Influences

A Tribe called Quest, U2, The Roots, Frou Frou, Mylo, Nitin Sawhney, Lauryn Hill, Mobb Deep, Evanescence, Gus Gus, Everything but the Girl, Jill Scott, Usher, Jazzanova, Res, P.O.D., Switchfoot, David Crowder Band, Matt Redman, Bjork, Dave Matthews Band, Portishead, Delirious, Andre Crouch, Eoghan Heaslip, Paul Van Dyk, Sasha, DJ Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold, ATB, The Police, Sting, Alphaville, New Order, Depeche Mode, The Farm, Anything Box, OMD, The Beloved, Peter Murphy, Daft Punk, The Cure, The Smiths, The Postal Service, Peter Gabriel, Telepopmusik, Gangstarr, Les Nubians, Supreme Beings of Leisure, Fugees, Linkin Park, Jay-Z, Creed, Van Halen, Mondo Grosso, Moby, Coldplay, The Streets, DJ Premier, Keane, David Gray, John Mayer, Phil Collins, 4 Hero, Air, Diggable Planets, Alicia Keys, Boards of Canada, JoJo, Brian McKnignt, Sarah McLachlan, BT, Chicane, Craig David, DJ Dangermouse, DJ Babu, French Kicks, Hybrid, Kanye West, Lenny Kravitz, Aphex Twin, Moonraker, Nelly, Outkast, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Phoenix, Sade, The Stone Roses, Thorney, Van Morrison, Wayne Wonder, The Avalanches, Dido, Lyfe Jennings, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green

Bio

I grew up in the northern most tip of Manhattan in an obscure neighborhood in Washington Heights called Inwood. My parents always exposed me to music when I was young. My brothers and I grew up playing the violin and the piano -- our apartment was always filled with the terrible sounds we made. In the early 80s my father brought home a radio boom box with a tape player. My brothers and I sat for hours listening to whatever the radio station was playing. We even recorded the weekly top 40 countdowns on cassettes, carefully cutting out the commercials. Back then I remember the rap/hip hop movement was really taking its roots. A friend who lived across the street played records from the Fat Boys, Whoduni, Run DMC, Doug E Fresh, Diana Ross, and Herbie Hancock's Rocket. My parents took us to Sunday school at Riverside Church and, for whatever reason, enrolled my brother and me in the church gospel choir. We were two skinny Asian kids surrounded by predominantly African Americans. What a sight that was! But it was at Riverside that I was influenced by Gospel music, by artists like Andre Crouch. Some of the songs gave me goosebumps -- they were so rich and deep with themes of hope, life and victory over oppression.

I remember a time when some older kids, part of the Riverside Bell Choir, were rehearsing the "Eye of the Tiger". I was just so drawn to the drums, but was afraid my parents would not want me to play. In junior high school, I started going to a Korean-American church in the Bronx which was a bit of a culture shock. At the time, one of the youth pastors was trying to form a music team with the younger kids around my age. I immediately knew I wanted to play the drums. Since I lived in an apartment I could only practice on telephone books because real drums were just too loud. I quit playing the violin because I loved drums so much more. But I knew my parents would never get me a drumset since they thought drums were such an unrefined, barbaric instrument. I remember going to church early before others arrived just so I could practice and mess around with the drums. Sometimes I practiced to "New Wave" and "Rock" music (New Order, Depeche Mode, Erasure, OMD, Van Halen, Rush, Led Zeppelin, etc.) and sometimes it would just be a couple of my friends and me jamming to a couple of chords.

One of the pastor's sons, who was organizing the band, always encouraged me to keep playing. He was one of the people who always believed in me, more than I ever did. I'm still really thankful to God that he believed in me. It reminds me so much of how God sees beyond all our sinfulness and shortcomings and instead sees us as the people He's destined us to be. Amazing how someone's else hope can carry us forward in life.

In the summer of 1995, I stayed with my older brother in Boston and played with his Roland keyboard (xp-50) when no one else was around. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to get into music production.

After I graduated from college, I ended up back in NYC. My brother sold his keyboard to me so I used it to lay down more tracks. I used the keyboard so much that many of the buttons broke. I had to stick little pieces of paper in between the buttons just to make them work. Over time bits of equipment accumulated in my apartment through the overflowing generosity of people and sometimes as a result of begging on my part. A close friend of mine lent me his multi track recorder, another generous guy I knew gave me all his music equipment and yet another talented friend of mine lent me an electric guitar and pre-amp. I also upgraded to a PC and started doing computer based recording. I've had many sleepless nights with Sony headphones hugging my ears. Since I'm nocturnal by nature, inspiration seems to always strike me at midnight.

Well this brings me to where I am today. I'm just at the very beginning of this journey called life.