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Matthew Liam Nicholson is an Australian-born songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist currently living in Northern California. He is best known for his work as band leader of Function Ensemble and his collaborations with the spiritual teacher Adi Da Samraj.

Early Career
Born in January of 1977, Nicholson grew up in Geelong, Victoria, Australia amidst a booming 1990s rock scene with mentors Magic Dirt & Bored! Nicholson co-founded and performed in his first band Aunty Theo from 1992-1994. Nicholson joined and toured with Warped 1994-1996, all mostly while still in high school. Nicholson co-founded and performed in The Golden Lifestyle Band 1992-1997 with Dion Nania (Panel of Judges & Free Time), Chris Smith & Pat Lucas, who were later replaced by Pat Ridgewell and Mark Stacey.

Nicholson’s cousin Chris Nolan, founded the Meredith Music Festival on the back of a truck on his parents farm in 1991, which has since grown into two of Australia’s most beloved and enduring music festivals. Both Warped and The Golden Lifestyle Band performed at the festival several times in mid 90s.

From 1995 Nicholson’s solo experimentation began taking the moniker “Function” (later, Function Ensemble), in the form of numerous very limited edition tapes and CDRs.

In late 1997 The Golden Lifestyle Band disbanded in the studio while completing their second and final album. In 2012 the band got together to rescue the recordings, in 2016 they were mixed and mastered by Mikey Young (of Eddy Current Suppression Ring). “The Golden Lifestyle Band” self titled final LP is slated to be released on Vinyl by Buttercup Records, Australia in 2023... 26 years after being recorded.

2000s
In 2002 Nicholson, as "Function" recorded “The Zillionaire-Retarded Speeds of Ordinary, Measured Light” in Melbourne, also polishing earlier songs, which was released in AU/NZ 2003 and Japan 2004. Function then performed in Australia, USA, UK and Japan.

In 2003 Nicholson began composing music for the art installations of spiritual teacher Adi Da Samraj, and has since gone on to score numerous of his multimedia installation and fine art screenings around the world, including “The Ascent of Orpheus” at the Bargello National Museum in Florence. Nicholson’s 20 minute composition “The Ascent of Orpheus” looped for three months throughout the Museum, July-October 2015, alongside works of Renaissance masters Donatello and Michelangelo.

In 2005 Function was signed by Chicago’s Locust Music and in 2006 released “The Secret Miracle Fountain” which met with significant critical praise (press links below). The Secret Miracle Fountain was recorded in 12 countries with over 30 musicians. Function then toured throughout USA and Europe during 2006 and 2007 - with band including musicians Patrick Liddell, Pascal Babare, Felicity Mangan and Ian Wadley.

In 2006, Nicholson was signed by Mushroom Music Publishing and moved to Chicago to compose orchestral works and a new album with Patrick Liddell, composer and video artist. Together they gathered over 80 musicians (mostly from Chicago’s Northwestern University) and recorded numerous sessions of strings, brass, percussion, winds and choir. Some of the resultant works appear on “Galeria De La Luz” by Outshine Family (a new moniker at the time for Function Ensemble now based in London), which was released by Blackmaps Records in UK, 2011 - not long before the 2011 London Riots which caused the Sony & Pias warehouse and all its stock to be burnt to the ground, in the end preventing the vinyl pressing.

2010s
During 2014 Nicholson and composer friends Pascal Babare and Lucy Roleff began an experimental electronic dream-pop trio called AT/ALL - releasing their debut LP “Sun Dog” in 2016, which gained positive reviews, and was used in a number of Film & TV spots and charted in CMJ for 7 weeks[citation needed].

In 2015 Nicholson moved from Melbourne to Los Angeles, initially visiting to look after his poet & writer friend Jeff Forrester who was struggling with lymphoma, then staying after he passed away. Nicholson moved with friends to Los Feliz and set up The Catalina House which went on to host many music and art salons/events between 2016 and 2019, including special guests such as French pianist Julien Marchal.

During 2018 Nicholson completed two feature length scores - for Conscious Light - a film on spiritual teacher Adi Da - and for coming-of-age college drama CRSHD which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribeca_Festival).

In 2019 Peter Kagan (known for shooting and directing music videos for Stevie Winwood shot & directed the music video for Dusty Bones.

In 2019 Nicholson began performing immersive sound baths as Nicholson & Belle with his partner Michelle and other collaborators - performing live versions of his newest work “Nine Movements” around West Coast USA, through March 2020 when the Covid Pandemic began.

2020s
In October 2021, the deep listening label Longform Editions released Nicholson’s ambient album “Nine Movements” with special guests Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Nino which the London Guardian chose as a "Hidden Gem of 2021"

Nicholson signed and is currently with Koze Music in 2021 for publishing and synchronization.

In May 2022, “Universal Outsider”, Nicholson’s “LA studio LP” was released.