About Ellipse... Ellipse is the name given to Rob Demi's electronic instrumental recordings. The first release under this name is the Cities album. The idea behind this album is that a selection of major world cities would be described in music and this music would provide a soundtrack to the imagination. Whether or not it serves its purpose you decide. But the aim of the music is to be true to the philosphy of the www.demi.tv website: "Music for Vision" - the music aims to create pictures in the mind. The idea is quite simple. When we listen to music with lyrics, the words describe the scenes, the emotions, the setting. Take away the words and the music itself has to convey all of this by itself. With films, music adds to the atmosphere and the emotional impact of the scene. Instrumental music such as Cities aims to do the same but without the help of celluloid - "Music for Vision", only the visuals are created in the mind's eye. This is the concept behind Cities. About Mario Demanio... Little is known about the early life of Mario Demanio. Born into a family of wandering mistrels who were also the court musicians in the tiny central-European principality of Romohunscrovia, he hecame reknowned as a child prodigy on both the squeezbox and little-known ear harp. He discovered electricity in his teens (well, he didn't exactly discover it since everyone else had been using it for years but his parents always sent him to bed before it got dark because they were tight) and this opened up a whole new world to him. It was about this time that during a walk deep in the enchanted forest of Scratingrunzin that he heard strange sounds coming from a small wooden house. On closer investigation he met with a friendly woodsman who let him listen to his radio - this was a life changing experience for Mario. The woodsman was suddenly called away to Grandma's house with his axe (something to do with a disturbance involving Grandma, a wolf and a little girl in a red cape), leaving Mario to listen to the radio on his own. Mario spent his days in the house in the woods in quiet contemplation of what he heard on the radio and decided to abandon the traditonal Romohunscrovian folk tradition and travel to where these sounds came from. After many months of walking he arrived and struggling to find and master the technology he finally managed to produce his first piece of work. During his time in the forest he developed a great love of classical music but felt that it needed something new. Avanti! is his first attempt to get his own particular take on classical music out there. Mixing Bach and Beethoven over a dance track has had listeners making the right and the right moves out in the States. Now he has come home to Europe where it all began. About Rob Demi... Rob Demi was always destined to become a musician. Born with a full head of hair, he was nicknamed "Beatle Paul" by the nurses in the maternity ward and shortly afterwards showed the first signs of musical ability when (he neither remembers nor admits to this) he gave his first performance strumming the wire rack out of his mother's oven along to Top of the Pops. His parents encouraged this by giving him a toy piano, a toy guitar and a toy sax, and so the seeds were sown. Several years passed. The toy instruments were not enough any more and he started bugging other kids who had real instruments to let him have a go. To shut him up, he was dispatched to have piano lessons with Mrs Hammond, a piano was found, practice time was set at 30 minutes a night and soon he started to become quite good. Mrs Hammond moved away. Another teacher, Mr. Govier, was found and studies continued. By this time he was starting to put on impromptu concerts at school - the teachers were not too pleased when they found out how many kids he had smuggled into the hall to hear him play. He was banned from playing the piano at school. So he changed school. He started to play the guitar and cello and became more involved with anything musical that was going on. Mr. Govier moved away. He began to have lessons from the music teacher at his new school, Mr. Phillips. He took his piano grades, began to perform regularly and became even better. He came to the attention of other people and was invited to play recitals (for art), with local bands (for the women) and to play the organ at weddings at his local church (for the money). This continued for several years. Mr. Phillips took a job at another school. Fortunately, he did not lose touch with Mr. Phillips and continued to have lessons until he left to go to university. After three years (the details of what went on have been largely and fortunately forgotten) he emerged ready to face the world with his music only to find the world wasn't ready yet. Rob Demi's collaboration with Ellipse (in case you hadn't worked it out, Rob Demi, Mario Demanio and Ellipse are all the same guy) produced the Cities album and his collaboration(!) with Mario Demanio produced the single Avanti! Currently his album of solo piano pieces has been written and is in rehearsal prior to recording. He is also working on the next Ellipse album, Mantras. Both albums should be available sometime!. Rob Demi has also written library music and scores for films and television. He has worked as arranger and musical director on productions of Fame, Little Shop of Horrors, Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk and Dick Turpin and has arranged a range of music for ensembles. He now has several other projects under way - watch this space. He is also available for sessions, production work, commissions, arrangements.......