Greg Ellis (musician)
Encyclopedia
Greg Ellis is a California
-born drummer and percussionist, who is currently a member of World/Psytrance/Tribal band Juno Reactor
and the ambient group Biomusique.
Ellis has worked with diverse artists, from Beck
to Billy Idol
. Along with Iran
ian-born Azam Ali
he co-founded the world music
group Vas
. Along with Ali, he released four albums on Narada Records. In 2001 he released a solo album titled Kala Rupa. He has recorded and performed with India
n tabla
masters Ustad Zakir Hussain
, Pandit Shankar Ghosh
and Bikram Ghosh, nagara
master Nathu Lal Solinkey, Japanese taiko
drummers KODO
, Grateful Dead
drummer Mickey Hart
, and percussion master Airto Moriera, as well as master musicians from Iran
, Africa
, and Turkey
.
A session musician for film and television, his extensive work with composers Ben Watkins and Tyler Bates
can be heard in the major motion pictures The Matrix: Reloaded
and The Matrix: Revolutions
, Fight Club
, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
, Dawn Of The Dead
(2004), City Of Ghosts, Dukes of Hazzard, The Chronicles of Narnia
. Ellis' work is also expected to be heard in upcoming Anime
film Brave Story and in the film adaptation of Frank Miller
's graphic novel 300
. His drum-set and percussion work will also be heard in a future release by Roseland
with Azam Ali and musician Tyler Bates
.
An advocate for the transformative power of organic rhythm
and ‘real time’ music, Ellis has presented seminars at the National Conference for the American Music Therapists Association and was invited to speak at the 2002 World Conference on Music Therapy
in Oxford, England. His concepts and perspectives on drumming and rhythm can be experienced through RhythmTrance, improvisational solo performances that aim to raise consciousness
of the rhythmic nature of existence.
In 2005, he created RhythmPharm, a sonic pharmacy dispensing audio-pharmaceuticals. Bay Area New Edge label Cyberset digitally release these RhythmTonics.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-born drummer and percussionist, who is currently a member of World/Psytrance/Tribal band Juno Reactor
Juno Reactor
Juno Reactor is a musical and performing act known for the cinematic fusion of electronic, orchestral, and global music. Central to the project is Ben Watkins and his collaborations with a constantly changing ensemble of musicians from across the world, including percussionist Mabi Thobejane from...
and the ambient group Biomusique.
Ellis has worked with diverse artists, from Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
to Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
. Along with Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-born Azam Ali
Azam Ali
-Biography:Born in Tehran, Iran 1970, Ali spent most of her childhood in Panchgani, India. Ali and her mother moved to Los Angeles, California in 1985, after which Ali discovered the santour...
he co-founded the world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
group Vas
Vas (band)
Vas was an alternative world musical group composed of Persian vocalist Azam Ali and American percussionist Greg Ellis. Vas is frequently compared to the Australian band Dead Can Dance. The band released four full-length albums, and both artists have released a few solo albums and participated in...
. Along with Ali, he released four albums on Narada Records. In 2001 he released a solo album titled Kala Rupa. He has recorded and performed with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
masters Ustad Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain (musician)
Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St...
, Pandit Shankar Ghosh
Shankar Ghosh
Pandit Shankar Ghosh is a noted Indian tabla player from the Farukhabad gharana of Hindustani classical music. He is also an occasional Hindustani classical singer where he follows the Patiala gharana....
and Bikram Ghosh, nagara
Nagara
Nagara is a village in the Shimoga district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is 17 km from Hosanagara or 84 km from Shimoga. This was called "Bidanoor" earlier during the 16th century, this was the last capital city of Keladi rulers. In 1763, Hyder Ali captured this area...
master Nathu Lal Solinkey, Japanese taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
drummers KODO
Kodo
-In Japan:* The kōdō, Japanese incense ceremony.* Kodo , a taiko drumming group based in Japan.* The Kodo Group, a yakuza criminal organization...
, Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
drummer Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
, and percussion master Airto Moriera, as well as master musicians from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
A session musician for film and television, his extensive work with composers Ben Watkins and Tyler Bates
Tyler Bates
Tyler Bates is a music producer and composer for films. His most known work includes "The Hangman's Song" and various other tracks from the zombie horror film Dawn of the Dead, and 2008's Day of the Dead...
can be heard in the major motion pictures The Matrix: Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
and The Matrix: Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,...
, Fight Club
Fight Club (film)
Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job...
, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a 2001 adventure thriller film adapted from the Tomb Raider video game series. Directed by Simon West and starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, it was released in U.S. theaters on June 15, 2001. The film was a commercial success...
, Dawn Of The Dead
Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)
Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 horror film directed by Zack Snyder in his directorial debut. It is a remake of George A. Romero's 1978 film of the same name and stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, and Jake Weber. The film depict a handful of human survivors living in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin shopping mall...
(2004), City Of Ghosts, Dukes of Hazzard, The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages...
. Ellis' work is also expected to be heard in upcoming Anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
film Brave Story and in the film adaptation of Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
's graphic novel 300
300 (film)
300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant...
. His drum-set and percussion work will also be heard in a future release by Roseland
Roseland (band)
Roseland is a musical partnership between Azam Ali and film composer Tyler Bates. It features Azam singing entirely in English against a rock/ambient soundscape that, on several tracks, includes the drumming and percussion of Greg Ellis, who co-founded Vas with Azam Ali back in 1996.-History and...
with Azam Ali and musician Tyler Bates
Tyler Bates
Tyler Bates is a music producer and composer for films. His most known work includes "The Hangman's Song" and various other tracks from the zombie horror film Dawn of the Dead, and 2008's Day of the Dead...
.
An advocate for the transformative power of organic rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
and ‘real time’ music, Ellis has presented seminars at the National Conference for the American Music Therapists Association and was invited to speak at the 2002 World Conference on Music Therapy
Music therapy
Music therapy is an allied health profession and one of the expressive therapies, consisting of an interpersonal process in which a trained music therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their...
in Oxford, England. His concepts and perspectives on drumming and rhythm can be experienced through RhythmTrance, improvisational solo performances that aim to raise consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
of the rhythmic nature of existence.
In 2005, he created RhythmPharm, a sonic pharmacy dispensing audio-pharmaceuticals. Bay Area New Edge label Cyberset digitally release these RhythmTonics.