chamber music, cut to size. no click tracks, no fake strings.
Ghost Girl is the official music archive for POP-UP MAGAZINE composed by me (Minna Choi). During my 9 year tenure as music director, I had the pleasure of composing hundreds of original scores for exceptional storytellers including: Samin Nosrat, Chanel Miller, Cord Jefferson, Jon Mooallem, Sophia Nahli-Allison, Chloé Cooper Jones, Ann Friedman, Ed Yong, David Guttenfelder, Matt Black, Daniel Alarcón, Nathaniel Rich, John Jeremiah Sullivan, Wendy MacNaughton, Sarah Kay, Tabitha Soren, and Alec Soth, among many others.
From 2017-2023, the MAGIK*MAGIK ORCHESTRA meticulously recorded the full archive at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley and 25th Street Studios in Oakland. To highlight the human, emotive character of the stories, our musicians intentionally record off-click (without a metronome) in the style of classical chamber music. The result is music that breathes and pauses as humans do when speaking naturally. No AI assisted computer beats or fake midi instruments - simply musicians using eye contact and body language to bring this music to life.
When Pop-Up Magazine closed its doors in May 2023, the orchestra decided to release the catalog to the public for licensing for the first time. Now storytellers, editors and creators anywhere can affordably access simple, elegant, handmade music for licensing. We invite to poke around and try some pieces on to see how chamber music can effortlessly elevate your story and humanize your content.
The pieces here represent a very small fraction of the full archive, which will be released in thoughtfully curated batches each year.
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING MORE?
If you'd like some help selecting music for your project, kindly call/email and we'll happily suggest some pieces that fit the mood and story arc of your project. No fee required.
For more in-depth custom music services requiring additional production time, please call/email for a budget quote. Additional production services may include:
- shortening or lengthening music selections to custom fit your edit (service starts at $125)
- adding or taking away certain instruments from selections (stripping away the strings or piano for example) (service starts at $350)
- creating "connective tissue" transitional music, recorded by the MAGIK*MAGIK ORCHESTRA at 25TH STREET RECORDING (service starts at $2500)
- composing and recording a brand new pieces from scratch with the MAGIK*MAGIK ORCHESTRA at 25TH STREET RECORDING (service starts at $5000)
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS:
Jason Slota, drums/percussion
Andrew Maguire, drums/percussion
Geneva Harrison, drums/percussion
Liana Berube, violin/keys
Steph Bibbo, violin
Phil Brezina, violin
Alisa Rose, violin
Hrabba Atladottir, violin
Ivo Bokulic, viola
Meredith Kufchak, viola
Michelle Kwon, cello
Michael Graham, cello
Erin Wang, cello
Travis Andrews, guitar/bass
Ramon Fermin, guitar/bass
Minna Choi, piano/conductor/producer
Adam Muñoz, tracking/mixing engineer for Fantasy Studios
Gabriel Shepard, tracking engineer for 25th Street Recording
Ken Lee, mastering
Bri Cortez, visuals and artwork
Andrew McAlister, web design
