Biography
"R.Garcia", "R_Garcia", and "Randy Garcia" are all the same artist and man.
R_Garcia (Randy Garcia), born April 20th, 1977 in Miami, FL, is a modern electronic composer, producer and multi-instrumental performer. Currently based in Atlanta, GA, Garcia heads the seminal Nophi Recordings, as well as the annual Nophest Summer Music Festival. In addition to his solo work, he composes and tours as part of the critically acclaimed art-rock band, Nerd Parade. He also within the past couple of years has joined funky rock band, Swank Sinatra.
Known primarily for his involvement in the genesis of the American IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) movement, R_Garcia has long employed a punk rock ethic in his musical endeavors, often eschewing traditional industry practices in favor of a Do it Yourself philosophy. Additionally, Garcia’s seemingly endless quest to destroy the notion of genre in music serves as the platform for his constant reinvention.
EARLY YEARS
As a child, R_Garcia was an avid music lover, computer enthusiast and tinkerer. A fortunate product of a liberal family and the 1980′s public school system, he received healthy doses of music and computer courses throughout his elementary years. Around the time of his sixth birthday, Garcia received a brand new Commodore 64 computer, with which he would eventually begin composing simple melodies and rhythms using the BASIC programming language.
In middle school, R_Garcia began experimenting with home recording. Utilizing a pair of cassette decks and a DJ mixer , he realized he could over-dub tracks. He eventually used this technique to record his art-punk band, The Fysh Godz — which would make countless collections of strange music. By 1991, R_Garcia began composing with MIDI on a Commodore Amiga 500, an 8-bit sampler, a Korg synthesizer, and a Boss drum machine, giving rise to his earliest electronic compositions.
FORMAL EDUCATION
By 1993, Garcia was studying audio engineering and film production at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale. At 16 years of age, he was the youngest student in his class. On weekends, he wrote and performed music with Blue Sky Baby, a band that also featured the guitar work of Jesse Legg, who would serve as a mentor to Garcia, and eventually release albums on the Schematic and Planet Mu Labels as o9.
In 1995, R_Garcia moved to Gainesville, FL to continue his education. Though his focus would be on the guitar, he would also complete his first album of electronic music during this time. In 1998, Garcia received a scholarship to study music at Broward College in Ft. Lauderdale. He would almost immediately begin employing jazz and classical influences in his work, as he dove deeper into synthesis and production techniques.
NOPHI RECORDINGS
“In the mid-1990s, North American audiences welcomed IDM, and many IDM record labels were founded, including Drop Beat, Isophlux, Suction, Schematic, and Cytrax. In Miami, Florida, labels like Schematic, AiRecords, Merck Records, Nophi Recordings, and The Beta Bodega Coalition released material by artists such as Phoenecia, Dino Felipe, Machinedrum, and Proem.” - Wikipedia
In 1998, Nophi Recordings was founded by R_Garcia and Mic Mell. Nophi’s focus would be instrumental and electronic music, relying heavily on a handmade aesthetic and grass-roots promotion. By 2003, Nophi had expanded its roster and began using the internet as a primary vehicle for business. Nophi flourished through the 2000′s before finally undergoing an overhaul in 2009 — when the label won Creative Loafing’s Best of Atlanta 2009 awards for “Best Record Label (Readers Choice).”
RECENT & CURRENT
Beginning in 2007, R.Garcia released an onslaught of both new and previously unreleased material. Among those recordings are three of Garcia’s most adventurous works: A Delicate Bashing, which introduced his live band, Nerd Parade; The largely acoustic I Used to Write on Walls; and the Critically acclaimed LP of instrumental love songs, Everything Ever. All three recordings heavily tied Garcia’s affinity for live instrumentation to electronic production and set the stage for the future of his music.
By 2010, R_Garcia had been invited to score a television commercial for Kelloggs and work closely with Grammy Candidates 3KStatic on Evolver, a unique sample and loop CD for Sony Creative Software. He also produced recordings and remixes for Pearl Future, Kevin Max (of DC Talk), Pop Will Eat Itself and Julie Slick (Adrian Belew). In April of 2011, Garcia will release his next LP, Resurgens which features a vocal-heavy approach, bolstered by the guest talents of NNXT, DiViNCi (of S.O.S), Plusses and Ups, Tricil, Labtob and long-time collaborator Threv.
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