Nebulae (band)
Encyclopedia
Nebulae is an electronic and alternative rock music artist. Nebulae also remixes music and provides production and mastering services for a wide variety of bands, collaborating over the Internet. Nebulae started as a band in the early 90s. Previous members included Abid Hussain and Takeshi Kurt Eto. Currently, Nebulae consists only of Hussain, who produces and releases electronic, progressive house, tech house, trance, breakbeat, darkwave, and alternative rock music from Dallas, Texas.
at Berkeley, PhD student Takeshi Kurt Eto and pre-law undergraduate Abid Hussain had a vision of combining diverse musical backgrounds and formed the band Nebulae in order to make music that defied genre classification. Over the next 10 years, Nebulae wrote, recorded and produced seven albums, and remixed several tracks for artists from around the globe. The band's mantra was simply "to create music that was completely nebulous". This philosophy empowered their creativity enabling Nebulae to meld diverse musical styles into genre-bending albums. Initially their studio setup up was minimal, with just a four-track recorder, one Roland Juno synthesizer, an Alesis drum machine, an Ibanez guitar, and a saxophone. Capitalizing on the Internet, which was at its infancy, the band created a cult following by marketing over the web.
, while Eto moved to Los Angeles
to develop his web hosting business. From that point, Nebulae became a long-distance project, and they continued to produce albums such as Nebulae : World Wide Eclecticae (1997). However, the reality of a long distance partnership eventually took its toll on the band, and in 2002, the duo produced its last album, entitled Nebulae : Formulae (2002).
Hussain was committed to keeping the Nebulae name alive, and thus decided to take on the persona of Nebulae as a solo artist. As he grew artistically, Nebulae began to use Ableton Live as his main software to produce and perform live shows, and he became heavily immersed in the Ableton community. As Live evolved, so did his work flow. This tool provided a new degree of creativity and a more sophisticated level of detail in the music. The Nebulae "sound" started to become more influenced by all forms of electronica, specifically, progressive house, trance, and breakbeat. Nebulae kept his roots in melodic composition, which he married with the percussive sounds of beat-driven dance floor music.
From 2003 to 2008, Nebulae continued to produce remixes and perform live shows, including getting involved with Laptop Deathmatch in Dallas, Texas. Laptop battles began to stretch Nebulae out of his comfort zone, allowing him to avoid the common pitfall of becoming entrenched in one particular musical sound or genre. This resulted in three additional side projects (Chlorophyll, Kundalini Shock Attack, and Hot Bitch Arsenal) and a new concept album called Nebulae : Wallpaper (2008). Wallpaper contained elements of melodic progression, minimal house beats and electro noises. The goal of this record was to allow listeners to tune in and pay attention to the subtle details and textures if they want, or leave it in the background to enhance moods or fill space. Wallpaper, is available as streaming audio from Bandcamp.
In 2009, Nebulae began experimenting with new directions, including an upcoming alternative rock record that revisits his alternative rock
influences, such as New Order
and The Smiths
. Updates and discussion are available at nebulae.com.
History
In 1992, on the campus of the University of CaliforniaUniversity of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
at Berkeley, PhD student Takeshi Kurt Eto and pre-law undergraduate Abid Hussain had a vision of combining diverse musical backgrounds and formed the band Nebulae in order to make music that defied genre classification. Over the next 10 years, Nebulae wrote, recorded and produced seven albums, and remixed several tracks for artists from around the globe. The band's mantra was simply "to create music that was completely nebulous". This philosophy empowered their creativity enabling Nebulae to meld diverse musical styles into genre-bending albums. Initially their studio setup up was minimal, with just a four-track recorder, one Roland Juno synthesizer, an Alesis drum machine, an Ibanez guitar, and a saxophone. Capitalizing on the Internet, which was at its infancy, the band created a cult following by marketing over the web.
Long Distance Collaboration
In 1995, Hussain went to law school at the University of OregonUniversity of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, while Eto moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to develop his web hosting business. From that point, Nebulae became a long-distance project, and they continued to produce albums such as Nebulae : World Wide Eclecticae (1997). However, the reality of a long distance partnership eventually took its toll on the band, and in 2002, the duo produced its last album, entitled Nebulae : Formulae (2002).
Split and Current Status
The partnership between Eto and Hussain split amicably in 2003. The duo mutually agreed that Hussain would take ownership of and continue to promote Nebulae's past and future music via the band's website at www.nebulae.com. The two remain friends.Hussain was committed to keeping the Nebulae name alive, and thus decided to take on the persona of Nebulae as a solo artist. As he grew artistically, Nebulae began to use Ableton Live as his main software to produce and perform live shows, and he became heavily immersed in the Ableton community. As Live evolved, so did his work flow. This tool provided a new degree of creativity and a more sophisticated level of detail in the music. The Nebulae "sound" started to become more influenced by all forms of electronica, specifically, progressive house, trance, and breakbeat. Nebulae kept his roots in melodic composition, which he married with the percussive sounds of beat-driven dance floor music.
From 2003 to 2008, Nebulae continued to produce remixes and perform live shows, including getting involved with Laptop Deathmatch in Dallas, Texas. Laptop battles began to stretch Nebulae out of his comfort zone, allowing him to avoid the common pitfall of becoming entrenched in one particular musical sound or genre. This resulted in three additional side projects (Chlorophyll, Kundalini Shock Attack, and Hot Bitch Arsenal) and a new concept album called Nebulae : Wallpaper (2008). Wallpaper contained elements of melodic progression, minimal house beats and electro noises. The goal of this record was to allow listeners to tune in and pay attention to the subtle details and textures if they want, or leave it in the background to enhance moods or fill space. Wallpaper, is available as streaming audio from Bandcamp.
In 2009, Nebulae began experimenting with new directions, including an upcoming alternative rock record that revisits his alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
influences, such as New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
and The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
. Updates and discussion are available at nebulae.com.
Personal
Currently Nebulae lives in Dallas, Texas, where he is an attorney with a real estate and business law practice. He has been married since 1998 and has a young son. He was also a passionate supporter of the Barack Obama campaign, volunteering for voter protection in Ohio during the 2008 presidential election.Discography
- 2008 - nebulae - wallpaper
- 2002 - nebulae - formulae
- 1998 - nebulae - arthur loves plasticulaeArthur Loves PlasticulaeArthur Loves Plasticulae is a remix album from Nebulae & Arthur Loves Plastic and was released in 1998.- Nebulae notes :"A completely deconstructed-and-then-remixed album of songs by Arthur Loves Plastic ...sort of like Sasha's Involver, only seven years ahead."- Arthur Loves Plastic release notes...
- 1997 - nebulae - world wide eclecticae
- 1995 - nebulae - straight to the jugulae
- 1994 - nebulae - globulae
- 1993 - nebulae - schnebulae
- 1992 - nebulae
- 1992 - the disco moslem strikes back