For more than a decade, the io project has generated new sounds through an experimental, electronic approach to world music traditions. Whether as a solo artist or with collaborators, ethnomusicologist David Font departs from the sound and sensibility of traditional music and stretches form in new directions. Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico and raised in Miami, at the crossroads of rumba and booty bass, Font has dedicated himself equally to the study of African and Afro-Caribbean rhythms and to electronic experimentation. Through his label Elegua Records, Font has released four io recordings ranging from 'io: little haiti suite' (2003), a synthesis of electronics, Afro-Cuban drumming, and Indonesian gamelan to 'io: mbira abstractions' (2011), a teleporting of the melodic Southern African instrument into a digital cosmos. Upcoming releases include 'io: dedications,' a solo album featuring balafon, Afro-Cuban percussion, and cornet, and 'io: flamenco abstractions,' a collaboration with world-renowned with guitarist Jose Luis Rodriguez. In live performance, io delivers the kinetic experience of playing instruments while conjuring a parallel digital universe of sound.
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