Bio
Francesco Taranto is a Musician, Engineer, Producer, Composer and founder of indie record label FTMUSIC.
Current projects include experimental collaborative platform Het Rariteitenkabinet, alternative rockband Sonic Death Monkey, electronic music aliases Mononiem and elemenopee, and improvisational live electronic music group BRIDGEFINDER.
Also known for performing, recording, (co-)writing and/or (co-)producing for KNARS/Knarsetand, Quibus, O-SHiN, Stefany June, Roots Rising, Evva and NNENN, as well as providing music for various media and theater productions.
biography extended
He was born in Goes, Zeeland (NL) and came into contact with music at an early age, tagging along to many concerts with his mother who was former Herman Brood-drummer and Singer/Songwriter Kees Meerman’s manager throughout the late 90’s and 00’s.
His first instrument was a drumkit at around 8 years old and at the age of 13 he discovered the guitar for which he quickly developed a passion.
After moving to Overijssel he was admitted to the Deltion College in Zwolle where he would receive a Performing Arts Degree. He went on to study Jazz & Pop at the ArtEZ Conservatory in Zwolle and subsequently attended the ArtEZ Popacademie in Enschede.
During the 2010’s he performed with a variety of artists and bands, notably Stefany June and Knarsetand (currently known as KNARS), as well as John Hill (Grote Prijs van Nederland, Beste Singer-Songwriter van Nederland), Roots Rising, NNENN and Quibus.
As a session musician he performed all guitars for Jan Terlouw Jr.’s debut album and Katell Chevalier’s second EP J’avance, and it was also during this period that he started producing music, working with Robin Hunt (Thomas Azier, Stromae) on Stefany’s new project O-SHiN, and producing Evva’s debut EP.
Following this he released his first solo EP as elemenopee in 2018, which earned him a spot on Nieuwe Electronische Waar (NEW).
In the following years he released three more elemenopee EP’s and several singles & remixes, produced Evva’s second EP and several singles, released two acoustic solo records (IO & IO: II), composed and produced music for theater productions by Met De Botte Zijde, Theater Nora, Jansen & de Boer, de Opposanten, for several podcasts by Mette Bunskoek, and for 1107's Studios' stock media library, as well as providing mastering for Colored Monkeys’ Track-a-Day series, mixing and mastering Jolyn’s cover of Que Sera Sera - the theme for Jon Brittain’s Olivier Award-winning play Rotterdam -, and mixing and mastering for Ukrainian experimental R&B artist Zbaraski.
March 2021 he was selected again for NEW, this time as a duo with Evva, and on May 4th, Remembrance Day, he appeared on a live-streaming event for Theater na De Dam by De Jonge Honden and Zwolse Theaters called HEEN, performing as part of Colored Monkeys and alongside BrotherTill.
By the end of the year he was invited to be part of the jury for the 2022 NEW selection.
During 2022 he performed as part of Vera Bon’s live band on bass and synths.
On his birthday, January 10th 2023, he debuted new experimental project Het Rariteitenkabinet with Vol.1: Memoriam, an album of completely reimagined covers by rock icons from the 80's - 00's. Sophomore coveralbum Vol.II: Mnemosyne would follow on July 19th featuring special guest vocalists and collaborators O-SHiN, Evva, Vera Bon, PHUONG, IHAKA, and Miou Amadée.
Later that year saw the release of alternative rockband Sonic Death Monkey's debut album The Sound Of Walls.