// WHO IS CIRCUIT KISSER //
Circuit Kisser is an electronic ensemble that consists of four group members: a lead EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), three supporting synthesizers played simultaneously, electric bass/bass synthesizer and drums. The group was founded by bassist, composer and synthesist Dan “Chimy” Chmielinski. We are one of very few “synth bands” that feature live, non-sequenced, semi-improvised electronic music, combining elements of prog rock, jazz and classical music. The end result is a nostalgic, epic soundscape delivered in a high-quality package. There is something for everyone at a Circuit Kisser show; genre-diverse programming, an exciting and fresh concept, vintage analog synthesizers, and rich, balanced and rhythmically driven music.
// MEET THE BAND //
CHIMY - GROUP FOUNDER // BASSIST // SYNTHESIST
Dan “Chimy” (shim'-ee) Chmielinski is a New York Times critically acclaimed, award winning bassist, composer, producer and bandleader who creates original projects under his brand, Chimy Music. He first began his love affair with the bass at the young age of three in the northern suburbs of Chicago. He went on to receive his bachelor’s and master's degrees in jazz studies from the prestigious Juilliard School in 2016 and 2017, studying under the great Ron Carter. Now 26, Dan has traveled the world, performing, collaborating and recording with world class musicians in multiple genres. Additionally, Dan is well studied in music composition for film and concert. He has studied with composers Philip Lasser, Kendall Briggs and Edward Bilous. He was also one of 8 composers selected to participate in BMI’s “Composing for the Screen” film scoring mentorship under the guidance of acclaimed media composer Rick Baitz. Chimy began his film scoring career in 2012 with filmmaker Connor Smith’s debut feature-length film, “Smoke in the Air.” Since then, Chimy has gone on to score numerous short films, features, and documentaries. In fact, Chimy first encountered synthesis when a film scoring project required him to create an all-analog synthesizer soundtrack. Though his first synthesizer was a Korg MS-20 Mini, the one that stole his heart was a Roland Juno-106. Over the next several years, his collection grew to a 19 synthesizer wonderland that he affectionately calls Synthlandia. Chimy founded “Circuit Kisser” in 2018, combining his love of synthesizers, composition and small group performance. He resides in NYC with his longtime girlfriend Anna. They do not have a dog (yet).
CHASE BAIRD - ELECTRONIC WIND INSTRUMENT (EWI)
(He won’t say this, so we will) In our opinion, Chase Baird is the greatest living EWI player on the planet. He utilizes a Prophet ‘08 Module as his weapon of choice and has fine-tuned expressive patches that have to be heard to be believed. Born in Seattle and raised in Salt Lake City, Chase picked up the saxophone at age ten. He was discovered and mentored by tenor saxophonist (and legendary EWI player in his own right) Michael Brecker in 2003. He received his first major press recognition when the British jazz magazine Crescendo observed him holding his own jam sessions with the seasoned stars at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. Chase attended California State University Long Beach from 2007 to 2009 and later graduated from The Juilliard School in New York City, where he still resides today. Since 2017, Chase has been an active member of drummer Antonio Sánchez’s band, Migration, recording both saxophone and EWI on the groups’ acclaimed album, Lines In The Sand. His newly released album, A Life Between, covers a vast emotional terrain with a band comprised of modern jazz’s most revered innovators: the veteran voices of Grammy-winning drummer Antonio Sánchez and 5-time Grammy-nominated pianist Brad Mehldau, and the new-generation talents of Nir Felder (guitar) and Dan “Chimy” Chmielinski (bass). Critics have declared the album “…a truly inspired, dare we say, epic recording complete with progressive singularities and sonic cosmicalities.” Chase founded his own record label, Soundsabound Records, of which Circuit Kisser is grateful to be a part. Chase endorses Sequential and is proud to be a Sequential Artist.
MATHIS PICARD - SYNTHESIZERS
Mathis “Jaona Jolan” Picard is a French-Malagasy pianist, composer, educator, producer, synthesist, arranger and bandleader from the town of Grenoble, France. A winning member of the Montreux Jazz Foundation, Mathis has had the wonderful opportunity to work with Patti Smith, Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jason Moran, Lee Ritenour, Yaron Herman, DJ Kindness, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, just to name a few. A recent graduate of the Juilliard School where he studied with Kenny Barron, he’s received an Excellence in Musicianship and Leadership Award and now plays and educates with the Bria Skonberg Quintet, the Braxton Cook Quintet, CROWN, the “Jazz For Young People” Program, and Michael Mwenso & the Shakes. Mathis has also led his own band in venues such as Dizzy’s Coca-Cola Club, The Appel Room, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and he has been a featured pianist for The Self Portrait NY Fashion Show 2017. Recently, he performed on London’s West End in a show produced by Hoagy B. Carmichael, and as a pianist for Wynton Marsalis' “Young Stars Of Jazz” concert in Marciac, France. Always ready to learn something new, Mathis has been called “a rising star” by The Scotsman, and a “knockout, as dynamic in personality as he is virtuosic on the keys” by London reviewers (whatsonstage.com) Mathis has been producing electronic music since a very early age and he primarily utilizes a Korg Prologue and Moog Sub 37. You can now catch Mathis and his band, The Mathis Sound Orchestra, playing all over NYC.
DIEGO JOAQUIN RAMIREZ - DRUMS
The only truly acoustic element of Circuit Kisser! Diego Joaquin Ramirez was born and raised in Cork, Ireland. He played his first gig on drum set with his father’s band at age 4 and by the time he was 17, Diego was performing regularly around Ireland and Europe. He attended Berklee College of Music, the Banff International Jazz Workshop, the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program, and has studied with Ralph Peterson Jr, Terri Lyne Carrington, Nate Smith, Rodney Green, Andre Antunes, Jamey Haddad, Clarence Penn, and Tyshawn Sorey. He is a current member of numerous NYC-based groups including Marc Cary & The Harlem Sessions, Wayne Tucker and The Bad Motha's, and his own group SULA.He has played at many international venues and festivals including the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Fest, Montreal Jazz Fest, SXSW, The Kennedy Center, The DC Jazz Fest, Barranquilla Jazz Fest (Colombia), Umbria Jazz Fest (Italy), Cork Jazz Fest (Ireland), BIRD (Rotterdam), Minton’s Playhouse, Smoke Jazz Club, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Smalls, Fat Cat, Zinc, Nublu, and he continues to perform at venues and festivals all around the world. Diego’s genre-diverse background allows him to channel a wide variety of drumming styles at the highest level. He is a true monster on the kit and can switch gracefully from a heavy back beat to electro-house trap without missing a beat. Diego is endorsed by Canopus Drums.