Nico Demonte
from WikiMusicGuide, the free music guide. Your music wiki.
Nico has been described as a futurist, visionary, programmer, hacker artist, programmer, musician, agent, video artist, model, composer, songwriter, producer, arranger, audio engineer, ej, and impresario known for his exciting fashion and art video installations and disc jocking set of house and post futuristic synthesizer music. A descendant of the House of Borghese (Paul V, Prince Borghese, Prince Lorenzo Borghese) and the House of Savoy (Charles VIII of France, Giuseppe Mazzini, King Victor Emmanuel III, Napoleon, King Amadeus I of Spain), and proponent of Die Musik der Futurismus, Die russische Avantgarde, Post Avante Garde-ism, Die Avantgarde der ElectroRock-Musik) and electronica and der ElectroRock-Musik. The machine's proto-machinistic soundwaves have travelled across radio stations WNUR 89.3 FM, WLUW 88.7 FM, WZBC 90.3 FM Newton/Boston, WZLY 91.5 FM, 93.1 FM, and WMBR 88.1 FM in Cambridge where he hosted his own electronic Chicago house show.. Nico broke up from the band Nico Demonte in 2005 after the electrocution. It is part coincidence that the fashion couture and art of the live shows reflect the tension among the band members and drum machines on the Computer Music label. The unauthorized biography is rumoured to be released in 2010 by Max Gold and has already caused a stir among the supporters of the Computer Music label.
About
The Hot Mix 5 on WBMX was a constant for Nico in the 1980s. The synthesizer lines and whirring Commodore 64 and Amiga 500 computers are dystopic influenced soundscapes, from Japanese post-Devo Bauhaus, Blade Runner to the Illiac Experiment, Computer Music Scientific America CCI 1959, and Research in Music With Electronics. The legendary Dave Medusa who promoted the great acts of Chicago house, techno and the likes of Nitzereb, Front 242, an Ministry had his hand in bringing Nico for live shows at Medusa's avante-garde discotheques where fashion was a priority.
Nico coined the genre Chip Wave, that merges Chicago house, the Roland 303, new wave, and the 8 bit sound. It was Kraftwerk's masterpiece, The Man Machine (1978), and Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygen EP's that formed the inspiration for the “Man Machine” classic. Kraftwerk's "Showroom Dummies" also formed the creative direction for Nico's "Mannequins in Alleys" singles. The band has been known to be a bit reclusive, refusing to be interviewed and closing off their studio to journalists and the record industry while working on the Parallel Super Computer Project.
Giorgio Moroder, synth pop, and his Amiga 500 and Commodore 64 music workstations, including the steady imports of italo disco records coming from Rome, Naples, Milan, is where Nico had found his fantasy.
Nico (class of 1991) and rock legend Billy Corgan and lead singer of the “Smashing Pumpkins” (class of 1985) both graduated from Glenbard North High School in Illinois. As Billy Corgan was forming his first band “The Marked” in 1985 (prior to Billy Corgan forming the Smashing Pumpkins), Nico Demonte played jazz, classical, and experimental music as a saxaphonist, while dabbling in electronics like the Speak & Spell, Commodore 64 personal computer, and the Commodore VIC-20.
Early tapes written in assembly language were composed with the SID’s 64 kilobytes of RAM and sounds of the VIC-20 with the Commodore 1530 (C2N) Datassette. In 1990, Nico studied acting under the teacher of Animal House and SNL actor John Belushi. Nico is Co-founder of the EJ MIDI Turntable (EJ Enterprises Worldwide), specializing in the world’s first video turntable, ScratchTV, and other future music technologies. Nico is founder of the 8 bit pop group Commodore 64 Orchestra.
They measure a producer by the Moog synthesizers, analoge sequencers, custom built german drum machines, and equipment in their studio. This can hardly be said for this artist. Nico has continued to work with hardware and software programmers to test pilot new technology and vintage computers such as the Commodore 64, 128, PET, and Amiga, SuperPET, Plus/4, sound on the 6510 Central Processor, GEOS Operating System, C65, SXE MIDI Music composer synthesizer, C-One, Commodore SX-100, Executive 64 with 170 KB floppy, Commodore 264, Commodore C16 / 116, Commodore 364, Commodore 232, SinclairV 3200, Commodore 116 NTSC Prototype, MAX Machine, Commodore 1541C, 7–14 MHz 68000-family CPUs, A4000 and A1200 computers, Commodore KIM-1, Commodore CBM-II range - aka B-range aka 600/700 range, Commodore SX-64, Commodore 900 (the Z-8000), Zilog Z8000 CPU, Amiga Symond 883D, Korg Enhanced Poly Vision 8000, 2000 Motorola 68000 (7.16 MHz NTSC, 7.09 MHz PAL), AmigaOS Workbench 1.3, 2.04, speech synthesis AmigaOS Kickstart ROM, AmigaBasic, AmigaXL, CyberGraphX, Octamed, SVC-350 Roland VP-330 Sennheiser VSM-201 ARP 2600 semi modular synthesiser EMS 2000/3000/5000 series Synton 221 Korg PS-3100 Korg PS-3200 Korg PS-3300 Doepfer A-100 Roland S-770 Vox Percussion King Yamaha TX816 synthesiser, and Kawai K-500 EMS 2000/3000/5000 series. [edit] Arts and Performing
Art and performance found their way from The Situationist International and Neoism movements for the GPR years. The early album covers and music moved from electropop and science fiction themes to Dadaism, Surrealism, Concept Art, Fluxus, post-punk, and the industrial music of Front 242.
In 1995, Nico and Stymie began Genesis Project Recordings in Chicago, running it out of an old warehouse. In 1998, Nico expanded his sound following numerous trips to Zurich, Switzerland, and Rome and at the legendary club Tresor in Berlin.
[edit] Der Auslander
Nico’s release of his full length CD "Der Auslander" (1999) made it to the CMJ charts and was followed up by singles and remixes like the 12" EP Phantasmagoria and the remix of skylab 2000’s hit “Ten Re-Entry” EP.
Ministry's Al Jourgensen, Wax Trax! Records, the keyboard sequences of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult and the industrial sounds of Front 242 are part of the programming.
909, 808, Moog and studio productions with a Chicago house set of legendary Frankie Knuckles, Madonna, Telex, and David Bowie. [edit] Radio
2001-2004 Nico broadcasted on WMBR 88.1 FM in Cambridge. The shows Odysssey and Machine Language premiered techno, house, electro, and acid house. The artist was also touring and playing on WNUR 89.3 FM, WLUW 88.7 FM, WZBC 90.3 FM Newton/Boston, WZLY 91.5 FM, 93.1 FM and other stations. [edit] Near Death Electrocution
Anna Astley confirmed that the artist was shocked at the Chicago studio during the recording of Alive. The agent's assistant reported that a master of the "ATM GIRL©®" reel-to-reel tapes from "Alive" went missing during his electric shock in the Chicago-based studio. Amidst the chaos and confusion, the studio's power shut down, leaving darkness and a plume of smoke in the air. The artist's sources and Rubenstein's assessments in the Top 40 Charts release cite that Nico Demonte was knocked unconscious, shocked and near death, was rushed for immediate medical treatment, and released. The Alive album was released as planned. The last reported appearance by the artist was the 93.1 performances with Commodore 64 Orchestra. [edit] Kraftwerk
In 2006, The Agency invited Nico Demonte to submit questions for the exclusive Wolfgang Flur interview. Nico's questions focused on Flur's background, musical inspirations, and customized drum machines and synthesizers that Flur created for Kraftwerk from 1973 to 1987. Nico has also started the Petition for the induction of Kraftwerk into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
