Whether it’s learning a new skill, building something meaningful, or making music – the path to reaching your goals and dreams is forwards and towards.
Discover some fresh flow music and focus-inspiring beats in my sixth album as Stellar Mammals and my second co-written and co-composed album with the amazing Jacob Burgdorf on trumpet and more. “Forwards & Towards” is my latest collection of instrumental tracks for your flow, reflection or relaxation.
📻🎶 Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and all major music streaming services.
Check out our liner notes, reflections and more about the project below.⤵
Release Notes
Released on July 31, 2025. Performed, written, composed and produced by Stellar Mammals, aka Mark Koester Featuring, co-written and performed by Jacob Burgdorf Electric Guitar by John Stevenson Photo & Original Cover Design by Mark Koester Stellar Mammals Production 2025.
Track List
- Grow Your Garden
- Ill-fated Devil
- I’m No Fortune Teller
- Track Your Progress
- Forward & Towards
- Fury of the Kingfisher
- Galaxy Extra
- Homecoming Jay
- Silly Goldfish
- Starlight Passage
- Awake Planet
- Starry Eyed
Collaborators / Attribution
Collaboration is a gift. Thanks to:
- Jacob Burgdorf — trumpet, horn, guitar and keys. Midwest-born, Los Angeles-based. Find on Instagram
- John Stevenson — electric guitar
- Kris Cruz — music production assistance. Los Angeles-based Music Producer and Audio Engineer. Find him on Spotify and Soundcloud
Artist and Producer Notes from Stellar Mammals / Mark Koester
About the Album
Celebrate each day’s potential with an open mind. Embrace our chance to start our moment anew. Create something beautiful, awesome and unique. Carpe diem. Seize the day.
These were some of the intentions that I carried with me as I created and manifested my sixth Stellar Mammals album “Forwards & Towards.”
These 12 songs extend my philosophical and creative spirit of being a continual beginner. We each possess the unique daily gift of pursuing our potential, making progress and, of course, exploring. The album’s spirit also imbues a long-standing belief and mantra I hold that the only way to get what we want and where we want to go is, as the title puts it, forwards and towards. A phrase worth repeating and living.
It’s challenging to reach goals, learn new skills and make art. As I’ve written about in my creative principles for music makers, there is no wrong way to make music and probably an infinite number of right ways. Whether I’m hiking a mountain, working on my professional endeavors or pursuing my various and wide-ranging creative projects, I often ponder: What can I do this year, this week, today, or even this moment to move myself closer to my goals and dreams?
Obviously the specific answer can take many forms but more often than not I have to remind myself of one simple truth, namely that regardless of the challenge, you get there by staying positive, moving your feet forwards and going towards what you care about.
Flow is one of the key themes in the album. The direction that we start each day with should be driven by a belief in our internal GPS, and the activities we take on should ideally induce a state of flow. Flow is a profound subjective experience of being-fully-present in the moment during an activity, whether it’s making music, writing code or some other creative outlet. Any thing can get us into flow. Just follow your passion.
Growth is another powerful component of the human experience and a theme in this album. We can always grow and change. Each day is a new year and even a potential new life. We are continuously changing biologically, so why do we struggle to greet each day with vigor of creation and growth? Each day is a gift and a unique opportunity to do something incredible. Embrace and find music that inspires you to live in the spirit of imagining what might be possible by our acts and thoughts.
Sonic Character and Track Highlights
With that focus on forward movement, sonically this album contains many energetic tracks including the opening track, Grow Your Garden, which I worked on for over a year and marked the introduction of a new collaborator – electric guitar by John Stevenson. His original guitar licks ended up on several tracks and complemented well with my more subdued guitar chords and piano parts.
How it started? I would say nearly all of my tracks start with and originate from a fun or interesting sound. Weird and complex sounds and sound design are a good GPS direction for making a track. Nearly every track of mine starts out untitled, and I initially title the tracks using Adjective-Animal format with placeholder names, like Eminent Okapi, Knowledgable Moose, and Obsequious Dotterel. “Puzzled Amaradillo” kept its generated name longest before becoming the title track “Forward & Towards,” and “Starlight Passage” was named “Night Theme” until v9 and finally got a name just before release.
How it evolved? The album’s core material spans nearly 3 years. Fury of the Kingfisher (Jan 2023) and Starry Eyed (Mar 2023) predate the album concept by over a year. Several songs were born in an explosive creation week in May 2024. It’s fascinating how older, sometimes forgotten, songs can seemingly wait patiently and unnoticed in the vault until they found their home on this album.
On the music production side, the guitar parts attempted to reference and sound in the space of John Mayer, Snowy White (“How Was It You”), etc. While the album still sits in the lofi beat space, it continues to probe aspects of psychedelic rock and has a tad more heavy hitting drums.
Here are my top tracks:
- Grow Your Garden - A song to greet the day. Energizing mix of a guitar lick complemented by the trumpet/horns. Classic rock groove in a bed of supportive pad/strings. 20 total revisions (8 named versions + 12 backups) and was one of 4 songs born in the May 11-16, 2024 creation burst. This track went on a year-long journey from first idea to a finished opener.
- Track Your Progress - Originally named “Puzzled Amaradillo” and spanning 17 total revisions, this track starts with an uncanny, somewhat organic synth ringing sound played on the MicroFreak and carries a slow buildup of the various elements including a core guitar line I wrote. The trumpets come in late but hit hard and add to the crescendo and core spirit of the track.
- Forward & Towards - Title track with straight chords and lead line back by a rumbling bass layer and defined by a strong trumpet melody that weaves in and out of the different sections and parts.
- Fury of the Kingfisher - Simple idea of a guitar melody weaved with a strong/heavy synth bass and woven to completion with trumpet melody.
- Galaxy Extra - Imagine traversing galaxies and you come out hyperdrive and see the beauty before you… Centered on a repeating string section and some looser drum groove, trumpet aids to the opus of discovery and wonder.
- Starlight Passage - For its simple, almost cinematic, sound, this track went through a lot of minor and major revisions (24 total). We did trumpet overdubs on the Nov 10 and in April 2025 before it was declared release ready.
Fun, weird ones:
- Ill-fated Devil - Organ-led in the spirit of Ray Manzarek / The Doors. Ill-fated Devil had 24 total revisions (6 named + 18 backups). It originated from a live jam session with Jacob + Jasper on Aug 24, 2024, and it took a massive reworking and editing session on Oct 24, 2024 for it to find its final version.
- I’m No Fortune Teller - Old Time Radio clip was added immediately after a simple jam idea and it largely just stuck. The song found its final footing after I let go of some “Demoitus” (unreasonable attachment to a particular version)
Blues Guitar Inspired Lofi Jammers
- Homecoming Jay - Named after my high school mascot. This song is centered on dueling guitar passages on electric guitar by John Stevenson. This was one of the longer tracks on the album (at nearly 5 minutes). Heavy guitar-led song with the other parts like horn and live drums positioned to patiently complement its overall laid-back vibe.
- Silly Goldfish - The longest and most revised song on the album. This track started as a raw guitar session with John Stevenson on Aug 2, 2024 (originally named “Silly Goldfinch”). The big creative question was the trumpet — Jacob laid down three separate variations (Best Brass mute, Harmon mute, Unmuted) before settling on using both mutes: Best Brass on the first half, Harmon on the second. The only song to reach v10.
Ambient outros:
- Awake Planet - A song for staring at the stars, reflecting at dusk. Bongos, a string-inspired synth pad and a simple guitar line were used to create the backdrop for the lead trumpet line that were processed with various effects to create more atmospheric qualities at certain points.
- Starry Eyed - A pure ambient closer for dreamland. This track had the fewest revisions (just 12). Originally called “Mayan Ancestors in Pentatonic All Blacks” and first composed in Antigua, Guatemala in the inner courtyard of the National Museum Of Guatemalan Art, this track used an echoing vocal synth preset from Arturia and Supermassive Reverb to cover a bunch of the space. Eventually trimmed back and complimented with a lush guitar sound.
Collaboration and Creative Process
This is my second album with co-artist and jazz trumpeter Jacob Burgdorf as my primary collaborator. Unlike Chop Wood, Carry Water which we started together in my home studio, the songs on this album were largely my original creations. I often had an early demo or core idea I’d created and did several iterations until it was relatively polished on the music production side and arrangement. This resulted in collaborating with Jacob when the track was more fully defined and possessed a more finished compositional state. Jacob did an amazing job of embracing the musical and stylistic character of the songs as-is and added incredible complementary melodic lines on trumpet.
The clearest artifact and checkpoint in this compose-first-then-add-Jacob process was on March 8, 2025 when every track was bounced to WAV + MP3 without brass. This gave Jacob space for his overdub sessions.
Another pivotal moment was November 10, 2024 — a mega recording day when we laid down trumpet overdubs on 5 songs simultaneously (Fury, Track Your Progress, Starlight Passage, Galaxy Extra, and Forward & Towards).
Like all of my previous albums, this album came out of a bigger vault of demos and potential tracks. From about ~17+ candidates, it was curated and reworked to its final 12 chosen tracks. Several tracks I was excited about didn’t make the cut this round, but I am excited to see if they fit a future project.
Liner Notes from Jacob Burgdorf
First Thoughts: This was my second album co-released with Stellar Mammals. In contrast to the first, Chop Wood, Carry Water, many of the compositional elements were developed before the addition of trumpet. It was a great opportunity to add to these concepts and help develop the music. In addition to the contribution of the trumpet there were many hours refining the tracks and adding input on instrumentation, use of space, balance, and overall vibe.
It was created mostly in Venice California with some of my first remote collaborations. The title means a few different things. First, it means moving forward on an objective regardless of obstacles. To make progress and move toward a goal. Second, it is also the act of becoming through the doing of a process. To go from little knowledge of something and growing into someone who obtains that mastery and title.
Here are a few thoughts on specific tracks:
- Grow Your Garden - Muted trumpet, was improvised upon first listening. A fantastic job done in post, cleaning up intonation issues with the muted trumpet.
- Ill Fated Devil - With help from a local musician, the organ and keyboard parts were laid down in an afternoon jam session. Most of the trumpet work was improvised in that same session. With a cool desert flair that gives the song a hypnotic feel. The music brings to mind images of a desert caravan or an exotic bazaar. The bass line near the finish (written on keyboard), brings some new interest on the low end.
- I’m No Fortune Teller - The most lofi inspired track on the album. Using samples from a radio program. The trumpet parts were crafted over several sessions. Playing over a hip-hop style beat, I focused on having a smooth flowing sound. The intervallic leaps in the trumpet were intended to give a sense of uncertainty, complimenting the dialogue.
- Forwards and Towards - Happy with the first take and the overall feel we finished with minimal editing on the track. The distorted guitar and the natural distortion of the mute complimenting each other lay the ambiguous feeling to the title track of the album.
- Track Your Progress - Adding the delay on the trumpet to the intro and the ending of this song felt natural. Thinking it filled the space nicely without crowding the other textures. The main trumpet part in the middle adds to the feel of the music without taking too much of the attention. On some of the other tracks as well the desired effect was for the trumpet to add to the music on an equal level as other instruments like the guitar or keys without becoming the main thing happening sonically. During the mixing and mastering process we went through several versions with the trumpet at different levels. It sounded best when the trumpet was more in the mix instead of a little outside. This song has also been an inspiration to track my progress on my endeavors. Gaining information that can refine the process.
- Fury of the Kingfisher - Using repetition the intended feeling was for a meditative introspective kind of sound. Eschwing from higher notes or accented passages to give a feeling of calm. The melody is simple, along with the accompanying part which are both atavistic in nature.
- Galaxy Extra - The foundation laid by Cello and a shuffle tumble drum beat. A short atmospheric piece that is wrapped up with the muted trumpet.
- Homecoming Jay - Another example of filling the space without dominating it. Leaving plenty of room for the guitar, to take the lead melody lines to come through. Going for a conversation like interaction.
- Silly Goldfish - Mostly a free improvisation over the existing track. Always listening to what is given and playing something that compliments. Trumpet mute is used extensively on this track and others. The mute is close to imitating the sound of a voice and has characteristics and idiosyncrasies not achieved with open trumpet. On this particular recording session I was trying a new mute out and doing several takes over the material. Ending up being happy with both and liked elements of both. We decided upon using the typical ‘Best Brass’ mute on the first half and the more traditional ‘Harmon’ on the second. The slight contrast adds some textural differences while giving testament to the process in the final work.
- Starlight Passage - This was the first remote collaboration with Stellar Mammals. Knowing where the peaks and valleys of a song informed my entrances, motif development, dynamic range, etc.
- Awake Planet - The second remote collaboration. A simple intro that matched the spirit of the piece. After a short break a free improvisation covers the remainder of the piece.
Final Thoughts - Creating this music has been as much of a joy as a learning experience. Getting more familiar with the process of listening through several versions of a mix and noting the desired changes. More insight into capturing the sound from the bell, gain staging, rendering files with correct bit rate, and transfer of stems. Grateful for the amicable collaborations that continue to create innovative soundscapes.
Jacob Burgdorf
Creativity, Production and Time Tracking
Roughly 158 hours went into Album 6 with about 50% on song writing and 30% on reworking.
I take a data-driven, time tracking approach to a lot of my life. Tracking my time and setting weekly targets helps me see where my time goes and holds me accountable to time input as part of tangible creative outputs. It also helps me reflect on the journey and lean in or disengage when I’m working on multiple pursuits. As noted in my 2025 year in time blog post, I spent 155h on music in 2025, which was about half as much time on my music compared with 2024 when I produced and released two albums.
Between the release of Chop Wood, Carry Water and the final review session for Forwards & Towards, I tracked 158 hours of album-specific music production time across 297 days (September 25, 2024 to July 18, 2025), averaging 3.7 hours per week (~32 minutes per day) over 195 sessions.
Activity Breakdown:
- Jamming & Song Writing: 82h 17m (52%)
- Reworking & Finishing: 50h 30m (32%)
- Review & Planning: 15h 31m (10%)
- Practice & Learning: 5h 31m (3%)
- Other: 4h 02m (3%)
The 52/32 split between creation and finishing reflects the different process on this album. With most songs starting as my own compositions before Jacob joined, the jamming and song writing phase was front-loaded and expansive, while the reworking phase was more targeted. Instead of building from scratch together, we were essentially reviewing and refining arrangements and integrating Jacob’s trumpet and input.
The weekly timeline shows the rhythm of production: strong bursts in October-November 2024 and January 2025, a quieter stretch in February, then renewed energy in April-May as the album moved into its finishing phase. This kind of data is a good reminder of the marathon effort it takes to finish a multi-track album project.
Collaborator Breakdown:
Of the 158 hours, 49 hours (31%) was collaborative work:
- With Jacob: 45h 20m (29% of total)
- With Kris: 4h 03m (3%)
Jacob’s 45 hours on this album is up from ~36 hours on Chop Wood, Carry Water – a deeper collaboration even though the compositional starting point was more solo this time around.
Spreadsheet Organization and Iterative Reviews and Revisions:
Since my second album, Symbolic Wonderlands, I’ve used a spreadsheet to organize and help me finish my tracks and complete and release albums. This album benefited from having a spreadsheet to rank favorite tracks, track progress and revisions and collect notes and feedback from improvements. It was useful to determine which tracks were in and out. Color coding reviewed or reworked tracks made the process more obvious visually as well. It also gave me format to share and collect feedback with collaborators.
Example of my Album Tracking Spreadsheet (V5) with revision count and song ratings using hotdogs and other visual indicators of progress.
Initially, according to my spreadsheet, I had about 75+ tracks to choose from. All told, I went through about 8-9 formal revision phases.
Files & Song Revisions:
Beyond my toggl time and spreadsheet tracking, my album files directory tells its own version of a similar story: 1,111 files, 14.6 GB, 9 mix versions, 4 mastering passes, and 317 WAV renders across nearly 3 years of material. It was an iterative process from 2-track demo (v1, Sep 2024) to full assembly (v3, Dec 2024) to final LANDR master (v9, Jun 2025).
The revision chart tells another side of the story. Each bar represents the number of Ableton project saves – every arrangement change, mix tweak, or new idea getting its own version. Silly Goldfish led the way with 32 revisions, while Starry Eyed (the oldest track, and the only one without trumpet) needed the fewest at 12.
Activity peaks by file count: Jun 2024 (159 files — creation burst), Apr 2025 (153 files — album assembly), Jul 2025 (220 files — licensing/distribution prep).
Album Comparison:
| Album | Total Hours | Period | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3 Cosmic Coastlines | 125h | 19 weeks | 6.5h/week |
| #4 Stardust and Dreams | 123h | 28 weeks | 4.4h/week |
| #5 Chop Wood, Carry Water | 155h | 23 weeks | 6.7h/week |
| #6 Forwards & Towards | 158h | 42 weeks | 3.7h/week |
Interestingly, Album 6 had the most total hours from my recent album projects, though only by a small margin compared to Album 5. It also had the longest maturation cycle at 42 weeks from start to completion and slowest pace or weekly input. Unlike 2024, when music was one of my main things, music was not my main venture in 2025. I’m glad I managed to complete this album by July nonetheless, since there were a lot of things competing for my attention and time, including client work, startup projects and a lot of travel too.
One of the other gaps leading to less output and less time on my music was a decreasing number of collaborators. An especially acute need was not having an assistant music producer. Personally I love the early creative side and the final finishing phase, but I struggle getting strategic help maturing key aspects of certain songs, like drum grooves, arrangement and jams cleanup and adding counter melodies. As I lean into my next album project and more music making in general, I am more intentionally seeking out and bringing in new collaborators and music makers. I’m also trying to ensure I put in a more sustainable baseline of music making time each and every week too, ideally 3-5 hours per week.
About Stellar Mammals
Stellar Mammals is a creative project centered on creating lofi, instrumental positivity music for any number of situations, moods and selves. It tends to lean into the hip-hop lofi while also offering up ambient and cinematic moments too.
Checkout our recent work:
Along with creating the music and art, I am pretty open about my journey and process. You can read an assortment of notes, blog posts and reflections on music production and creativity on my blog. Start with From Zero to Album: My Personal Music Production Learning Journey.
About the Artists
Stellar Mammals is a Venice Beach-based producer and technologist. His full catalog of music, projects and videos is online at StellarMammals.com. He is available for contact, performance, licensing, collaboration, music production and projects at StellarMammals@gmail.com.
Jacob Burgdorf is an LA-based trumpeter, musician and music teacher, originally from St. Louis, Missouri. Check him out at BurgdorfMusic.com and on Instagram. He is available for contact, performance, teaching, collaboration, and more at jacob.burgdorf@gmail.com.
Got a comment or question? Send me an email or reach out on social media.
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AIDA (AI Disclosure Acknowledgement): All music was written, composed, performed and produced by the credited artists. Liner notes were written by the credited artists. Album art was from a hiking trip on Catalina Island with a small assist from Midjourney (Generative AI Art Tool) to add more dramatic clouds. AI tools were used to assist with some data analysis and blog post editing.