Born in Baltimore, MD, artist Marlo De Lara received a PhD in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds. Her artistic practice works within the realms of sound performance, visual distraction, and film. Working under the moniker ‘marlo eggplant’, her sound art is a production of textural compositions which develop from microscopic tone landscapes into dense and expansive states of noise and drone. Her works aim to blur the definitions of (un)intentional sound and music. As curator and organizer of the Ladyz in Noyz (LIN) international compilation series/collective, an ongoing project from 2008 to the present, she continues to promote emerging artists and musicians who are women.

She has toured the United States extensively including the Victoria Noise fest (BC) , Norcal Noisefest, Denver Noise Festival, Outsound Series, Titwrench Festival, and various locally curated satellite International Noise Conferences.

Dima Mikhaylin:
Pianist-Singer, Composer, Songwriter, Arranger. Began his career as a serious jazz-piano soloist, and recently has composed his own music in aesthetics of broken romanticism with non-linear exposition of piano keys combined by live vocals and samples. On the basis of academic style he gets an opportunity of cultural innovation. There are wonderful melodies, very sensual and hyper-expressive in manner of performance with electronic sounds and acoustic piano riffs. Dima offers us a new concert ambience, getting to the fashion styles of music with grand piano and exquisite artistic provocations from light to aggressive. Now we have to look at the really high energy solo performance of Dima Mikhaylin as in the piano-bar as on the big stage.

“Funky and tight on all levels” - 
Nile Rodgers
 
Cut the cake, let’s take it to the stage, its 1975!

With those words and a tip of the hat to a couple of gems from another time James Fox Higgins proudly declares his intentions for the brand new album ’1975′.

Equal parts soul, jazz, retro pop and West Coast smooth with a dash of Miami disco, ‘1975’ is the culmination of one man’s love affair with the music of a bygone era. Written, produced and arranged by Higgins, the album is sure to find admirers amongst people whose playlist is loaded with the sounds of Allen Stone, Mayer Hawthorne, Steely Dan, Dennis Coffey or Hall & Oates.

Setting the scene for the album with its sultry piano chords and swooning soprano sax, the opening track gently lulls the listener ‘Back In Time’ to “a time of music, a time of soul, a pre-digital world, a world of hope” and invites them to join Higgins on his retro pilgrimage. The album shines a light brightly on Higgins’ musical luminaries. There’s the Rotary Connection inspired ‘Sun & Sea’, an ode to the natural love affair between the sun and the life giving ocean; the socially aware and relevant ‘Stand Up’, a call to arms to fight against institutionalised homophobia and racism; the breezy ‘Life In The Love Zone’, influenced by harmony driven folksters like Seals & Crofts or Crosby, Stills & Nash and ‘Soul Train’, a disco flavoured tribute to the legendary Don Cornelius-hosted TV Show that launched countless artists into the mainstream. Track after track Higgins proves he’s a modern performer with that rare ability to straddle strong lyrical themes with infectious upbeat melodies and grooves, a trick he learnt from childhood heroes such as The Style Council and Simply Red.

‘Brother There’s Still Time’ is the gospel-tinged ballad that tells a more personal story about the artist’s own experience of racism and discrimination in the world. Higgins’ vocals, instrumentation and production will evoke memories of early-70s Stevie Wonder and the song is the perfect balance to the reworking of Sam Cooke’s classic ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’, the quintessential lamentation of racism and social disharmony. With the greatest respect and one of his most emotional vocal performances, Higgins delivers his own quiet storm arrangement of this very important song in soul music’s history.

The first single from the album ’1975 (Wish I Was There)’ is an upbeat soul-funk dissertation on the key musical events of that year. From Wonder’s participation in the Festival of Human Kindness, the release of The Who’s ‘Tommy’, Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ and Bowie’s ‘Young Americans’, the birth of Sean Lennon and the untimely demise of Tim Buckley and Al Jackson. And of course what would a song about 1975 be without name checks for Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees, Curtis Mayfield, The Stones and co. With a respectful tip of the hat to Dorothy Moore’s ‘Looking For A Lovin’’, this joyous foot-stomper comes complete with an era-correct George Benson-inspired guitar solo by the legendary Rex Goh and is destined to take you back in time whether you were there or not.

Throughout ‘1975’ Higgins shows he possesses a deep-seated reverence for the pioneers of 70s music.”I grew up in the 90’s and all along I felt like I was born at the wrong time.” he explains, “That year is the epitome of soul music to me. Music production was at new heights, there was funk, disco, soul, R&B and jazz rock coming from all parts of the world. Social consciousness was fashionable and present in the lyrics of pop songs. Times are very different now.”

I'm a pianist and composer, I like to impovise and to play original music.

Gian Luca Nigro is a composer and music supervisor based in Rome (Italy). He writes original music for film, television and documentaries, with a distinctive hybrid language that blends orchestral writing and electronic sound design. His work is driven by a strong focus on storytelling, atmosphere and emotional detail, crafting scores that support the image while keeping a clear musical identity.

His credits include the feature film Socialmente Pericolosi (Rai Cinema), the documentaries Awlad – Hesiak Gainditu and Il Caso Craxi (Sky Arte), as well as music for major Italian prime-time shows such as Pechino Express, MasterChef Italia, I Soliti Ignoti, PresaDiretta, Stasera Tutto è Possibile, Affari Tuoi and Italia’s Got Talent, broadcast by Rai, Sky and Mediaset and produced by companies including Banijay, Fremantle, Endemol Shine and FM Records Music.

Classically trained as a pianist at the “G. Martucci” Conservatory in Salerno, Gian Luca has been collaborating since 2009 with directors, producers, publishers and ensembles, contributing original scores, themes and jingles to a wide range of audiovisual projects. His music moves from intimate, lyrical writing to more textural and experimental territories, combining elegance and delicacy with cinematic intensity and scale. Alongside composing, he also works as a music consultant, supporting productions and filmmakers in the creative and practical choices around music for picture.

I'm a solo acoustic guitarist, performing mainly in Kyoto, Japan. When I was a junior high school student, I met the Beatles' music and woke up to music. Attracted by Edward Van Halen, Paul Gilbert and Yngwie J. Malmsteen, I began to play the electric guitar. In my high school days, I practiced the electric guitar, while learning the piano at the piano class and the classical guitar by myself. In the university, I belonged to  the music club and copied a lot of music in bands. For example, System Of a Down、Slipknot、Maximum the Hormone、the Beatles and so on. Then I joined a hardcore band, playing original songs and being active mainly in Kyoto. After the band was broken up, I found the movies of Andy Mckee on the You tube which impressed me so much. So I decided to play solo acoustic guitar. At the beginning, I practiced the tunes of Andy Mckee and Antoine Dufour, while composing original tunes. In the autumn of 2010, I began to play only my songs on the stage. In July 2012, I began to sell my 1st original CD 'Daydream deliver'. In August, I participated in the Canadian Guitar Festival in Kingston as a competitor and was reported in the local newspaper.

My playing style is the so-called 'Fingerpicking-style'. But I do not only pick the strings by fingers, but also mix the special techniques, just like body-hitting, tapping and so on. I often play with the irregular tunings for many tunes.

The list of musicians who influenced me greatly :  
Andy Mckee, Antoine Dufour, Erik Mongrain, Michael Hedges, Masa Sumide, the Beatles, Oasis, Mr. Big, System Of a Down, Maximum the Hormone, Arch Enemy, Pantera, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Rei Harakami, Nujabes, Yasutaka Nakata, Jo Hisaishi etc.

Thanks for stopping by!

Below is a collection of music I’ve written and recorded since the iPhone / iPad became a viable platform for playing and recording music.  Nearly everything here was written and recorded in NanoStudio or NanoStudio 2 with dozens of supporting iOS apps.  As such, these tracks are quirky electronic creations with strong pop and symphonic elements, often peppered with bluesy riffs or solos.

I'm also a member/co-founder of the Internet based trio LoungeBots, which additionally writes and records on the iOS platform.  Our music can be found here:  http://soundcloud.com/loungebots (or in the 5th playlist).

Hope you enjoy the music!

Ángela Tröndle is a dedicated musician. she sings, writes songs and lyrics, accompanies herself on the piano and the guitar. she's passionate about exploring sounds with her voice as well as with her instruments, acoustically and electronically. making music feels essential to her. sharing ideas even more. she loves to work with other artists and has been doing several collaborations/performances with dancers and visual artists. she has been a part of the austrian music scene for almost 10 years, played concerts with different bands (Ángela Tröndle & MOSAIK, The little band from Gingerland, LUNA*LAB) in austria and abroads, and is now focussing on her first solo-programm. 
although she loves interacting with other musicians, she made the experience that her music becomes even stronger and deeper while playing it solo. 
Contact: Ángela Tröndle angela@angelatroendle.com www.angelatroendle.com

Session Guitarist | Music Composer 

Tracks electrifying guitars and creates dynamic music for film, TV and games

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