Jojo Mayer & Nerve

NERVE is contemporary improvised live music with electronic textures played with conventional instruments. No sample loops or sequencers. The sound of the band has evolved over it’s eight years of existence from a drum’n’bass influenced concept to a now widely expanded form, incorporating elements from various styles used in electronica today as well as from dub, jazz, and rock music, expanding the limits of todays concert and club performance standards.

The core of NERVE is the musical interaction between Jojo Mayer with his original and unprecedented style of drumming and the new and revolutionary Real Time Audio Deconstruction techniques developed and performed by Roli Mosimann.

By interfacing their concept with Yossi Fine’s eclectic bass sounds and rock solid playing and the highly developed textural sensibilities of Takuya Nakamura on keyboards and trumpet NERVE has created a truly unique approach to their live performances, combining electronics with human expressions in to an organic and living real time experience.

The improvised nature of a NERVE live event is always unique. A high energy event created at the moment by the band and the audience. The highly accomplished musicianship together with the stylistically wide range of all four performers is able to create and react like a fine tuned neurological system with all its available synaptic possibilities. Anything can happen.

Their concept of performing has proven to be successful in a wide variety of venues and settings as the band has extensively toured in North America, Europe and Asia from small clubs to big festival stages and anything in between.

The following artists have collaborated and performed with PROHIBITED BEATZ / NERVE:

Tim Lefevbre (Bass), Lisa Shaw (vocals), Jesse Murphy (Bass), John Davis (bass), Jamie Saft (analog sin-thesis), Jonathan Maron (e-bass), Vernon Reid (guitar), Shahzad Ismaily (bass), Jannek Gwizdala (Bass), Leon "Scaler" Gruenbaum (the samchillian tip tip tip cheeepeeeee!), Kenny X Mohammed (human beat box orchestra), Karsh Kale (electronic and acoustic tablas), Skuli Sverrsion (e-bass), Scott Colley (acoustic bass), Dhafer Youssef (voc), Nicholas Thys (bass), Henry Hey (synths), Zach Danziger (drums), Myster Bruce (audiodope tape-loop performing system), Graham Haines (trumpet, efx), Thor Madsen (guitar, synth), Wolfgang Muthspiel (guitar), Adam Rogers (guitar), David Fiuczynski (guitar), Martin Koller (guitar), DJ Swingsett (turntables), DJ Yoshi (turntables), DJ Big Wiz (turntables), Domenico Ferrari (guitar), Marc Lindal (synthbass), Foxy (MC), Supernatural (MC), MC Posi-D, Jonny Z (MC), TC Izlam (MC), Soundwavez (MC), MC Panik, Vanessa Freeman (vocals), Ahmet Best (vocals), Beans (MC), Seth Blumberg (MC), Dave Binney (sax), Tomer Tzur (perc.), Rashadai-Amin (MC), Ajay Naidu (illegal footwork), Herbin"Tamango"van Cayseele (tap dance), Gardner Post of "Emergency Broadcast Network" (interactive digital video), Feedbuck & Missy Galore (visuals), Zak Shuman of "Pan Optic" (visuals) and many more.

The NERVE show is a product of PROHIBITED BEATZ international

JOJO MAYER (Drums)
Active ingredient and pivotal point of NERVE, Jojo has introduced the concept of Reverse Engineered Electronica. By emulating the idiosyncrasies of contemporary electronic Drum-programming and incorporating them into his playing, he has created a highly kinetic, original and unprecedented style of drumming. His performances have sent shock waves through the drumming community.

Jojo Mayer has collaborated with a great variety of artists such as Screaming Headless Torsos, Me’Shell NdegeOchello, Vernon Reid, James Blood Ulmer, The Vienna Art Orchestra, Monty Alexander and others. He has also established himself as an internationally acclaimed clinician and solo performer and has worked as a consultant and designer for major drum companies.

ROLI MOSIMANN (RealTimeAudioDeconstruction)
Roli has been involved with NERVE as both a producer and performer. His virtuosity with the mixing boards, outboard gear and his musical instincts make him an integral part of the band. Real Time Audio Deconstruction is the result of researching new audio concepts in the recording studio as well as in a live environment. By actively interacting with the other players in creating musical content, Roli's work with NERVE expands and redefines the role of the contemporary sound engineer to a never before experienced performance status.

Roli Mosimann has worked as a producer, engineer, writer and performer for some of the industries greatest acts in a wide range of musical styles: The The, Faith No More, The Young Gods, Smashing Pumpkins, Bjork, Swans, New Order, Wiseblood, Rebekka Bakken, Delia Mayer, Waldorf and many more.

TAKUYA NAKAMURA (Keyboards & Trumpet)
With his stylistic versatility and multi instrumentalist skills, Takuya has become a prominent voice amongst the New York City downtown scene. His ability to detect and absorb the latest developments in current electronic music and incorporate them with his unique style and approach to music make him, even in New York City a very rare and hard to find commodity. His contributions with NERVE truly embody the cutting edge crossover between jazz and DJ culture.

Takuya Nakamura has performed with Ravi Coltrane, Bob Moses, Clark Terry, George Russell, Matt Garrison, Organic Grooves, Brasilian Girls and others.

JOHN DAVIS (basses, Low end manipulation)
John is one of the few bass players who managed to truly recreate the sonic texture and feel of synthesized bass-lines. From monstrous"808-droptones" to hypnotic "303-filter resonance", no electronic sound seems to be beyond the reach of his four strings and arsenal of "stomp boxes". Being equally comfortable in both electronic and acoustic environments, he transcends stylistic barriers and successfully injects the raw energy of his Bass-playing into the discipline of electronica.
John Davis has played with Simpulife, Will Calhoun, Mike Stern, Antonio Sanchez, Alex Skolnick, Jazz Mandolin Project, and others, and produces electronic music as "Toaster".