Some great stories in here, fun topic to read about.
Mine (Maymind) is just my real last name. I chose it however, because I knew it would force me to say the word, which is very hard for me to say, as I stutter and all stutterers have a very hard time saying their own name. It has to do with the pressure of not being able to switch it out to a different word. I thought that I would confront this demon head on by just naming my project something I’ve always struggled with.
I was playing with ripped fonts and anagrams of “Junker” from the game Snatcher.
When I thought of Junk Runner, I thought of the old Han Solo books I read - just flying around transporting junk. I was also playing Elite Dangerous (a game where you can essentially just transport junk between systems).
my name is not really Matt Leaf, but I always found people struggle to pronounce and spell my surname. So I want something simple and straight up. I like it as a character too, it sounds pretty soft and mellow, chill. I actually used to rollerblade a lot as a kid, and I remember on a skate vid once there was a skater called Mike Leaf. I thought it was such a cool name. So I’ve used Matt Leaf for about 20 years. Sometime hybridising with my surname and Leaf, which I don’t do much of anymore.
I’ve thought lately I’d like a new name that isn’t as much attached to me and my identity as it is more just a name that’s for a project or business, but I haven’t uncovered it yet or explored too much what it might be.
Glo Phase
Primarily I wanted a moniker that created some type of onomatopoeia (I know that’s not the correct definition but something like that), relating to what the music sounded like. I wasn’t too concerned with meaning; it’s fun how artist names are repeated so frequently that they can sort of become meaningless.
Also I wanted something that at least somewhat rolled off of the tongue. I liked the idea of the entire project being a phase, in that I’m constantly evolving musically. Alas here I am though entirely too lazy to start and promote any new projects so this is likely it.
Really nice Logo!
the PMO is an acronym for the Pawnshop MIDI Orchestre. Most of my gear when I first started was obtained from pawnshops and used sales. To this day when I go to my local music store branch I’m looking for better deals by sourcing used stuff from other branches.
The MIDI Orchestre came from a friend who one time suffered through my attempt to explain MIDI as he was not familiar with it. In the end his takeaway was that my setup functioned as an orchestra. Now although I’m sure my explanation was mostly unintelligible his observation was actually quite revealing for me!
I recently did a name change to SLRPS (soul lifeforce replenishment protocol sounds) because who doesn’t love a cheesy acronym. Felt like it fit what I am doing better than Catfax… that was more just a play on cat facts which was an old prank text bot.
I had just finished up my first instrumental EP in 2012. It was everything I had desired to make.
So I was smoking a cigarette piecing together syllables…etch…mira…more…des…sun…
Mira…dor…Mirador.
It has a real world meaning in, I think, Spanish.
To me it just means “nonsense that sounds pretty”
I’m not sure how much of that meaning was intended with the name and how much is retroactive. But I believe the sentiment is consistent
Love this font!
A “Mirador” it’s a Viewpoint if I remember the word correctly. A place commonly in national parks/mountains/etc where you literally view the landscape.
Also “Mirador” can be understood as “a person who looks”.
A quick Google search when I was playing with a violinist said something about a balcony or Lookout point.
Thats what I remember from so long ago.
“Whatever…it kinda works…”
Cepheid - def. a variable star having a regular cycle of brightness with a frequency related to its luminosity, so allowing estimation of its distance from the earth.
spacey, seemed appropriate for electronic music and I relate in an artistic sense to a cycle of brightness. Being that sometimes you’re creating really great tunes and other times the ideas just don’t flow. Ups and downs, though I suppose this applies to much of life.
Unfortunately after I settled upon this name, I found a really popular artist under the same name but different genre. No biggie, I’m keeping it. I have thought of changing my name many times, or maybe a side project alias.
Thanks! That’s all Soviet NSF. Insanely talented with lettering. https://www.instagram.com/theeesoviet/
That was an instant follow, thanks!
I don’t like people being too pretentious/serious about techno. Hence miscalling it disco. And I don’t like people talking my ear off when I’m in my zone on a dancefloor. Less Talk More Disco. I only made it up for Instagram / Elektronauts.
It also reminds me of the Rotterdam mentality/saying that goes “Niet lullen maar poetsen”, which means “don’t talk but do”. Plus I like having an undeservedly passive aggressive name.
me too
The first thing I wanted to release was a cover of the entire Depeche album Black Celebration so I wanted to find a name indicating some circulatity. Ended up with Bicircular that is a math term. Very hard to find something that is not used.
I am not sure it is a good name, not even my wife can remember it, but at least I am on page 1 Google results. 
Chariots of Mong. I came up with the name about 15 years ago as a bit of a joke really. I started making music again last year after a very long hiatus and decided to use it.
i have a few rules:
max two words. no sentences. preferably one word that’s both visually pleasing (as in looks good as a logo), sounds good and has a meaning that sounds like the music and is not in use. when you just think, read some literature by authors who have a way with words and give it enough time you come up with something cool. same goes with lyrics and song titles, incidentally. I read authors that inspire me, then get inspired or blatantly steal good lines, words or titles. j.g. ballard is an endless inspiration.
examples of my projects throughout the years:
throat (noise rock / industrial rock)
residual (harsh noise)
VU (synth heavy industrial)
mongrel tactics (power electronics / noise)
selfless (post industrial / techno)
etc.
Vimanastaffel.
it’s cool, that’s why. i’m about goa/psy trance and EBM/industrial, and it associates with both.
