[hider=Louis Parker] [center][img]https://www.muzines.co.uk/images_mag/articles/mt/MT_88_12_juan_atkins_large.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/BaMttsc.png?1[/img][/center] [hr] [b]Name: [/b]Louis Davis Parker [b]Nicknames:[/b] Machine Nation (current stage name) [b]Age: 27[/b] [b]Gender: Male[/b] [b]Sexuality: Asexual[/b] [b]Relationship Status:[/b] It's a solo project at the moment [b]Occupation:[/b] Electrical Engineer, because his music ain't paying the bills at the moment [hr] [b]Positive Traits:[/b] Honest, Inquisitive, Calm, [b]Negative Traits:[/b] Withdrawn, Uncompromising, Blunt, Stubborn [b]Dreams:[/b] Make a kind of music that's never been heard before, the kind of thing that can only be made by man and machine working together [b]Dilemma[/b] Does he keep his stable job and accept that his music will be made by him alone, and enjoyed by him alone? Does he go out looking for some other path, some kind of community? [hr] [b]Biography:[/b] Louis was born in Detroit, to a dad who had been a jazz drummer before abandoning that career for a job at an auto plant, and a mom that led the church choir. There was always a nice record collection around the house. Louis' youth happened during a turbulent time for Detroit, and after the riots of the 60s and the further decline of the 70s, Louis' parents decided that it was time to move to a quieter suburb. The move meant saying goodbye to most of his friends and entering an unfamiliar school, leading to him becoming more withdrawn and moodier. His music tastes changed too, moving away from the greats of classic jazz to listen to more modern and experimental works, like the works of Sun Ra or Miles Davis’ electric period. Before he had been in the school but he quit that too in this period, feeling out of place. He picked up a hobby of working with electronics when his Mom brought home a broken Hammond Organ that the church had retired, convincing his parents to keep it after being fascinated by the warped sounds it made. After a lot of hard work and study, he managed to get it working, and from then on he became an avid keyboard player. In high school he was known as a weird kid, always tinkering but he didn’t bother anyone so he made few foes. He took extra math classes, spent time in the library, and generally acted more like a nerd than one of the musicians. Most of his interaction with other musical types came from earned money on the side fixing people’s gear when it broke; he was not interested in joining bands. With the extra money he got a cheap Korg synthesizer and continued his experimentation. He didn't even particularly like sharing his music, content just to play his solos by himself in the family garage. His studies paid off with good grades, and he went on to attend University of Michigan after graduation, becoming the first member of his family to go to college. Louis took a while to decide on a major. Initially he wanted to go into music, but his parent’s advice and his own uncertainty led him rethink that decision. Every time he went home the news around Detroit had more talk of factory closures and machines replacing men on the assembly-line. His father was perpetually on the verge of getting laid off, so Louis picked a major that would go with this trend, not against, choosing to be an electrical engineer. He worked hard and made a small group of friends across a few different departments, the type of people that liked to read books by Marshall McLuhan and Alvin Toffler. Louis also took note of the growing electronic music scene, buying more gear and a tape recorder to try and make his own tracks with. They were primitive, but had a few interesting ideas he'd come back to later. When Louis graduated he got involved with the computer industry. There was plenty of work in that field, and it was all interesting enough to Louis. As he saw computers evolve he began to dream of using them for live music, no just as an instrument but as part of the composition and improvisation process. The tech was never close enough to make it practical anywhere outside of a few experimental labs, and so Louis kept his ideas to himself and focused on more practical concerns. He left Michigan to move to Los Angeles for a job with a small but rapidly growing company. Most people would've used the extra money to move into a nicer place, but James sticks around Oceanside and uses the money to add to his synthesizer collection, cramming into his small pad. When he can he plays live shows at clubs that'll let him, but given his style of music is pretty experimental, he isn't getting many gigs. A few people come to him for technical help, but he is very far from the mainstream music industry right now. [hr] [b]Extra Info:[/b] The Mission [b]FC and Claimed Color:[/b] Juan Atkins and [color=198cff]198cff[/color][/hider]