Chilly Gonzales

Chilly Gonzales Biography

A Canadian multi-talented musician / producer (born Jason Charles Beck, aka Chilly Gonzales), known for his MC & electro albums (i.e. ”The Entertainist” & ”Presidential Suite”.), plus his comical live shows. He is able to play the piano, guitar, bass, drums & various brass instruments. In the 1990s, he was the leader of the alternative rock band Son before embarking on his solo career. Early in his solo career, he toured with Peaches (Merill Nisker) and the press nicknamed them the “Bonnie and Clyde of prankster rap.” The duo moved from Berlin to Paris in 2003, eventually recording with French pop icons like Jane Birkin. He also has collaborated with Feist, Mocky, and Jamie Lidell. In 2005, Gonzales stunned his audience by releasing one of his most memorable and distinctive albums to date: ‘Solo Piano’. The 16 themes for left hand accompaniment and right hand melody are delicate and reminiscent of Erik Satie and Maurice Ravel’s lilting tones and show influences of Canadian folk and American jazz. He lived and worked in Paris for many years where he collaborated with bands like TTC, Katerine, -M-, etc… and released an album entitled ‘Soft Power’ on April 7th, 2008. On May 18, 2009, at the Ciné 13 Théâtre, Paris, he broke a world record for the longest solo-artist performance, playing the piano with a total time of 27 hours, 3 minutes and 44 seconds, breaking a record originally set by Prasanna Gudi. In 2012 Gonzales moved to Cologne, Germany, where he currently resides. Once working as a piano accompanist to silent films, Gonzales has come a long way from being a Berlin-based underground entertainer.