About
Overview
Nofi is neither hi-fi nor lo-fi, but a state of being-without-boundaries (i.e. ’stateless’).
Nofi is a project in search of interesting images, patterns, textures, sounds, melodies and moods. It is the old, the new and the now existing simultaneously in media-space; a visual scrapbook of recollection, perception and speculation; an ambient, chill-out, down-tempo, electronic, experimental, jazz, future-retro soundtrack for your imaginary life; generative literature for your soul; a mashup of mixed metaphors. Read, watch, listen, chill or create your own application.
Details
I create music, blending styles of ambient, chill-out, granular, dub, lounge, IDM, micro, noise, and minimal techno.
Hardware
I use an Apple G4 iBook, Novation ReMOTE ZeRO controller and a Presonus Firebox. From time to time, I use a Tapco Mix 60 mixer, Samson C03u USB Mic, Novation BassStation analog synth, Korg Prophecy digital synth, and Nord Micro Modular synth.
Software
I use Ableton Live and a number of commercial and freeware virtual instruments, plug-ins and custom effects created in SonicBirth.
Biography
Visual
My interest in visual arts goes back as far as I can remember. I was always drawing something—pictures of underground mazes, space ships and the usual fare from the adolescent imagination. In elementary school, my parents sent me to weekend art classes and eventually private instruction. In high school I won a few scholastic art awards and shared the senior art award. From this, I decided to study art in college, winning numerous scholarships and majoring in painting and computer graphics (for earlier work, see my early work gallery).
At the time, I was drawn to the movements of abstract expressionism, dada and surrealism, artificial/virtual reality and generative art, and mid-century modern design. Some of my influences included Paul Klee, Edvard Munch, Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, Max Ernst, Mark Rothko, Mark Tobey, Helen Frankenthaler, Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, Cindy Sherman, Myron Krueger, April Greiman, Rudy VanderLans, Jan Tschichold, Neville Brody, David Carson, Paul Rand and Milton Glaser. After earning my degree, I found work as a professional graphic designer and shifted my attention to electronic music.
Audio
Over the years I developed an interest in ambient, electronic and alternative music (for influences, see From the memory vaults). I started working on my own music in high school, making simple recordings with a keyboard and my family’s piano.
Next I experimented with loops and drones, making tape collages with a Radio Shack DJ mixer, three used cassette decks and digital effects (see 1990-1993, the early years). This led to working with sequencing on an Atari ST running Dr. T’s Tiger Cub software, a MIDI keyboard, drum machine and a cassette four-track recorder. During this time, I was a member of a local group called the Brotherhood of Boom that promoted parties for electronic and dance music. I designed the fliers, helped set up and tear down audio equipment and lights, and occasionally played live sets of my music. Eventually, I switched to a Windows PC running Logic and released a number of cassette tapes under the name Biotek (see 1993-1997, cassette tape releases). Over the years I grew my studio, adding a sampling drum machine, several synths, a 16-track/4-bus mixer and digital effects units. This produced a number of CD-R releases using the name Nofi (see 1997-2002, back catalog). At the end of 2002, I felt it was time for a break, so I packed and stored my gear. Except for a few experiments, I didn’t work on music for three years, focusing instead on books, movies, photography and travel.
In 2005, I started working on my Apple iBook with Ableton Live 4. I had demoed an earlier version but didn’t find it useful. This time, I found its new virtual instruments and effects, modular signal chain and performance-oriented approach essential for my experiments. I sold most of my original gear except for a few instruments and focused on my digital studio. To reach a wider audience, I released portions of my back catalog on the Netlabels project of the Internet Archive. In recent years, I have posted a number of demos and live sets under a Creative Commons license. I am also working on remastering my juvenelia and the remainder of my back catalog for future release.
Media Arts
In college, I experimented with analog photography, including using multiple exposures and slide projections. Later, I worked with 3D animation and motion graphics using Adobe After Effects, Bryce and a number of effects plugins, as well as digital photography. More recently, I have worked with digital collage, using appropriated images from vintage slides and sources from earlier experiments.
A few years ago, I rekindled my interest in generative art and started working with Processing, an open-source programming language and environment for artists and designers. I have posted a number of scripts and applets, images and animations which find their way into my projects.
Going forward, I intend to explore object-oriented programming with Processing and Flash ActionScript and generative art and music using Native Instruments Reaktor and Pure Data (PD), an open source, real-time graphical programming environment.