Jacob Skinner, a U of A junior guitar performance major, self-produced and released two electronica EPs titled Jus Sleep and Thanks for Listening this month. Skinner said his newest album is a concept piece of multiple songs that sound similar and flow together. The finished product is an art piece that sets a scene for the audience to interpret.

"I made a lot more music by myself that fits into multiple categories," Skinner said. "Electronica gives you a lot more options for sub-genres."

To create the albums, Skinner played all of the instruments himself and edited the individual recordings into tracks. He also utilized drum machines, computers, loops and samples of himself talking. "I put [the songs] into one live set and tracked it out," Skinner said. "Then I create interludes to make them flow better together."

Skinner is studying guitar performance with a jazz concentration with UA guitar professor Jake Hertzog, who helped introduce Skinner to music production. Skinner has also gained experience in performance and production through collaboration with Haxton Road Studios on the production of Lesly Reynaga's recent EP Dual Passport.

He hopes to produce hip-hop or alternative jazz after graduating from the University of Arkansas. Skinner is an example of a growing group of students on the UA campus interested in production and self-publishing. These projects will continue to grow as the Department of Music develops tools and learning to help foster growth in this realm of music. 

Jus Sleep and Thanks for Listening by J. Marlin Skinner are both available on iTunes, Spotify, Youtube, Pandora and Google Play.