Making his name as half of progressive hip-hop duo Zion I in the early 2000s, Amp Live went on to establish himself as an inventive, genre-melding producer who has worked with classical orchestras, remixed indie rock bands and even invented his own instrument.
Growing up in San Antonio, Texas he played piano and drums in church and began making music at the age of 13 after hijacking an Ensoniq EPS Sampler machine that his father had bought. He met MC Zumbi at college in Atlanta, Georgia and the pair headed to California in the late-'90s and Zion I established themselves as influential cult heroes on the independent Bay Area hip-hop scene and released acclaimed albums such as 'Mind Over Matter', 'Shadowboxing' and 'True & Livin''.
Amp Live gained wider attention as a solo producer in 2008 when he began making remixes and mash-ups of songs from Radiohead's album 'In Rainbows' and influential blogs like Pitchfork and Stereogum started posting and championing the tracks. Record label Warner/Chappell responded by issuing cease and desist letters and legal threats, but eventually relented and allowed Amp Live to release mini-album 'RainyDayz Remixes' for free. He went on to make other remixes for soul singer Jamie Lidell and indie rock outfit Tokyo Police Club before releasing his debut solo album 'Murder at the Discotech' in 2010 and worked with LA rapper Eligh on follow-up 'Therapy at 3' in 2011.
Known for helping to bring dub-electronic soundscapes into hip-hop and performing with a custom-made drum machine guitar, his most diverse idea came on the 2014 album 'Headphone Concerto', on which he attempted to recreate a traditional three movement, classical concerto by featuring cellist Rebecca Roudman and Gregorian chants alongside woozy trap beats and raps from MCs Prof and Sol. He also released the EP 'Atmosphere' and produced for Odd Future, Too Short and Latyrx before returning to the classic golden era of hip-hop and collaborating with Del the Funky Homosapien on the 2018 album 'Gate 13'.
