Writing about yourself has to be one of the most head-scratching situations you put yourself in...Where to start is even a bigger question... My life story is as complicated as everyone else's; though my path has been quite natural and spontaneous.

 

I was born in Amsterdam in '85 by a Dutch ethnomusicoligst' father and North-American (Indiana) artist's mom. Needless to say, I inherited my creative traits from my parents. My first language was Indonesian, as my dad was doing research in Java...Remembering one of my first words 'oendoet' (check the online dictionary for that description ;) still leaves me with a chuckle today. I was in my diapers while excitedly jamming away on native wooden instruments of Java. This must have been the start for my apprecation and passion of sound and culture.

 

Before I grew teeth I returned to Holland and moved to the beautiful dunes of Castricum (North-Holland). There my appreciation for nature expanded as you could always find me at the sandy beach just 15 minutes way from home. I was lucky enough my parents took me all over the world as a child; this cultural appreciation and wisdom has kept with me till this day. During this time in Holland I also was captivated by the electronic sound of Radio 538. I saw Faithless on local TV and immediately knew I had to start jamming on the keyboard. My love for tweaking sounds has since expanded exponentially... :)

 

In 2000 I moved to Chicago, which started a couple new chapters in my life. I have always been glued to the computer and learning programs such as Fruityloops, ACID, and the DM2Mixer (innovated and developed by Josh Gabriel!) were my weapons of choice for a few years, and seemed the natural way of progress. I must also add that I was starting to play around with Photoshop at the time.

 

2004 Marked the year I went to DePaul University with an 'undeclared major'. I was unsure of what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go etc. Art and Science in all its forms seemed to interest me the most (and it still does!). In the winter I was invited to work on the HBO set of Deadwood in L.A. This made me decide to pursue a career in Digital Cinema. After a few classes in it I decided it was not entirely my thing... So I went for Computer Science... This turned out to be too precise and mathematical so I ended up doing what was most natural to me: Art & Art History.

 

In 2006 I was 1 of 10 chosen aspiring producers invited by Red Bull Music Lab's instructor Lorin Ashton, AKA Bassnectar to participate in a week-long Red Bull binge. No really, all we drank was Red Bull.... Basically Lorin and the team taught me this wickedly awesome program Reason, where I still make all my music in.

 

In the summer of 2006 I decided to pursue art school in Utrecht, Netherlands. The school was fun, but my class was so unstructured it lost all it's meaning. I ended up creating decor for Mysteryland and Free Your Mind Festival, which has been one of the most exciting art projects I have done thus far!

 

2007 Brought me back to the City of Chicago, to finish my degree in Art & Art History. All I wanted was a full-time career so I went the quickest route to completing, no more running around like a chicken-with-its-head-cut-off ;) This time around in Chicago I was extremely fortunate to meet all the right people in the music industry-- the place where I feel I belong most. I've since created brands for night-clubs, helped establish production companies and created their websites.

 

Basically it has been up, up, up and away ever since I moved back to Chicago in 2007. I have had music come out on record labels, have been supported by major artists. My photographic art has been on display, and I have been inspired ever since I started taking photographs with my little Canon SD400 :o)

 

After deciding to stop looking for FT jobs, I have been extremely busy as a freelance graphic artist. One of my aspirations is to make our current world a more aesthetic pleasing one. Instead of really rough type that's out there I try to focus on making an impact by using vibrant colors, positive images and tight typography... One day I hope to do work globally, all with a cold drink in my hand and my feet in the sand... :)

 

It's 2010 and it's promising to be the best year yet.....! Namaste.