Matthew Liam Nicholson

Matthew Liam Nicholson is an Australian-born songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist currently living in Northern California. He is best known for his work as band leader of Function Ensemble and his collaborations with the spiritual teacher Adi Da Samraj.
==Early Career[edit]==
Born in January of 1977, Nicholson grew up in Geelong, Victoria, Australia amidst a booming 1990s rock scene with mentors Magic Dirt & Bored! Nicholson co-founded and performed in his first band Aunty Theo from 1992-1994. Nicholson joined and toured with local band Warped from 1994-1996, while still in high school. Nicholson co-founded and performed in The Golden Lifestyle Band in 1992 with Dion Nania (Panel of Judges & Free Time), Chris Smith, & Pat Lucas, who were later replaced by Pat Ridgewell and Mark Stacey.
Nicholson’s cousin, Chris Nolan, founded the Meredith Music Festival in 1991, which has since grown into two of Australia’s most beloved and enduring music festivals. Both Warped and The Golden Lifestyle Band performed at the festival several times in mid 1990s.
From 1995 Nicholson’s solo experimentation began taking the moniker “Function” (later, Function Ensemble), in the form of numerous very limited edition tapes and CDRs. 
In late 1997 The Golden Lifestyle Band disbanded in the studio while completing their second album. In 2012 the band rejoined to rescue the recordings, in 2016 they were mixed and mastered by Mikey Young (of Eddy Current Suppression Ring). “The Golden Lifestyle Band” self titled final LP is slated to be released on Vinyl by Buttercup Records in 2023.
==2000s[edit]==
In 2002 Function Ensemble recorded “The Zillionaire-Retarded Speeds of Ordinary, Measured Light” in Melbourne, Australia, which was released in Australia and New Zealand 2003, and Japan in 2004. Function then toured in Australia, USA, UK, and Japan in summer of 2004.
In 2003, Nicholson began composing music for the art installations of spiritual teacher Adi Da Samraj, and has since gone on to score numerous of his multimedia installation and fine art screenings around the world, including “The Ascent of Orpheus” at the Bargello National Museum in Florence. Nicholson’s 20 minute composition “The Ascent of Orpheus” looped for three months throughout the museum, July-October 2015, alongside works of Renaissance masters Donatello and Michelangelo.
In 2005 Function Ensemble was signed by Chicago’s Locust Music and in 2006 released “The Secret Miracle Fountain” which met with significant critical praise. The Secret Miracle Fountain was recorded in 12 countries with over 30 musicians. Function then toured throughout USA and Europe during 2006 and 2007 with a band including musicians Patrick Liddell, Pascal Babare, Felicity Mangan, and Ian Wadley.
In 2006, Nicholson was signed by Mushroom Music Publishing and moved to Chicago to compose orchestral works and a new album with Patrick Liddell, composer and video artist. Together they gathered over 80 musicians (mostly from Chicago’s Northwestern University) and recorded numerous sessions of strings, brass, percussion, winds and choir. Some of the resultant works appear on “Galeria De La Luz” by Outshine Family (a replacement moniker for Function Ensemble now based in London), which was released by Blackmaps Records in UK in 2011 - not long before the 2011 London Riots which caused the Sony & Pias warehouse and all its stock to be burnt to the ground, in the end preventing the vinyl pressing.
==2010s[edit]==
During 2014 Nicholson and composer friends Pascal Babare and Lucy Roleff began an experimental electronic dream-pop trio called AT/ALL - releasing their debut LP “Sun Dog” in 2016, which gained positive reviews, and was used in a number of Film & TV spots and charted in CMJ for 7 weeks[citation needed].
In 2015 Nicholson moved from Melbourne to Los Angeles, initially visiting to look after his poet & writer friend Jeff Forrester who was struggling with lymphoma, then staying after he passed away. Nicholson moved with friends to Los Feliz and set up The Catalina House which went on to host many music and art salons/events between 2016 and 2019, including special guests such as French pianist Julien Marchal.
During 2018 Nicholson completed two feature length scores for "Conscious Light", a film on spiritual teacher Adi Da, and for coming-of-age college drama "CRSHD" which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.
In 2019 Peter Kagan (known for shooting and directing music videos for Stevie Winwood) shot & directed the music video for Dusty Bones.
In 2019 Nicholson began performing immersive sound baths as Nicholson & Belle with his partner Michelle and other collaborators, performing live versions of his newest work “Nine Movements” around West Coast USA, through March 2020.
==2020s[edit]==
In October 2021, the deep listening label Longform Editions released Nicholson’s ambient album “Nine Movements” with special guests Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Nino which the London Guardian chose as a "Hidden Gem of 2021"
Nicholson signed and is currently with Koze Music in 2021 for publishing and synchronization.
==Discography==
Moniker / Group 	Album 	Record Label 	Year
Aunty Theo 	Intimidation 	Destroyer Records 	1994
Warped 	Slimax 	Au-Go-Go Records 	1995
The Golden Lifestyle Band	with Tweezer Split 7" 	Self Release 	1996
The Golden Lifestyle Band	I've Ruined The Mood 	Brass Companion Records 	1996
The Golden Lifestyle Band	Wonder From A Quarter Acre 	Au-Go-Go Records 	1997
Function 	with The Reactions, Birthright 7" 	Self Release 	1997
Function 	Self Titled 	Self Release 	1998
Function Ensemble 	The Zillionaire-Retarded Speeds of Ordinary, Measured Light	Love & Mercy, Australia; Wonderground, Japan	2003, 2004
Function 	Particles Collect 	Self Release 	2005
Function 	Particles Collect - Online Single 	FatCat 	2005
Function Ensemble 	The Secret Miracle Fountain 	Locust Music USA 	2006
Function 	with John Chantler 7" 	Room40 	2007
Outshine Family 	Galeria De La Luz 	Blackmaps 	2011
AT / ALL 	Sun Dog 	Self Release 	2016
Dreamless IV / MLN 	Sounds Of Red Bull 	BMG 	2017
MLN 	Nine Movements 	Longform Editions 	2021
MLN 	Conscious Light Original Soundtrack 	Conscious Light Original Soundtrack 	2021
MLN 	Universal Outsider 	Self Release 	2022
The Golden Lifestyle Band	Self Titled 	Buttercup Records 	2023
==Music For Film==
Film Title 	Director 	Year
Lloyd Ormerod Wants His Face Back	Jon Blackman 	2006
Le Petit Morte 	Terence Gross 	2010
Hungry Man 	Jordan Prosser 	2012
East Of Zero 	Tymon Langford 	2013
The Growing Food Project 	Rasha Tayeh 	2013
Thylacine 	Tymon Langford 	2014
Ocean Talk 	Darius Devas 	2014
Good Grief 	Fiona Dalwood 	2015
Defying Empire 	Tom Broadhurst for National Gallery Of Australia	2015
The Deposition: Sam Jinks 	Tom Broadhurst 	2015
Conscious Light 	Blythe Massey 	2018
CRSHD 	Emily Cohn 	2018
White Wolves 	Sarah Koteles 	2019
The Dukha 	Carmen Morrow 	2020
Just Be 	Sarah Koteles 	2020
==Music For Art Installation==
Name Of Installation 	Location 	Artist 	Year
Kaleidoscape 	 	Adi Da Samraj	2003
The Breather 	 	Adi Da Samraj	2003
Spectra Suites 	 	Adi Da Samraj	2006
Transcendental Realism 	 	Adi Da Samraj	2007
Quandra Loka 	 	Adi Da Samraj	2012
Struwwelpeter 	 	Adi Da Samraj	2015
The Ascent Of Orpheus 	Bargello National Museum, Florence	Adi Da Samraj	2015
Defying Empire 	National Gallery of Australia 	Adi Da Samraj	2016
Geome One: Alberti’s Window	 	Adi Da Samraj	2016
The Spherical Tower 	 	Adi Da Samraj	2022
Quandra Loka with Nick Milo	 	Adi Da Samraj	2022
Category:1977 births
Category:People from Victoria, Australia
Category:Australian people
Category:Songwriters
Category:Composers
Category:Producers
Category:Multi-instrumentalists