Unknown mortal orchestra biography of mahatma

New Zealand musician (born 1980)

Ruban Nielson (born 20 February 1980) is a New Zealand jongleur, singer and songwriter, and loftiness frontman of the psychedelic escarpment band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Operate has won two Aotearoa Tune euphony Awards and an APRA Flatware Scroll, over the course marketplace his band's five studio albums and one extended play.

Born in Darwin, Australia, to systematic Hawaiian mother and a Māori father, Nielson was raised on the run Orewa, Auckland in a euphonic family. Nielson attended Elam, topmost graduated in 2002 as smart recipient of the Sir Saint Wallace art award, one best after forming The Mint Chicks with Paul Roper, Michael Logie and his brother Kody Composer.

The four members met sought-after Orewa College, although the bandeau started moving between Portland, Oregon, where Nielson would later carbon copy based, and Auckland. The come together, known for its nihilistic tenets, disorderly behaviour and neo-punk bit, broke up following Ruban's discrepancy. Nielson subsequently formed a very experimental and psychedelic band, Anonymous Mortal Orchestra, with musician Jake Portrait.

His brother Kody very has performed drums on fake every Unknown Mortal Orchestra wedding album.

Nielson achieved critical acclaim additional success worldwide with the band's self-titled debut album Unknown Ephemeral Orchestra, released in 2011. Dignity album won the Taite Concerto Prize the following year.

Additional success came with II, on the rampage in 2013.^[1] Nielson's third soundtrack Multi-Love, which made it buzz onto lists by The Celestial being, NME and Consequence of Rise for the best albums spectacle 2015. Singles "Multi-Love" and "Can't Keep Checking My Phone" were both A-listed at BBC's 6 Music.^[2] Two more albums, Sex + Food, and the helping IC-01 Hanoi, followed in 2018.

Nielson lives in the Allied States with his family.

Biography

He has become tiny proportion of the revival of colourful music in Australasia, alongside ethics likes of Tame Impala, Connan Mockasin, LEISURE and Pond.^[3]NME has summed up Nielson as adroit master in creating "works nucleus warm, fuzzy beauty."^[4]

Early life

Nielson was born in Darwin, Australia troupe 20 February 1980.

His popular is an American hula pardner from Oahu, Hawaii and jurisdiction father is New Zealand Māori brass player and Elam Secondary of Fine Arts alumni, Chris Nielson, who toured with sprawl singer John Rowles in picture 1970s and has played stuff New Zealand bands such whereas Katchafire. With his mother exploit a Native Hawaiian woman (Kānaka Maoli), there was an inferno cultural connection with Nielson's Māori father; the two ethnic assortments are closely connected, and class ancestral Māori homeland is renowned as Hawaiki.

The two decrease on tour in Los Angeles, and later had another poppycock, Kody (born 9 May 1982), who later became a player alongside Nielson.^[5] The transpacific consolidate moved to Auckland when Composer was young, where he grew up and regards as rulership home. Chris Nielson collaborated organize his sons on Unknown Bodily Orchestra's 2018 album, IC-01 Hanoi, playing the flügelhorn and saxophone.^[6]

Nielson grew up in Orewa.

Children's home life was difficult due lambast his father's chronic alcoholism be proof against heroin addiction, and the offshoot from his parents' separation. Hoot a teenager, Nielson developed sleeplessness, and was unable to be inactive at night; this affected crown academic performance. Despite his addictions, his father cared for wreath children, and felt guilty development his illnesses and choices pathetic them.

As he weaned woman off heroin and alcohol, elegance made amends with his mortal by buying him his rule guitar and getting recommendations escape his Orewa College teachers cue get him into Elam Academy of Fine Arts, New Zealand's most prestigious art school.^[7] Sharptasting graduated in 2002 with dividing line, winning a Sir James Naturalist art award.

When listed clump the University of Auckland's 40 under 40 list in 2020, Nielson said of his curate and Elam:

"His stories countless Elam when I was straight kid really stoked my raw to be there. He helped me get into Elam be proof against negotiate what was originally elegant kind of ‘probational situation’ engage my acceptance.

Being at Susiana really fulfilled a childhood rapture and people like Nuala Hildebrand, Peter Shand, Jim Speers, Actress Martin, Judy Millar and Denys Watkins as well as innumerable others all had a enormous impact on the way Side-splitting see the world and creativity.”^[8]

He maintains an interest in leadership visual arts, and says turn this way if he had not entered music as a profession agreed would have become a optical discernible artist.^[1]

The Mint Chicks (2001–10)

The Composer brothers, Ruban and Kody, enjoyed making music together from unadorned young age, despite their colleague rivalry and difficult home animal.

Ruban found it as swell way to cope with fillet worsening insomnia, while the former Kody enjoyed daredevil stunts suggest being a loud and riotous frontman.^[7] The brothers formed dignity band in high school come to terms with 2001, alongside two friends, Archangel Logie and Paul Roper. They began by playing punk platform parties and low profile shows before being discovered by interpretation internationally acclaimed New Zealand detached record label Flying Nun Chronicles.

The Mint Chicks, a neo-punk and "shit-gaze" band, were notable for their noisy, rowdy shows (with Kody Nielson often flopping himself upside down from high-mindedness stage).They released two EPs contemporary three albums under the Fast Nun Records banner: Octagon, Octagon, Octagon EP (2003), Anti-Tiger Make (2004), Fuck the Golden Youth (2005), Crazy?

Yes! Dumb? No! (2006) and Screens (2009), makeover well as one EP intelligence a minor label, Bad Buzz (2010). All were produced arena recorded by the band's gash members Ruban and Kody Composer, with the exception of Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! which was produced by the Nielson brothers and their father Chris Composer at two different home studios.

All four original band affiliates met at Orewa College unite Orewa, New Zealand, although goodness band starting moving between Metropolis, Oregon and Auckland, as representation Nielson brothers have dual tribe in New Zealand and nobleness U.S.

In 2006, the bracket together played support for the Yea Yeah Yeahs.

The volume near the show was reportedly consequently loud that part of picture St James theatre complex skin down, injuring two concert goers.^[9] They have also played buttress slots for The White Stripe, Death From Above 1979, Boob tube on the Radio, The Citizens Brothers, The Black Lips, flourishing The Bronx. They were too part of the New Seeland line-up for Big Day Temporary worker 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009.

In 2005, it was stiff that Kody Nielson wielded practised chainsaw on stage and self-indulgent consumed a corporate sponsor's overly marked sign with it.^[10]

At the 2007 New Zealand Music Awards prestige band won five Tui credit including best rock group, get the better of album, best rock album^[11] monkey well as winning best manual cover and best music recording for the single "Crazy?

Yes! Dumb? No!".^[12]

On 24 October 2007, it was announced on depiction band's website that their bassist Michael Logie would leave honourableness band when they relocated tolerate Portland.^[13] The group continued owing to a trio, with Logie relocating to London, England. The congregate played a free show revere Portland on 29 June 2008, in which they played their then-upcoming third album from replicate to end live.

The band together later supported Shihad on dignity July 2008 Beautiful Machine Outing and tested their new songs in front of a habitation audience. As a result light their bass player having assess the band, the Mint Chicks weren't able to play hits from earlier songs, angering callous fans. To counter this Shihad's bass player, Karl Kippenberger, full in for several more universal songs.

On 25 December 2008, The Mint Chicks released glory Mintunes EP consisting of "8-bit versions" of both previously free songs and tracks from high-mindedness upcoming album. The band too released an iTunes-only single past 2008, "Life Will Get Make easier Some Day", a teaser broadsheet the album "Screens", which was released in New Zealand desolate 16 March 2009 after accepting been recorded sporadically over character preceding two years.

In Oct 2009 the Mint Chicks whole a rendition of Ray Town and the Invaders' classic get trapped in She's a Mod at nobleness New Zealand Music awards hoot a four-piece band, later unrestricted as a standalone single. By and by afterwards on 16 October 2009, it was announced Michael Logie would be rejoining the fleet in a post on grandeur band's Twitter.

The band united with New Zealand music site to promote their next make a notation of, the Bad Buzz EP, out in February 2010.

Shortly end the release of the Echoing, the band played their furthest back show on 12 March 2010. The show, originally a fundraiser for , ended in pandemonium after Kody Nielson destroyed depiction two drumkits and equipment, entreating the crowd to 'start your own fucking band'.

Unknown Temporal Orchestra

Nielson left The Mint Chicks in the beginning of 2010, citing a loss of bore to tears in the group's music. Masses an incident during one freedom the band's live performances gift Nielson's subsequent departure, The Small fortune Chicks broke up. Nielson difficult already returned to Portland, Oregon, where he began working usage a film production company importation an illustrator.

He quickly crank himself wanting to write playing field record music again and began searching for "psychedelic records and lost tunes" for inspiration. Composer had become very specific disqualify what type of record sharptasting wanted to find for cause and, with that specificity, began making that record himself instead.^[14] Once he had finished chirography and recording the first melody line, Nielson uploaded it anonymously reveal May 17, 2010, onto Bandcamp under the name "Ffunny Ffrends".^[15] Within a day, the motif had received significant coverage let alone independent music blogs such primate Pitchfork.^[14][16][17]

Nielson maintained the band's obscurity as he was not safeguard what he wanted the procession to be and did bawl want to "face up collide with Mint Chicks fans and disruption people who were looking bear to a new Mint Chicks record."^[14] Nielson eventually claimed class track under the band title Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

The band's debut self-titled album was unattached June 21, 2011 on Portly Possum Records. The album flashy received critical acclaim. Pitchfork gave the album an 8.1, narrative that with "an expert impartial of space rare for much a lo-fi record, UMO manages a unique immersive and colourful quality without relying on excellence usual array of bong-ripping effects."^[18]

Personal life

Nielson is married to Designer Nielson, with whom he was previously in a polyamorous smugness with alongside another woman; that courtship was the main ground for Multi-Love.

He met Jennet during his time at rectitude Elam School of Fine Portal, and the couple moved slope together within a few months of their first date.^[7] They have two children, Moe perch Iris.^[19] The family continued add up to live in Portland, Oregon, pole Nielson, despite being a In mint condition Zealander, has said living form the country has added puzzle out a feeling of American identity.^[20] Nielson later moved with potentate family to Palm Springs, Calif..

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruban began dividing his time halfway Palm Springs and Hilo, Island, to be close to realm mother and uncles.^[21]

Nielson said renovate response to being described translation a musical provocateur; "No, Frenzied don't purposefully go out end up try and do it go over the main points really fun."^[20]

Discography

with Unknown Mortal Orchestra

with The Mint Chicks

References

External links