MP3 20909 - ELECTRONIC: Dance
20909 combines electronica, funk, and new age into moving digital compositions.
14 MP3 Songs
ELECTRONIC: Dance, ELECTRONIC: Funk
Details:
Chicago native Michael Kovalsky (Hot Mix Radio Network, B96, WCRX, KSMU, Powerhouse Records, Chicago Music Pool Director, Billboard, Hitmakers, DMR) teams with local keyboard programmer Ian O’Leske (Keyboards/Vocals on Visions, by Danny Rael. 2000, VNR Records, BA in Music Marketing - Benedictine College) to form 20909.
Check out the duo''s self-titled first release. 14 tracks of all original music mixed by house/freestyle music legend JJ Flores!
Ian O''Leske
Ian began playing piano at an early age. At 3 years of age, he seemed to have a natural ability at the keyboard. Formal lessons never really worked out for Ian, so he begged his mother, an accomplished pianist, to teach him. He quickly developed a pattern of being ½ instructed and ½ self taught. “Composition was always a big part of my playing, and as I got older, that just expanded.”
At age 12, Ian got his first synthesizer and it was full steam ahead. Over the years, the electronic arsenal grew and Ian developed a piano-based, new age music style. While in school at Benedictine College, in Atchison, KS, he furthered his writing style by taking composition/piano under virtuoso pianist/writer Ruth Krusemark. During school breaks, he also took composition with professor Pat Burge at Colorado State University. He graduated from Benedictine with a bachelor’s degree in Music Marketing in 1994.
In the late 90’s, Ian attended a BT show in Denver where the energy of the music and the crowd inspired him. His music style started to take on more of an energetic feel, and his equipment became geared toward this style. In 2002, he was approached by Chicago born dj Michael Kovalsky about writing an electronica CD and 20909 was born. The resulting self-titled CD came out in 2005. “This CD is a mix of my new age/piano roots and Michael’s dj experience; it has a little bit of something for everyone.”
Michael "Kool-A-Shay" Kovalsky
"We''ll give you one more chance." These were the immortal words of Michael''s parents after he spent 3 years taking private trumpet lessons (and not practicing very much). This was all that was needed to push Michael in a direction that would last the rest of his life. After just 3 years of drum lessons (7th grade), Michael was the percussionist for a semi-professional production of "Godspell", and was playing with various jazz and rock bands throughout the Chicago land area. Forced to make a decision between athletics and music, he chose athletics, thus starting the 9 year sabbatical from music. "Had I heard of people getting music scholarships, I might have chose music, but the south side of Chicago has a rich football tradition, I thought that was my ticket to college"
During his college days at Southwest Missouri State University he began to DJ in local nightclubs. "Dance music is all about the rhythm and bass... and being a drummer really helped me out with rhythms". After graduation Michael moved back to Chicago and continued his career as a DJ. "I was fortunate enough to be mentored by house music legends like Mickey "Mixin" Oliver, Jimmy "Drive em Wild" Drossos, and Bad Boy Bill . It was through these connections he began work for PowerHouse Records, DEM Records, B96, and The HotMix Radio Network. Michael, as a direct result of being the director of the Chicago Music Pool (CMP),also became affiliated with Billboard Magazine, Hitmakers Magazine, and DMR.
Michael then began a new venture into new age jazz and religious compositions by starting his own record label, VNR Recordings. In 2005, after a 10 year hiatus, he returned to his true passion of creating dance/house music by teaming up with Ian O''leske to create 20909. Michael''s love for music has led him down many paths in life, and has ironically come full circle to allow him to go back to his roots; to which he says "you cannot walk away from something that is truly a part of you."