Growing up in Detroit with a robotics engineer for a father, wandering through giant industrial buildings full of massive mechanical machinery, eyes widened by their astonishing complexity and accuracy, inspiring his young desire to create. Thus began his experimentation with programming and electronics early on i… Read More
Growing up in Detroit with a robotics engineer for a father, wandering through giant industrial buildings full of massive mechanical machinery, eyes widened by their astonishing complexity and accuracy, inspiring his young desire to create. Thus began his experimentation with programming and electronics early on in grade school, building small electronic devices, simple analogue synthesizers, and programming video games and generative audio visuals in Basic and C++.
Later on as a teenager, during the explosive birth of the electronic music culture, his first performances were in similar industrial warehouses in the heart of Detroit. Performing his very first live sets for crowds of thousands alongside the early icons and innovators of Techno such as Juan Atkins, and Aux-88, and hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan. Interpolated amidst the Techno and Hip-Hop scenes, he produced for many Detroit Hip-Hop artists, receiving recognition from Virgin A&Rs, and astounding local rappers and producers.
At 17 he caught the ear of Rephlex records in the UK, and later signed with Planet-Mu to release OOO "Upon Cycles" receiving high acclaim from critics.
"Only two circles are needed to form the sign for endless. The possibilities for OOO aka Nicholas C. Raftis III are also endless. He chose to build sounds into delicate, post-modern, complex structures of what is only badly described as electronic music. Greatly talented with the gift of almost intuitively finding the right beats and sounds to put together, he stays with computer-generated sounds that range from old keyboards to the fringes of power-electronics and the rhythm-bastards of old Warp-records. All mashed into one big pile of beautiful art, like a glass-tower or an ice-sculpture of the most fragile and filligrane design. Yet never foregoing the pounding basses and the long-winding floors of sounds. Everything moves, everything changes. " -monochrom.at
"Upon Cycles is a rich enough slice of music to satisfy the most demanding fan of sharp electronic music...this record is, behind its enigmatic cover, a mine of sounds, textures and beats....As first albums go, Upon Cycles is as near perfect as it gets. With an impressive control over his work and a creative approach to sonic structures, OOO’s Nicholas C. Raftis is likely to rapidly become a name to count on. As Upon Cycles progresses, it dawns on the listener that there aren’t any boundaries Raftis cannot push down, and that this album is simply the expression of a small part of his talent. 4.5/5 ." - themilkfactory.co.uk
He has collaborated with Warp Records artist Jimmy Edgar on a full length album that has not yet been released. He also is working with New York based Film and TV composer Omar Jon Ajluni, and “Aviary Ghost’s” Stephen Kemsley on a band project named “Sun Room Generator”. In 2007 he collaborated with Paul Gaeta aka Panther God, to curate and release “Silicon Graffiti” a compilation on Circuitree Records, featuring Jimmy Edgar, Machinedrum and many others. It was featured as the #1 new electronic release in the Tokyo based Warszawa Records store. He performed many shows in Detroit, New York City, Georgia, and North Carolina, opening for Venetian Snares, Richard Devine, Jimmy Edgar, and many others.
Most recently he has begun releasing under the pseudonym Axiom Crux, with a compilation appearance on “Funerals and Banks” and an EP titled “Praxis Escapism” on Abstract Logic Recordings, which quickly hit the charts at #5 on addictech. His debut show with this moniker headlining Bass Church 3 on July 29th, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina to a crowd of 1,000 people. Soon thereafter opening for Bassnectar to a crowd of 1,500. He released a free remix of Sarah Brightman’s “Figlio Perduto” on Bwompbeats.com blog. He also has upcoming releases on the Japanese label Made in Glitch, an EP on Detroit Underground, and an EP on Circuitree Records.
He has performed live synchronized audio and video created live in his custom self-programmed software at renoun art venues Museum of Contemporary Art, in North Miami, Cranbrook Art Community in Detroit and Miami Art Central. He has done interactive audio/visual installations, cutting edge sensor dance performances where the dancers movements created audio and video, published albums on Planet-mu, Sublight, Detroit Underground, Abstract Logic Recordings, Melted Mailbox, Circuitree, Catalogue and Rolax record labels, animated television commercials and segments for Hersheys, Twix, MTV, PBS, Boomerang, and more. Written scores and animated for independent films and television including Sesame Street, and screened films in festivals and museums worldwide. Read Less
