Born in Caracas, Venezuela. composer-keyboardist Amilcar started playing the melodica at age four, and two years later began formal piano lessons. "Growing up listening to classical music," he says, "felt natural to me... it was very calming, expressive and harmonic." But his early training got a bumpy start, thanks to his teacher innovative methods. "She told me 'You have to learn to differentiate between low and high tones' ,"Amilcar explains. "When she would play a low tone, I would have to take few steps backwards with my eyes closed. Then, when she played a high tone, I was to take a few steps forward, my eyes still closed. I loved that idea! Unfortunately, I ended up at the hospital with four stitches on my forehead when she played a very high octave and I ran into a wall!"
Things progressed smoothly after that, and the piano remains Amilcar's favorite instrument though he now plays a wide range of keyboards. "It is very romantic and inspirational", he enthuses. "I love the acoustic and resonance it generates, and how the piano displaces vibrations into air, giving you a tremendous range of tonal possibilities."
By the age 12, Amilcar owned hundreds of records and started a DJ business with a friend from school. "We used to mix records," he shares, and even experiment with sounds and lights." His album collection was a source of pride and joy to the budding professional. "I consider musical recording like books", he explains. "Each one has a story to tell, something to teach, something to share."
Amilcar himself shares his own passion for classical instrumentation and the pulsing natural rhythms of the tropical rainforest on his recorded debut, VACUUMING THE FOREST, which was released in 2005 and reached the top charts. More recently, one of his latest tracks is released on the compilation album Echoes of Tuvalu which ranked # 1 on the New Age Charts during August'06 and he is also currently working on his next album "Finding Home" to be released later next year.
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