Nightwerks

Argotec is an experiment in sound. A genre bending, raw collision of positive intellectual lyricism, live guitars and bass, melodic vocals, and electronically programed beats that range from Ambient to Drum and Bass to Glitch to Hip Hop to Trip Hop and beyond.

Argotec's live show is a one of a kind multi-media experience. A marriage of live instruments, electronics, vivid lyricism and video stimulus from a projectionist who adds an intricate visual likeness to the subject matter of each song.

Born into a musical family of well known names in various circles, Ditchdigger has been surrounded by music his whole life. At age 12 picked up guitar briefly, but once discovering the sounds in his head could best be expressed with synthesizers there was no turning back.

As an artist his first love in electronic music is analog synths and drum machines (as opposed to those who went the traditional DJ route); though he now uses a combination of analog gear and software, when he began making music it was strictly with hardware, midi, and dreadful oms all recorded onto cassette. Never having been aligned with a particular genre, Ditchdigger draws primarily for inspiration on the artists whose work revolved around sound design and iconoclastic approaches to the artform - the early innovators like Alvin Lucier, Stockhausen, Brian Eno, the early Warp Records artists - in addition to the rhythm and funk ethos of primal Detroit techno and electro: Drexciya, Underground Resistance, Model 500 and so on.

Unsure of where he fit in, Ditchdigger made music strictly in private for most of the last decade, but in recent years came the realization that, in a culture which is constantly morphing and evolving, no artist of import is bound by strict lines of genre. In that regard, his DJ style is bound only by tempo rather than genre, and features more exclusive remix/mashup based tunes than a traditional DJ set. Ditchdigger's performances blend a history of influences with original material into a unique brand of funk, as appropriate for listening as it is for the dancefloor.

A native of the Philadelphia area, Clayton Jones aka Clay Nyse has been involved in the U.S. Drum 'n' Bass scene since the late 90's. In early 2000 he began to DJ at local club nights, meanwhile pursuing his formal education as a visual artist. After completing school and starting a professional career in photography, Clay was finally bitten by the production bug when he became one of only 50 people in the U.S. selected to participate in Red Bull Music Labs 2004. The course introduced the fundamentals of software-based audio production, immersing him even further into the world of electronic music.

In July 2006 Clay relocated from Philly to New York City and established himself as a graphic designer. In addition to working for a Manhattan entertainment design agency, he is regularly commissioned to create CD covers, vinyl sleeves and flyers for artists, labels and promoters on both sides of the Atlantic. Musically, he now produces under the collaborative alias 'Dominion' (with Breaktheory, an L.A.-based producer/sound designer) and appears frequently in Philadelphia at various club nights - including the city's premier DnB monthly: Defcon & Circle Management's BEDLAM.

Raj Maddela is a drummer, producer and DJ. He has performed with Karsh Kale, Anoushka Shankar, Falu, the Midival Punditz, Vishal Vaid, Jamshied Sharifi, Mark Copely, Jonathan Maron, Damon Banks, and a host of other well known names in the World Electronic genre. He has been involved in the NYC drum and bass scene since 1997, and has been DJ'ing since 2000. His DJ sets can be described as powerful, eclectic, and positive, referencing the history of the genre while at the same time unveiling its future. His production work ranges from atmospheric IDM, melodic dubstep, leftfield drum n bass, minimal techno, and everything in between.

Rob Paterson is a young multi-instrumentalist/producer/DJ from NY. Coming from a classical and jazz background in trumpet, Rob applied what he learned from countless orchestral and theory classes to his own musical development. It was in college that he taught himself how to mix records and produce. Subsequent late nights in dank underground clubs and other dubious dwellings twisted and molded his sound as a DJ: dark; deep; delirious; somewhat Teutonic with a deranged bounce. The combination of his genre bending sound and high energy performance has helped him secure bookings in top clubs and parties around North America, including the Winter Music Conference, Robots [NYC] and Club Circa [Toronto].

In addition to DJing, Rob produces a wide range of innovative tracks and performs with his organic/electronic duo Multiple Mono.