SIMEONE

^Simeone live at arch 365 London

"A swathe of synth-apocryphal genius. There are no more saints and martyrs... their memory burns in the roaring shadows of Simeone's dark wave aftermath of the war on Modernism... Behold an unquestioned answer to the confused eulogy of pop. Worship or be damned" TUBAL CAIN Mar '08
"An electronica-loving crowd Lee Simeone plays live
keeping the dancefloor dark, gothic and moody"
TIMEOUT MAGAZINE Mar '08
Taken from www.simeoneuk.com ;

Lee Simeone (B. 20th March 1980) is a composer of darkwave electro a multi-instrumentalist whom recently released his debut album "The Dream Weaver" A track from the album was also recently featured by the world renowned Tate Modern Gallery in London in November 2007. These self produced debut works are released on the le coq musique record label (The label features collaborations with Adam Ant, Kevin Mooney, Film 2) ran by Ex Adam & The Ants bassist Kevin Mooney and Renegade Soundwaves frontman Gary Asquith, this album from Simeone will be one of the debut releases of the label. Lee self produces and writes music taking deeper aspects of sounds and putting them into his own mould of recordings with some very deep soundscape backdrops. He is also very interested in collections he has made of sound in certain combinations for film and library music.

Lee has gone on to win some great reviews namely the pro music magazine 'Future music' in January 2007. Lee also collaborates with Ron Strykert who was the songwriter & guitarist for Grammy award winning band 'Men At Work' Lees vocal influence came from 80ies chart topper Karel Fialka who had two hit singles in the 1980ies with 'The eyes have it' & 'Hey Matthew' Simeone quotes "I love the way he sings and he also makes great soundscapes..He is unique".
^Lee Simeone Live at St. Moritz Club London
with special guest Kevin Mooney. © 2007 red-raw-retina
^Simeone feature in Future Music Magazine stated
"A huge sound, there could be something special here"

The latest release features a lot of dreamy and ambient textured soundscapes awashed with analogue synthesiser adding a melancholy feel to the work mixed with some very soulful & personal lyrics. Discovering electronic music in his exercise lessons at primary school Lee recalls the teacher at the time use to bring in his own records for them to work out to. He was to find these sounds fascinating on these recordings which were sound effects mixed with ambient textures. Then at these very same lessons the teacher had bought in a copy of the classic 70ies masterpiece Oxygene by Jean Michel Jarre. Lee recalls that this was when he knew he wanted to make music.
Studying hard at his influences he started writing his own ideas and early recordings as a young teen and this was to take place at home on a synthesiser which his mother had purchased for him when he was 11 years old. He had his first drum lessons when he was 12, Lee quotes that he had 2 or 3 lessons then quit the drum class and tort himself after that. "The drum teacher tort me the drum roll and then I was off!" Lee got an electronic drum machine when he was 14 and based songs around his drumming using his synthesiser. He got heavily into Vangelis, Mike Oldfield and the English folk guitarist and poet Roy Harper, Harper had also been sighted as an influence namly by Kate Bush who also guested on his recordings. Lee says that Roy Harper knew how to set an atmosphere like nobody else and that he was a major influence in the soundscapes of his music.
The ideas that Lee had for his music was to make a big soundtrack of soundscapes awashed with electronic effects & synthesisers. He has quite a well built sound source at his home studio for inspiration. This is when he started to work in graphic design as to give the listener an image of what was going through his mind at the time of writing the music, which started with futuristic imagery. His early material was of mixed ideas and had a very dark and ethereal mood set. He recalls that they were painful times while recording back in the late 90ies. Recording on quite lo-fi equipment (he recalls that it was not intentional just lack of funds at the time) and slowly started gaining interest from other electronic music fans. After releasing demos early reviews came about one of which Kaleidoscope magazine picked up on a demo track called 'Alone' who found it reminiscent of John Foxx (Ex-Ultravox) & Robert Rental (a pioneer of the post punk DIY industrial electronic music) That same featured track was to end up on Simeones debut release. In 2007 Lee put this myspace page together and has gained big interest with music lovers across the globe. A mini tour of Berlin along side The Lavender Pill Mob (featuring Kevin Mooney & Gary Asquith) was a success back in November 2007 featuring some performances at 'White Trash' & 'Lovelight' both are at the heart of Berlins underground music circuit. On into March 2008 Lee appeared in a scene which reenacted an 80ies new romantic nightclub called 'Billy's' along side Steve Strange for the BBC series 'Ashes To Ashes', a gripping finale to the critically-acclaimed and multi award-winning Life On Mars BBC series. March also would see the release of Lee's debut album 'The Dream Weaver'.

Recent new is that a new e.p. titled "Magic Star" is to be released in April 2009, featuring Karel Fialka & Renegade Soundwave's Gary Asquith. More info at the website: www.simeoneuk.com

::PRESS::

Lee Simeone has been blown upon the shores of the electronic frontier through his textured and shimmering sound and his soulful vocals. A sense of peace comes from his singing, with synths accompanying him along the melody in a serene manner... a faint reverb and sugared keys lead me into a world of peaceful dreams and gentle melancholy.

Lee plays his own drums, lending this new album 'The Dream Weaver' a polished live feeling. It was composed by Lee after a track from this album was played at the Tate Gallery in London in 2007. It seems this was a catalyst for this fine album. There is a melodramatic darkness present in this release which seems to play with Darkwave thus lending the album its inky ambience. 'Alone' from the dream weaver is an amazing example of his ability to deliver sound. Gentle piano rolls in through the introduction, while a soft background cadence develops, ranging from a soft shimmer to concrete everyday sounds, making for a lush cascade. 'Moonflower' is dark and atmospheric, and Lee's vivid voice is digitized, echoing quietly throughout the melody. The verses you will find in some of the songs are loosely spun with the same emotional intensity in line with his music.

Inspired by Jean Michelle Jarre's 'Oxygene' Simeone started working on music all throughout his youth, and took to electronic music at an early age and has romanced it throughout his life. Mike Oldfield, Vangelis, and Roy Harper shadowed him, enhancing his prolific expression. Lee is still being shaped by other musicians and influences, just recently had returned from a tour in Berlin, with some musical greats such as Vangelis and Brian Eno and Gary Numan as his forerunners. But his sound is very much his own, and would be termed as indefinable. His music is ethereal and so unique, I would estimate this artist will be met with electric success.

MINNI MUSIQUE MAGAZINE Canada Dec '09
^Simeone in the BBC series 'Ashes To Ashes'
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