Meet Simon Victor Linsteadt | Composer & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Simon Victor Linsteadt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Simon Victor, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I come from a creative family, and I’m grateful that pursuing the arts was always encouraged. My father is an architect, my mother is a potter and writer, my sister is a writer and mythologist, and I have a long line of grand and great grandparents playing in orchestras, singing in musicals, and even building violins in Germany. Music and film have always been areas of passion for me, and I will be exploring and reinventing myself within these mediums my whole life, I’m sure. When I was in 5th grade I made short films on a camcorder and iMovie with my friends. I remember one in particular about a thirsty man at a soda machine who doesn’t have any quarters. I paired the theme song from ‘Chariots of Fire’ with it as he runs (in slow motion) to a quarter he sees on the ground in the distance. I really should dig that MiniDV cassette out of the attic.

Since 2013 I’ve written and released a number of albums ranging from folk rock to electronica, toured internationally as singer and guitarist of the contemporary folk band Steep Ravine, and I’ve been composing music for media and performance art for the past five years. I also love to make short films on my Bolex 16mm camera which I often pair with sound designs and music.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I recently launched an original music composition and sound design studio called Ionic Order. I’ve partnered with creative agencies including 1st Ave Machine and Special Guest, and composed music and sound design for clients including Meta Reality Labs, Ray-Ban, The New York Times, and This American Life. Ionic Order also has a catalog of over one hundred of my compositions that I license to brands, film/TV, broadcast, and beyond. You can listen to my work at ionicordermusic.com.

I feel so grateful to have carved a space for myself to musically elevate media and multidisciplinary projects using the music production styles that I love the most. When I create music for This American Life, for example, I am often playing mandolin, guitar, and electric bass as the core of my pieces. When I begin to layer sounds around this, I am reaching into my collection of vintage and modern synthesizers, or other pieces of musical equipment that I have surrounding me in my studio. This sometimes includes thumb pianos, harmonicas, autoharps, and percussion instruments I have accumulated.

Due to my upbringing playing rock n’ roll, bluegrass, and jazz, my recording process is very organic and time-honored. My approach to blending textures and taking risks is informed by my love of experimental film and pioneering electronica. I think that my unique approach to music production and passion for the history of these mediums is one of the reasons creatives like to collaborate with me. Also, kindness and grace are so important to me. I really enjoy connecting with people, and my collaborators know that I bring positivity and joy to professional atmospheres with tight deadlines and demanding workloads.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I recently went to Mel’s Diner on Sunset Blvd, and it was such a great atmosphere. I’ve been to the ones in San Francisco growing up, but the West Hollywood location has a cool retro futuristic design and is always buzzing with activity. I would also recommend going to Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. The architecture and landscapes are incredible, and there is a lot of cinema history embedded in the place. Book Soup is also a great little bookstore on Sunset.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my grandfather Andrew Victor. He was a physicist by trade, and spent his whole life playing violin and cello in community orchestras and teaching music lessons. Since I can remember, my family would go to his orchestra performances. When my band performed around our home town, he would so excitedly come to every show he could and record us on a handheld recorder he hid in his pocket. He’d then make CDs with his own homemade album covers and label maker. When my sister published a book and my cousin made a feature film, he printed and laminated the online articles and put them in his violin studio on the walls. He loved us so much and supported our every creative effort. Now I realize that my belief that I could pursue a life in the arts was nurtured by his values and his presence.

Website: simonvictorlinsteadt.com ionicordermusic.com

Instagram: @simonvlinsteadt @ionicordermusic

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ionicorder

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@simonvlinsteadt

Other: My disco catalog for sync licensing is: https://catalog.ionicordermusic.com

Image Credits
Photos by Simone Leon