Dodo NKishi
Encyclopedia
Dodo NKishi is a singer-songwriter
, composer
and multi-instrumentalist
, best known as the drummer
for the band Mouse on Mars
.
and Soul
form the basis to his approach towards music. Growing up a multi-racial child (his father being from Kinshasa
, Congo
and his mother from Kleve
, Germany
), has had a strong influence on his perception and interpretation of sound
s and music.
Following his move to England
, in 1986, Dodo soon began working with a variety of bands, musicians and producers, as well as engaging in a brief stint in the world of acting, participating in Ray Shell’s
musical
“Street Angels”. Following a sudden signing of a major publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music Ltd., in 1991, the indirect result of winning the first price for the Grolsch Question of Style song-writing contest, he started work on his debut album and began putting together a band. But although his efforts made it to the release of the 12 inch single "Bringing In JAH Love" (1991, Node Records), as well as a handful of concerts in London, by the end of the same year, he found himself defrauded by his manager and bankrupt.
Soon after meeting and thereon co-producing their only release T.O.T. for the project Loophole, together with Andi Toma and Raoul Walton in 1993 in Germany
, Dodo met and began his long-term collaboration with Mouse on Mars
in 1994, and has since been their drummer and vocalist, as well as continuing co-writing and programming with the influential duo.
He is also official drummer and backing-vocalist of the Berlin-Milan based quartet Pet, founded by Andre Abshagen, and co-wrote on their 2006 release Rewind The Sofa Lady.
Over the years, Dodo has continued to intensify his live and studio collaborations with such international artists as Stewart Copeland
(Gizmo), Herbert Grönemeyer
(Mensch
), Vittorio Cosma, Charles Bullen (This Heat
, Circadian Rhythms), Changuito
(on the album Syncopation), Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti of The Dining Rooms
, with whom he started Sembro, an electro-acoustic
soul
-folk
oriented project, as well as many others, and further continues to spread his message of one love.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, best known as the drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for the band Mouse on Mars
Mouse on Mars
Mouse on Mars is a duo from Germany who have been making electronic music since 1993. Their music is a sometimes quirky blend of IDM, krautrock, disco, and ambient with a heavy dollop of analog synth sounds and cross-frequency modulation...
.
Background
ReggaeReggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and Soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
form the basis to his approach towards music. Growing up a multi-racial child (his father being from Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
and his mother from Kleve
Kleve
Kleve , is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Kleve was capital of a county and later a duchy...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), has had a strong influence on his perception and interpretation of sound
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
s and music.
History
NKinshi founded "La Vie", his first group, in 1979. A reggae outfit, which made a name for itself for their mature lyrics and compositions, as well as their entertaining and tight performances. Although they never officially released any recordings, their consistent live performances assured them a fast growing and loyal fan base, and the founders continued to explore various forms of reggae until 1985.Following his move to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1986, Dodo soon began working with a variety of bands, musicians and producers, as well as engaging in a brief stint in the world of acting, participating in Ray Shell’s
Ray Shell
Ray Shell is an African American, film, TV and stage actor, as well as an author, director and producer. He is famous for creating the roles of Nomax in Five Guys Named Moe and Rusty in Starlight Express...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
“Street Angels”. Following a sudden signing of a major publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music Ltd., in 1991, the indirect result of winning the first price for the Grolsch Question of Style song-writing contest, he started work on his debut album and began putting together a band. But although his efforts made it to the release of the 12 inch single "Bringing In JAH Love" (1991, Node Records), as well as a handful of concerts in London, by the end of the same year, he found himself defrauded by his manager and bankrupt.
Soon after meeting and thereon co-producing their only release T.O.T. for the project Loophole, together with Andi Toma and Raoul Walton in 1993 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Dodo met and began his long-term collaboration with Mouse on Mars
Mouse on Mars
Mouse on Mars is a duo from Germany who have been making electronic music since 1993. Their music is a sometimes quirky blend of IDM, krautrock, disco, and ambient with a heavy dollop of analog synth sounds and cross-frequency modulation...
in 1994, and has since been their drummer and vocalist, as well as continuing co-writing and programming with the influential duo.
He is also official drummer and backing-vocalist of the Berlin-Milan based quartet Pet, founded by Andre Abshagen, and co-wrote on their 2006 release Rewind The Sofa Lady.
Over the years, Dodo has continued to intensify his live and studio collaborations with such international artists as Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
(Gizmo), Herbert Grönemeyer
Herbert Grönemeyer
Herbert Grönemeyer is a German musician and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He starred as war correspondent Lieutenant Werner in Wolfgang Petersen's movie Das Boot, but later concentrated on his musical career...
(Mensch
Mensch (album)
Mensch, released in 2002, is the 20th music release by prominent German rock/pop artist Herbert Grönemeyer. Mensch is Grönemeyer's 11th full-length album of original compositions. The title track Mensch became Grönemeyer's first number-one single in Germany...
), Vittorio Cosma, Charles Bullen (This Heat
This Heat
This Heat were a British experimental music group formed in early 1976 in Camberwell, London by multi-instrumentalists Charles Bullen , Charles Hayward and Gareth Williams .This Heat were active in the ascendancy of British progressive rock and punk rock, but stood apart...
, Circadian Rhythms), Changuito
Changuito
Changuito is a Cuban percussionist.-Biography:Quintana was born in 1948 in Casablanca, Cuba. As a child he played professionally in bands such as Havana Jazz , with his musician father, and with La Pandilla de los Cabezas de Perros...
(on the album Syncopation), Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti of The Dining Rooms
The Dining Rooms
The Dining Rooms is a band based in Milan, Italy. Its music does not fall under a specific genre, blending ambient, electronic, and jazz. The Dining Rooms are Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti....
, with whom he started Sembro, an electro-acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
-folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
oriented project, as well as many others, and further continues to spread his message of one love.