mesmerizing and poignant visual ode to the unraveling of love's tapestry.

    Story & Direction by Mark Navarro (Baatchoy) Shot & Edited by Yusuf Kazmi (ccKase)

About Mark

Baltimore City

Sound artist, composer, music producer, and audio engineer, Mark Kent Navarro employs his diverse musical skills to craft immersive worlds.

Capitalizing on his knowledge and experience in electronic, jazz, classical, experimental, ambient, bossa-nova, hip-hop, R&B, math-rock, post-rock, and alternative music, Mark dedicates time and effort to delve into the nuances and intentions of his work.

Mark, a Filipino born and raised in Baltimore City, Maryland, traces the… more

'When You Arrive' 2023

When I was asked to compose original music for "Kalapati," it became a very personal project for me due to its subject matter. This piece is part of a larger installation that relates to the history, separation, and gradual fading of what once was in my sibling's and my family.

"Kalapati" is a multimedia exhibit and part of my sibling Kat Navarro's experimental, multimedia installation, "When You Arrive."

In conceiving the composition, I aimed to incorporate the essence of pre-colonial Filipino indigenous music. As a Filipino born in America, it was important for me to delve deeply into this topic through thorough research. Following my research, I recorded myself playing the guitar, drawing inspiration from my findings, and overlapped it with a discovered recording of native Filipino women singing. I intertwined the sounds of the Philippines from the past with modern Filipino soundscapes, including the lively street sounds of Manila, our family's home city, to bring the past and present together sonically. Over this sonic backdrop, I inserted snippets of recorded interviews between my sister and our uncle, as well as separate conversations with our late grandmother. They both share distinct memories with deep familial undertones that seem to slowly fade away from view, much like the sun setting in the distance.

The overall installation explores the odd and disparate memories of the missing years in our family photo album. The narratives intercross personal history, identity, time, and a little bit of fantastical as it assembles the fractured memories of family history through animation, collage, ephemera, and sound. Permeating through layers of the multi-channel installation is a story about living in two worlds, separation, and the disappearance of one world over time.

Mixed Media Animation by Kat Navarro | Music by Mark Kent Navarro

  • "Kalapati"

    'Kalapati' in Tagalog translates to dove or pigeon. This piece is a soundscape music interpretation/collage of indigenous Filipino music overlaid by a story told by my sister and me about our tito (uncle) and his memory of pigeons from when he lived in the Philippines. The piece concludes with a story told by our late lola (grandmother) about the time she had to leave our mother behind in the Philippines. She could only take my tita (aunt), tito, and my lolo (grandpa) with her to the United States for a new life, expressing sadness as she described how much she missed our mother.

'Lyra & The Ferocious Beast' 2023

Isolated on the planet Minerva, Lyra is desperately seeking for a magical gemstone that will grant her wish for penance. She is kept company by her adopted sigma jupiaryllis and her android, Hattie. Soon the three realize that they are not alone... there is an evil lurking in the shadows, searching for Lyra and hunting the coveted gemstone. 

August, 2023 - The Voxel, Baltimore

Written by Tatiana Nya Ford

Featuring: David Brasington, J Purnell Hargrove, Isaiah Harvey, Mecca Verdell, & Caitlin Weaver

Puppeteers: Alex Mungo & Francesco Leandri

Director: Tessara Morgan Farley | Stage Manager: Ellie Skoda | Dramaturg: Jordan Ealey | Costume Designer: Elizabeth Dunlap | Costume Technician: Sarah Leiva | Light Designer: Eric Nightengale

World Builder: Luke Farley | Sound Design: Mark Navarro | Projection Designer: Chris Uehlinger | Puppet Designer/Builder: Madeline Baynard | Puppet Design Consultants: Jess Rassp

Fight Choreography: Gerrad Alex Taylor | Assistant Stage Manager: Fay McNair | Board Operator & FOH Coordinator: Jordan Cahoon

--

I was thrilled to be commissioned by Truepenny Projects to join their team and contribute to bringing Tatiana Nya Ford's original play, 'Lyra & The Ferocious Beast,' to life. In my role as the sound director, I was tasked with creating the ambiance and sonic setting of the planet Minvera, where our titular characters find themselves marooned.

For the sound design, I sampled various nature and animal sounds, transforming and editing the material to give it an otherworldly quality. Although the play has a sci-fi theme, I opted for a more tactile and familiar base of sounds that we encounter every day. The goal was to alter them sufficiently to make the audience feel they had left planet Earth.

In terms of music composition, I initially considered using synthesized or digital instruments for the sonic palette, but I changed my approach. I opted for a more acoustic or orchestral feel to complement the already fantastical costume designs, lighting, and set designs by Liz Michelle Dunlap, Eric Nightengale, & Luke Farley, respectively. Instead of further emphasizing the otherworldly aspects, I chose to ground the audience sensorily by incorporating familiar orchestral and 'earthly' sounds which are then lightly supported by synthesizers. The music drew inspiration from Japanese composers Joe Hisaishi, Ryuchi Sakamoto, Hiroshi Yoshimura  & Nobuo Uematsu.

  • Rousuck's Review: “Lyra and the Ferocious Beast"
  • Hatte & Lyra Argue

    The close bond between Hattie (Caitlin Weaver) and Lyra (Mecca Verdell) comes to a breaking point. Hattie decides to not follow Lyra any further in her adventure.

    --

    Caitlin Weaver as Hattie, Mecca Verdell as Lyra, Costumes by Elizabeth Michelle Dunlap, Lighting by Eric Nightengale, Set Design by Luke Farley, Original Score by Mark Kent Navarro

  • 'The Wish'
  • "Do you know what you want to wish for?"

    The Keeper of the Cosmos (Purnell Hargrove) has granted Lyra's (Mecca Verdell) wish. She is surrounded by the people she loves as she greets them one and by one and lastly sees her pet beast, Yucca.

    --

    J Purnell Hargrove as Keeper of the Cosmos, Mecca Verdell as Lyra, Costumes by Elizabeth Michelle Dunlap, Lighting by Eric Nightengale, Set Design by Luke Farley, Original Score by Mark Kent Navarro

  • 'Separate'
  • 'Break'
  • 'On Minerva'
  • 'Enter The Jupiaryllis'
  • 'Issac's Theme'
  • 'Lyra & Yucca'

‘SIMULATION & SIMULACRA’ 2023

SIMULATION & SIMULACRA’ weaves a story that can be seen from two angles - one of a human grappling to retain their essence in a digital age, and, another perhaps more enigmatic, of a cyborg on a quest to rekindle what they perceive as human emotions and consciousness.

In an era where the pace of technology relentlessly pushes the boundaries of perception, what defines our reality?

Is this the reality we know, or rather an imitation striving to emulate it?

--

This album is a compilation of songs I've written over the past two years, drawing inspiration from a diverse range of genres, influences, and emotions. My aim was to convey my perspective on how the internet has significantly occupied space in humanity, impacting us socially, culturally, and artistically. Beyond delivering catchy melodies and hooks, the project seeks to narrate an overarching behind-the-scenes story. It unfolds either as a portrayal of a human grappling to preserve their essence in a digital age or a cyborg embarking on a quest to reignite what they perceive as human emotions and consciousness.

Collaborating with DYYO, this project, alongside our joint venture 'LIGHT MY FIRE!!,' was created, recorded, and completed within the confines of my personal home studio.

  • SIMULATION & SIMULACRA cover art
    SIMULATION & SIMULACRA cover art

    Art by Kat Navarro

  • In Love With God & Chaos (ft. Abdu Ali)

    Vocal Production and Lyrics by Abdu Ali

    Written, Produced, Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Mark Kent Navarro

  • Waterfall cover art
    Waterfall cover art

    Art by Kat Navarro

  • Waterfall

    Written, Produced, Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Mark Kent Navarro

  • THIEVES!!! cover art
    THIEVES!!! cover art

    Art by Kat Navarro

  • Is This a Dream?

    Written, Produced, Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Mark Kent Navarro

  • R.I.P. GRINDON

    Written, Produced, Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Mark Kent Navarro

'LIGHT MY FIRE!!! LP' 2023

"LIGHT MY FIRE!!!" is Dyyo and I's debut album together under our duo name, "G.O.L.D".

"LIGHT MY FIRE!!!" is a surreal, alternative R&B concept album about love, heartbreak, and the chaos that lies in between. Each song depicts the progression of a relationship gradually burning out. The lyrics and music production work in harmony to capture the turbulence of emotions. As each track plays, you are transported through various soundscapes, genres, and styles, highlighting the stark contrast between love and heartbreak while blurring the lines until they seem almost indistinguishable. "LIGHT MY FIRE!!!" tells a poignant story of heartbreak.


G.O.L.D

 

 

  • Dimmer Music Video

    Aside from being the music producer in G.O.L.D, working on the "DIMMER" music video was something I was proud to accomplish. This was my first time writing a screen play and directing a music video. 

    'DIMMER' Music Video / director & producer for G.O.L.D (2023)

    In the hauntingly beautiful music video for the song of lost love, we find a man suspended in time, gracefully descending into the tranquil embrace of shimmering waters. As he drifts in slow motion, memories flood his soul like echoes of a fading symphony. Through the refracted ripples, we witness the poignant dance of his reminiscences—the tender caresses, the bitter tears, and the laughter that once filled the air. With each underwater reverie, the depths of his heart's ache are laid bare, creating a mesmerizing and poignant visual ode to the unraveling of love's tapestry.

    Story & Direction by Mark Navarro (Baatchoy) Shot & Edited by Yusuf Kazmi (ccKase)

  • LIGHT MY FIRE!!! LP cover
    "LIGHT MY FIRE!!!" LP cover

    Cover Art by Sam Rietenbach

  • G.O.L.D in Los Angeles
    G.O.L.D in Los Angeles

    Photography by Meg Elyse

  • G.O.L.D in Los Angeles
    G.O.L.D in Los Angeles

    Photography by Meg Elyse

  • G.O.L.D in Los Angeles Desert
    G.O.L.D in Los Angeles Desert

    Photography by Meg Elyse

  • G.O.L.D in Los Angeles Desert
    G.O.L.D in Los Angeles Desert

    photography my Meg Elyse

'Bug Box' 2022

A box full of bugs, snails and the fleeting childhood memories of summer. "Bug Box" is a multimedia installation by Kat Navarro which I am grateful to have done the music score for. My sibling and I often collaborate because their animation projects have to do a lot with childhood and memories. We have been close since childhood and share many moments and memories together. The music I had written for this installation is inspired by our childhood summers. We reminded ourselves as children running outside catching fireflies and poking at cicadas. I wanted to encapsulate this childhood innocence and fleeting nostalgia in this piece.

Best Baltimore Animation Award - Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival 2022

Music by Mark Kent Navarro | Mixed Media Animation by Kat Navarro

  • Bug Box

    A box full of bugs, snails and the fleeting childhood memories of summer. "Bug Box" is a multimedia installation by Kat Navarro which I am grateful to have done the music score for. My sister and I often collaborate because her animation projects have to do a lot with childhood and memories. She and I have been close since childhood and share many moments and memories together. The music I had written for this installation is inspired by our childhood summers. We reminded ourselves as children running outside catching fireflies and poking at cicadas. I wanted to encapsulate this childhood innocence and fleeting nostalgia in this piece.

    Best Baltimore Animation Award - Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival 2022

    Music by Mark Kent Navarro Mixed Media Animation by Kat Navarro

'START AGAIN EP' 2021

G.O.L.D is based in Baltimore, MD and consists of producer Mark Kent Navarro (Baatchoy) and vocalist Dyyo.

G.O.L.D is an independent alternative R&B duo whose music encapsulates the feelings of finding love, losing love, and all the emotions in between.

They released their debut EP, "START AGAIN" in 2021 & debut LP, "LIGHT MY FIRE" in 2023

START AGAIN
G.O.L.D

  • G.O.L.D - USED 2
    Music Production by Mark Kent Navarro Video Concept by Mark Kent Navarro Cinematography and Editing by Wayne Banga Vocal Production by Dyyo
  • G.O.L.D USED 2
    G.O.L.D USED 2
    USED 2
  • G.O.L.D - START AGAIN
    G.O.L.D is a duo project between, my frequent collaborator, Dyyo and I. The song, "START AGAIN," is the first single we released together. This is the title track for our EP, "START AGAIN." "START AGAIN" is about feelings around accountability, regret and what it means to seek atonement. The song illuminates one's desire to go back in time and correct their wrongs. While also producing, recording, mixing and mastering this song; I also created the video concept for the music video. Collaborating further with Dyyo, we were able to bring this concept to life with the help of videographer, Wayne Banga. Music Production by Mark Kent Navarro Video Concept by Mark Kent Navarro Cinematography and Editing by Wayne Banga Vocal Production by Dyyo
  • G.O.L.D START AGAIN
    G.O.L.D START AGAIN
    START AGAIN
  • START AGAIN EP cover
    "START AGAIN" EP cover

    Photography by Anna Divina Gracia.

  • G.O.L.D SELF ESCAPE 1
    G.O.L.D SELF ESCAPE 1
    SELF ESCAPE

'Flipbook' 2020

Flipbook is a solo ambient EP project I had written in 2020. It was written after my band had disbanded as a self-reflection piece. 

In 2020, I was living in a 4 bedroom house in Baltimore City.  The rent was very cheap and I took advantage of the living situation at the time. My roommates and I's goal was to keep the house as strictly an artist house. I wanted artists to benefit from the cheap rent so that they may be able to afford more towards their art. We named this house, 'The Grindon," and for 7 years I lived in that house from 2015 to 2022.

We had weekly open jam sessions, organized artist events, house shows, and local artist community meetings on the first floor. In the second floor, I had put a recording studio setup in my bedroom where I started engineering in my room for myself and other artists. Those days I felt really good helping local artists begin to achieve their dreams.

This short EP was written during those years. I wanted to capture the feeling I had while being in that house in 3 songs. All while practicing very intentional writing. A lot of my mindset while writing this music was writing simply what I felt the music needed and nothing more. If something felt too much, I would cut it out. The goal was to say the most with the fewest needed movement.

  • Blanket
    While making Blanket, I remember I was stuck late at night in bed thinking on how big the universe is. I feel like I can get stuck in a feeling or moment that is so small in comparison to how big the world really is. I wanted to encapsulate that emotion of feeling so small in a universe so wide. It's scary and beyond our control. It's also very beautiful because of that. Kat Navarro perfect encapsulates that feeling in this video. From the smallest things on this earth to the stars above us. This universe is forever expansive. Music by Mark Kent Navarro Animation by Kat Navarro
  • Flipbook.jpg
    Flipbook.jpg
    Cover Art by Ashley Reinhardt
  • As I Lay in Bed
    As I Lay in Bed
  • Flipbook
    Flipbook

'For Ben It's Been...' 2018

"For Ben, It's Been..."  is an EP project I had written after the passing of my grandfather. At the time, it was my way of coping with his passing. The title 'Six Years to Ninety' is in reference to a note he had written to himself stating he had 6 more years to make it to 90 years old. A goal he wanted to make that unfortunately did not come true. In his last years he suffered from dementia.

These three songs were written with him in meditation. Each encapsulating a part of how I saw and remembered him. He was a man who kept to himself; who would reminiscence on his youth in riding motorcycles back in the Philippines. He was a man who took care of his family the best he could while being a father figure to many. He enjoyed watching sports, eating good food, spending his day at Pimlico betting on horses. He loved to the simple pleasures in life. 

The video project, "Six Years to Ninety"  was released through, Italian independent record label, REST NOW! Records

Music by Mark Kent Navarro
Video by REST NOW! Records

  • Six Years To Ninety
    This project is in collaboration with Italian independent record label REST NOW! Records Music by Mark Kent Navarro Video and Editing by REST NOW! Records
  • For Ben Its Been.jpg
    For Ben Its Been.jpg
    Cover Art by Mark Kent Navarro
  • RAM Error
    Ram Error
  • A Conversation
    A Conversation

'Yugennui' 2016

Yugennui is a Post-Rock ,Math-Rock band formed sometime  in 2013.

My first band project starting with friends. The cataylst to my music journey that I will always give credit to. As the guitar player I formed my first own sense of identity through the music of this band.  Using very dramatic motifs and weaving between rapid odd time signatures. This band was, at the time, my friends and I way of being punks. We all are inspired at the time by bands such as: The Mars Volta, Tera Melos, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I would say we did our best trying to be all 3 of these bands at the same time. For our first times making music seriously, we were proud.

We toured the independent D.I.Y. circuit along the United States East Coast 3 separate times traveling up as far as Montreal, Canada. During our tours we have played in cities in New York,  New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia,  Vermont, Massachusetts, and Michigan. 

Released an album in 2015.

Yugen -  the beauty that we can feel sense into an object, even though the beauty doesn't exist in the literal sense of the word and cannot be seen directly

Ennui -a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.


Mark Kent Navarro on Guitar
Asher Herzog  on Drums
Anthony Staiti on Guitar
Tim Houston on Bass

  • Yugennui - Voyager (Live At Kind Lion Sound)
    This was a part of our second independent one week tour in 2015. Our tours were self-booked through the D.I.Y. underground circuit. Furthest North we played this year was Montreal, Canada. This performance was captured at Kind Lion Sounds. Yugennui - Live performance at Kind Lion Sounds during 2015 tour
  • Dawn
    Guitar - Mark Kent Navarro Guitar - Anthony Staiti Drums - Asher Herzog Bass - Scott Sekercan Recorded, Mixed, & Mastered by Anthony Staiti
  • Yugennui- Zoroastrian
    Guitar - Mark Kent Navarro Guitar - Anthony Staiti Drums - Asher Herzog Bass - Scott Sekercan Recorded, Mixed, & Mastered by Anthony Staiti
  • Neuköln (cover)
    Cover from 'Baltimore Does Bowie' LP
  • Yugennui at the Ottobar, Baltimore
  • Yugennui Live at The Lab (DC)

Press Features

Press features.

  • Nefarious Supply
    Nefarious Supply
  • Rousuck's Review: “Lyra and the Ferocious Beast
    Rousuck's Review: “Lyra and the Ferocious Beast"
  • Canvas Rebel
    Canvas Rebel
  • VoyageLA
    VoyageLA

    http://voyagela.com/interview/check-out-mark-navarros-story/

  • maggiore on bowie.png
    maggiore on bowie.png
    https://maggioreonbowie.com/heroes-covered-part-7-yugennui-performs-neukolln/
  • ShoutOutLA.png
    ShoutOutLA.png
    https://shoutoutla.com/meet-mark-navarro-music-artist-producer-audio-engineer/
  • moments in song.png
    moments in song.png
    https://momentsinsong.tumblr.com/post/635601992403845120/moments-in-song-no-026-baatchoy-theres-always