Derek A McKinney

DAM Chill Music
Music Composer and Musician

Oakland, California

Member Since:
July 2014

Last online:
> 2 weeks ago

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About Derek

...is a native of Oakland, CA. He started playing piano at age 5 and not long after picked up the drums and trombone. Though these three instruments were his primary focus as a youth, by the time he graduated from Skyline High School he had added most of the other brass instruments, sax, clarinet and bass to his arsenal. In 1987, after watching the Brian DePalma film The Untouchables starring Kevin Costner, Robert Deniro and Sean Connery, and hearing the incredible score by famed Italian composer Ennio Morricone, he knew that music for film was what he wanted to do.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in 1994 and went on to work for Motown Records and MCA Records for several years where he worked on albums for Stevie Wonder, Boys II Men, Johnny Gill, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight, K-Ci & JoJo, New Edition, New Found Glory, Live and The Roots, to name a few. His talents have taken him around the world as both a sideman and producer/arranger. In recent years he has produced and arranged several tracks for Bay Area guitarist Lloyd Gregory’s Free Fallin' and Gentle Warrior albums. He has also worked with another Bay Area favorite, Janice Maxie-Reid, on songs featuring Jeanie Tracy, Tony Lindsay (Santana) and Derrick Hughes. Over the course of his career he has written and produced in almost every genre of music. His vast experience in so many styles lends to a wide range of textures and moods ideal for film. For more than a decade he has composed scores for a host of independent feature films and shorts, and worked as an arranger for world-renowned bassist and composer Stanley Clarke (Boyz N The Hood, The Transporter, Romeo Must Die). Although his focus has shifted primarily to Film & Television he is still active in studio sessions around the world and occasionally gigs when called upon.

Gender:
Male

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Inside America's Money Vault (2013)
Music
Bridging the Gap: The State of Black Relationships (2011)
Film (Documentary, Drama, Family and News) Composer Bridging the Gap: The State of Black Relationships, is a documentary about how a few students from Howard University took on the topic of black love and exposed some of the reasons why we aren't getting into relationships. So they travel to New York, DC, Baltimore, and Atlanta to gather interviews while simultaneously attending programs and events that are trying to strengthen black love. Written by Anonymous
This Solace Eternal (2007)
Film (Short and Drama) Composer Evan, a reticent young man, and his two best friends must search through their forgotten memories to find their place of eternal solace in the afterlife.
Donut Run (2005)
Film (Comedy and Short) Composer Add a Plot »
Everyday Child (2004)
Film (Drama and Short) Composer Add a Plot »
Santa's Little Helper (1999)
Film (Romance and Short) Sound department Cindy knows it's going to be a bad day when her blind date is late, a gorgeous looking man comes towards her but then turns away to another man and Peter, an old friend, annoys her with his talking. Just when Cindy thinks she has had it all, the blind date finally appears. Jack, completely dressed in elf suit, claims to have Santa as his boss. Cindy doesn't believe the lunatic and wants to leave. But Jack knows something from Cindy's childhood and that draws her interest. Could Jack give her the key to real love? Written by Arnoud Tiele (imdb@tiele.nl)