Jeremy Ellis ("Ayro")

 Detroit-based Jeremy Ellis, student of jazz, classical piano, and percussion, Ellis cut his teeth in the Detroit music scene performing with Jazzhead, a Detroit group, as an electrying keyboardist, composer and vocalist. He has played worldwide as a member of Time:Space, and over the years has worked with Detroit producers John Beltran, Carl Craig, Recloose, and Alton Miller. He has beeen influced by artists as varied as Bach and Chopin, Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock, the Beatles and U2. He is an extremely curious musician, always delving into new styles and picking up art-neauvou tricks as he learns. He briefly moved to Puerto Rico to learn, and created an album marrying traditional Bomba and Plena rhythms with Detroit schooled dance music. Ellis returned to Detroit with the musical knowledge of that culture and resolved to create "The Lotus Blooms," an album of insatiable future funk grounded in Detroit and peppered with a Puerto-Rican persuasion.

Ayro, not to be confused as a DJ, is a an artistic solo "freestyle performance artist. Ellis' reputation as an amazing live performer coupled with his released music already released to date convinced Ubiquity Records to sign him for an new album released in 2005. His early 12" releases caught the ears of other labels and producers leading to remix work for Jazzanova, Fertile Ground, John Beltran, John Arnold, and others. His Jazzanova mix pushed the limits when Ellis wrote and performed new lyrics to the existing track adding his gritty Detroit remix flavor.

Ellis' one-man show capabilities are not limited to the studio - on-stage he has developed a unique, energetic, and infectious solo show (to say the least). Energetically working every piece of machinery on stage, he seamlessly creates a live show by engineering tracks from scratch, mixing them into new songs, and remixing his and other peoples tunes. He has coined the term freestyle or freestyle electronic to describe this improvised clash of playing, programming, and singing. As this young artist's music is candy to the ear, he is also one heart-throb as you watch him work his majic (both on stage and on the dance floor).