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BIOGRAPHY

Skender Makota, a Berklee College of Music graduate in Music Production and Engineering ('08), and jazz piano/bass, has been making music for over two decades, and studying music since early childhood (over 30 years).

 

He is a trained piano and bass player, as well as skilled and experienced sound engineer/producer.

With many years of hands-on experience on pretty much all industry standard professional audio equipment, he is a master of audio production, mixing and editing in many industry standard music making platforms (Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Reason,  numerous processors etc.).

 

He is also very experienced on analog gear which he used extensively, from vintage outboard gear to SSL recording consoles.

 

Skender loves to listen and play JAZZ music, jazz piano being his main instrument and bass guitar his second love.

 

While he loves jazz as a personal influence and professional musicianship companion in life, his music making preference lies in ELECTRONIC music, sound synthesis and sound design.

You are free to support in any way possible if you like what you hear on the site, or email me just to say hi!

Planning a small tour this summer 2024, starting with the Midwest region, where I will perform this Live Show of all original music. Sign up and allow me to email updates.
 
- WHO IS BALKANIMAL
Balkanimal is the techno - manic side which takes care of the house/tech, house, DJ and Live PA segments - where I often perform my own material in the Live Set, using Ableton Live, Moog Synthesizers, piano, guitar and bass guitar - rebuilding the songs from the scratch and improvising as I go!

I do this when playing as Balkanimal solo, or as Ash & Dash Live PA Duo with Mel Hammond (Chicago).

Finally: working hard on preparing my latest project , a Live PA duo of original songs composed and performed by me and my sister Jasmina Makota, a one of a kind singer with exceptional talent and ear, as well as experience, singing since early childhood.
Growing up in Chicago, she was also exposed to the unique sounds of Chicago House Music from her early days, as well as living the tough Chicago inner city life, affecting her own aspirations in the process and raising the bar she set for herself in music and life in general.
For more info, check out her website at  www.jasminamusic.com and also here under Jasmina Live PA link (aka Haus of Yasmine )

Playing the shows live in this format is lots of fun for both me and the audience, as none of these performances are ever the same, they are always performed live using well prepared parts which I can interchange on the fly, depending on the mood, and focus on recording parts on the bass and keys or guitar.


HOW TO SUPPORT
You can donate whatever you want to my site and download the album/singles for free in high quality wav/aiff 44k/16-bit formats!

You can also come out to see the show and know where/when by signing up for the newsletter!

Lastly, you may purchase (coming soon...) music in a form of a USB memory stick, filled with mp3 or wav/aiff quality music with pdf/jpeg of all things related to bio, some videos, as well as an official EPK and Press Kit in pdf formats.


COPY/RECORDING OF LIVE DJ SET/LIVE PA PERFORMANCES
I record every show at least to a stereo file, which you are welcome to buy on your way out after the show!
The USB stick would get that night's 2-mix (stereo file) transferred, ready for pickup 10 minutes after the performance.

Thank you

FUTURE HISTORIANS
DO NOT FOLLOW TRENDS...

THEY SET THE TREND FOLLOWERS
ON THE RIGHT PATH
TO THE FUTURE!

Thanks again!

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