Artist description Shima is musician/composer, Michael Ferriss.

Music Style electronic, ambient, experimental

Musical Influences Bartok, Bowie, Byrne, Byork, Cluster, Eno, Ferry, Froese, German Electronic, Harmonium, Kraftwerk, Mobius, Monk, Mozart, Neu, Seigen Ono, Pere Ubu, Pink Floyd, Ravel, Roedelius, Ryiuchi Sakamoto, Tangerine Dream, Velvet Underground, Vangelis

Similar Artists Vangelis, Eno, Penguin Cafe, Tangerine Dream, Cluster, David Byrne, Harmonium, Neu

Artist History Michael started out working in the visual arts (mainly painting and photography) and switched to music as an art form and went out a bought a Moog synthesizer and a reel-to-reel tape recorder.He performed in Christchurch band "Hey Paris" in 1979-80, playing all original music with a group of friends.He went on from there to recording music for a Christchurch Art School short film. During the 1980's Ferriss spent time composing and recording to tape and it wasn't until the 1990's and the availability of digital recording equipment that he was able to create a high quality home studio.Using a combination of analogue and digital synthesizer equipment he proceeded to work on an album which was released in 1999, entitled "Not Quite the 21st Century" which was distributed throughout New Zealand.Based on the success of the first album, the next album "Tender Loving Rage" is due out soon.

Group Members Shima is Michael Ferriss, solo artist

Instruments Arp Odyssey, Korg MS10, Korg Lambda, Fender Rhodes, Ensoniq Performance Sampler, Technics Organ, Tascam DAT, acoustic and electric guitar, various found sounds.

Albums Not Quite the 21st Century

Press Reviews Lava magazine Dec 1999Shima is Mike Ferriss, an Auckland based electronic noodler who produced and promoted this gem from his home studio. Call it what you will: comedown, ambient, space music, whatever, it's pure pleasure from start to finish. Ferriss knows how to create room in his music, stopping short of the abyss of `sonic art' but going far enough to reward the listener with a journey into another world. The word is Ferriss is getting interest from a major label: I say go there A and R man, we need more of this on our shelves.

Location Auckland, Auckland - New Zealand

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).