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Jono Podmore
Professor of the Practice of Popular Music
Composer, Producer, Programmer, Engineer
Orchestral Arranger

Born in Liverpool in 1965 Jono began to play violin at the age of 10. He left Liverpool to study electronic music at Middlesex University in 1983. By 1986 he was composing music for theatre and TV (incl. Eugene Ionesco's Journeys Among The Dead and Stanley's Vision for Channel 4 TV) and together with Peter Hope released the album Dry Hip Rotation.
In 1987 Jono joined The Corn Dollies as violinist and string arranger with international touring and studio commitments including 2 albums. Following the split of the band in 1990, he went to Japan to continue his studies in Karate. On returning to London he began working as an engineer, producer, programmer and string arranger with artists such as Jamiroquai, The Shamen, Jhelisa, Ian McCulloch, Robert Owens, D*Note, Republica, Sunship, and A.P.E whilst continuing to compose and produce music for stage and screen.
In 1994 he began work with Mr. C (The Shamen) at Watershed Studios and Plink Plonk records. It was at this point he began to compose and record under the name Kumo, founding 2 sister labels to Plink Plonk: Autoi and Psychomat, and began to play the Theremin, developing new techniques for live performance of electronic music.
After a string of singles and remixes as Kumo, March 1997 saw the release of his first album Kaminari to sigificant critical acclaim. A series of live dates and international DJ commitments followed, including the Essential Music Festival, the Sonar festival, and the Graz Biennale.
1997 was also the year that Jono moved temporarily to France to work as co-producer, sound designer and sound engineer with Irmin Schmidt (of Can) on his opera Gormenghast which premiered in 1998, and was re-staged in 2004. A selection from the opera was released on Spoon/Mute records in 2000 (Spoon 44).
In 2000 after relocating to Cologne, Germany he worked with Tim Simenon on a new Bomb the Bass album, with Jose Padilla (Cafe del Mar compiler and DJ) on the album Navigator, produced a number of tracks for Jaki Liebezeit (of Can)'s band Club Off Chaos, and October 2000 saw the release of the 2nd Kumo album 1+1=1 on Spoon Records (Spoon 46).
In 2001, after extensive touring including the Sonar festival, the London Jazz Festival and the Can Solo Projects tour, the first Irmin Schmidt and Kumo album: Masters of Confusion (Spoon 45) was released worldwide. Later the same year they created the sound installation Flies, Guys and Choirs for the Barbican Centre as part of the Elektronik festival. The installation is now available as a sonic experience for public spaces. The duo continue to perform and give workshops together across Europe and at festivals such as Montreux Jazz, Sonar, Triptych etc. They also work on film and TV music together including award winning German TV series and dramas.
In 2002 Jono also worked on new projects in Germany, Switzerland and the U.K (with B.J Cole and Jaki Liebezeit amongst others) and a the track EP Kumo and Friends (e-tones 009) was released on Electric Tones Records in early 2003.
For much of 2003 he worked closely with Spoon records on the CanDVD: remixing Can in 5.1, producing the Can Solo Projects CD, and began remastering the entire Can back catalogue - 14 albums remastered and released on CD/SACD in 4 phases due to conclude in 2007. Other work in 2003 included mixing an album, film music and remixes with Corker/Conboy and lecturing at the Red Bull Music Academy.
Alongside the staging of a well-recieved and largely re-worked production of Gormenghast in Saarbrucken and Luxembourg in June 2004, Jono also mixed music for a number of film and TV productions including The Hamburg Cell by Antonia Bird. A successful collaboration with BJ Cole was released on the album Trouble in Paradise and, after further live appearances together, work began on a 2nd Irmin Schmidt and Kumo album.
In November 2004 Jono was appointed Professor of Popular Music at the Köln Musikhochschule (Cologne University of Music) where he runs regular practical workshops ranging from dub to music business, composing for film to house music. He has also forged a relationship with the International Film School in Köln and runs joint workshops between the 2 Academies.
In early 2005 Jono wrote orchestral arrangements for the film Drei Grad Kälter performed by the Nüremburg Sinfoniker. He went on to mix the film music, exerpts being released on CD in 2006. The film was awarded the Silver Leopard at the 58th Locarno Film Festival.
As work continued on the Irmin Schmidt and Kumo album, the duo also made remixes (incl. P.I.L); performed live and gave workshops in Germany and Portugal; and, produced the album dot i/o for Japanese artist Mito Ichikawa released on P-Vine records, December 2006.
Jono moved to London in 2006 continuing work on: composition for the series of art installations Tatlin's Tower and the World; mixing the debut albums of Sun Zoom Spark and Biggi Orn Steinarsson; mixing jingles for FIFA for the 2006 World Cup; recording Futon's album Painkiller in Bangkok; studio and live work with U.K label City Rockers; and a new series of recordings with Jaki Liebezeit, due for release in 2008.
The 2nd Irmin Schmidt and Kumo album Axolotl Eyes was completed in May 2007 and is set for release on Spoon/Mute in Jan 2008. The 7 track album will come with a bonus DVD containing the complete sound installation Flies, Guys and Choirs in 5.1, accompanied by a 2 hour film by Jono and Sandra Podmore with Kate Shipp. The DVD was recently screened at the Sonar festival, Barcelona.
A new four track Kumo ep entitled Metapolis has recently become available on iTunes and further releases are planned.
Current work includes mixing the Magnetik North album (featuring Jaki Liebezeit), mixing a new album by True Stories with Box Saga and a series of edits for Damo Suzuki and the Elysian Quartet.
Jono lives in London with his wife Sandra and daughter Lara.

Flies Guys and Choirs Excerpt 1

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Axolotl Eyes - available now! Apr 15

The new Irmin Schmidt and Kumo album AXOLOTL EYES is out now - here's some handy links to where you can get it and some previews

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  Metapolis EP