Son of Chicago, oracle of San Francisco, Echo remains one of Americas great stealth weapons in the strategic armory of drum and bass. One of the first to heed the siren call of UK drum and bass in the mid 90s, Echo abandoned his ambitions in live music to commit himself to electronic music, and drum and bass in particular, forging pioneering releases in the States long before most of his contemporaries had even contemplated getting in the studio. His music is often poised on a fine line between the crackling, radioactive grit of drum and bass at its darkest, and the pensive, measured gait and melodic sensitivity of electronic dance music peers such as The Black Dog and Aphex Twin. The method to this reconciliation is at the heart of Echos art, and its not for the timid.
Fond of citing schizophrenic musical roots in a family torn between the sophistication of jazz and the profane tradition of tuvan throat singing, Echo was given the encouragement to pursue his burgeoning interest in music as a youngster. After years of playing several traditional instruments, at 16 Echo was experimenting with reel to reel tape machines, dictaphones, and any other devices he could lay his hands on. As finances allowed, he began to slowly amass a formidable collection of instrumentssome antique, some newand within a few short years, was forging virtually any sound he could imagine. In 1995, beckoned by San Franciscos vibrant community of artists, musicians, and general creative misfits, Echo piled all the possessions he could fit into his car and made the long drive across the country. In San Francisco, he was met by the shattering new sounds of drum and bass, and almost at once, he recognized that this brilliant, peripatetic music was the perfect vehicle in which to concentrate his far-reaching creative energy.
His timing was superb. In short order, Echo was DJing around town, at a series of weekly and monthly clubs; nights that felt more like fevered laboratories of a new, alchemical science than just a mere good night out. Taking its cues from the UK but insisting on its own identity, San Franciscos drum and bass scene became one of the USs great incubators of talent and vision. Out of this fusion of leading producers and DJs emerged the Phunckateck collective. Recognizing Echos talents not only behind the decks but behind a mixer and sampler, Phunckateck founder UFO! invited Echo into the fold.
There followed a string of early releases on pioneering San Francisco drum and bass label Green, led by Echos Sinistar and Microdot, which also featured original sleeve art by Echo. Numerous other singles soon followed, under his own name and in collaboration with UFO! as Monitor. On labels like Thermal (another san francisco pioneering label) and German label Chrome. These pioneering early releases set the tone for an emergent class of American drum and bass, long before many americans were hearing their first Dj set.
Since those heady days, Echo has kept the pressure on high having taken his sound to from coast to coast and across the globe, headlining Dj sets with his own vision and precise mixing behind the decks. And his creations in his studio The Pod with a series of releases that are at once sonically intense, densely constructed, and musically mature while maintaining an uncompromising accessibility on the dance floor. His more recent offerings begin as a core member of the "Violence Crew" releasing sonic architecture such as the well known and widely praised works "Out of Time", "Rocklock", the epic "Death Valley" and Remix of the klute tune "Glusniffer" Both done with Hive, the remix of the tune "Dangergirl" featuring vocals with Chino from the "Deftones" as well as a remix with Gridlok of the classic usual suspects tune "Doorway" which was included on the Dieselboy mix "Dungeonmaster's Guide" to name a few. Further there is his collaboration with label owner Hive and other label mates Gridlok and Keaton (of usual suspects fame) to produce the landmark: "Welcome to Violence" album. Which produced such gems as the Monster tune "Violent Sound", the dubbed out bass drenched "Culture", and Vocal laden "Science", with vocals from Gina Rene of Soulstice fame. As well as numerous other releases on labels such as:P51, Renegade Hardware & Renegade, Advanced, Offshore, Commercial Suicide, and of course further work on Violence in the works just to name a few. Hes also often found working on other collaborations with friends Hive, Klute, UFO!, Juju, Gridlok, Keaton, The Upbeats, Calyx and many others to come.
Few drum and bass artists can boast a musical heritage and history as rich as Echos. While striving to maintain a firm connection to the imperatives of the DJ, his music nevertheless contains an artful and subtle platform for the reinterpretation of that heritage. As much a fan of drum and bass itself as rock, funk, jazz, classic soul, techno, hip hop, electro and fanatical movie soundtrack collecting, the textures, topography and rhythms of these often find their ways in to Echos music, artfully insinuating themselves into the grooves. A producer to whom risk-aversion is incomprehensible, Echo continues to inspire and engage those who listen with his delicate yet brutal alchemy of the rough and smooth, dark and light. He is using his art to continue unlocking every paradox he encounters and give back something that will hopefully continue to expand with time and challenge all who come to listen.
