Daniel Biro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daniel Biro
Daniel Biro in his studio (2022)
Background information
Born	1963 (age 61–62) Johannesburg, South Africa

Daniel Andrew Biro (born 1963) is a talented composer, keyboard player, songwriter, and music producer who lives in London. He is well-known for starting his own record label, Sargasso, in 1993.

Daniel has released more than 25 albums of his own music. He also works with different bands like Mysteries of the Revolution, Echo Engine, and Colin Bass from the band Camel. His music mixes different styles, including electronic, ambient, experimental, jazz-fusion, and progressive rock. Most of his music is instrumental, meaning it doesn't have singing, but he has also written many songs for other projects.

Daniel's unique sound comes from his use of the Rhodes electric piano and older analogue synthesizers. He has also created music for movies, TV shows, and live theatre performances.

Early Life and Learning

Daniel Biro's parents moved around a lot because they had to leave their home countries of Hungary and Croatia after World War 2. Daniel was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He spent his early years living in Rome, Italy, and London, UK. Later, he lived in Milan, Italy, and from age 9, in Menton, France, until he was 22.

He studied music for eight years at the Jazz Conservatory of Monaco. After finishing high school and three years at Nice University in France, he moved to London, UK, in 1985. He has lived there ever since.

Daniel Biro's Music Career

In 1985, Daniel moved to London with his band, I.C., hoping to make it big in the UK music scene. However, the band broke up soon after. Daniel stayed in London and played piano in restaurants, bars, and hotels to support himself. This helped him meet new people in the London art world.

He started getting jobs as a touring keyboard player. First, he toured the US in 1987 with Dennis Greaves' band The Truth. Later, he toured the UK and Europe with the band Big Bam Boo, which was signed to EMI.

Starting Sargasso Records

In 1993, Daniel Biro started his own record label called Sargasso. He mainly wanted to release his own music. His first electronic album, Soho Square, was released through Sargasso. This album featured music he wrote for Jane Turner's dance company, Turning Worlds. Daniel also formed a band called L'Orange with French singer Véronique Joly, which was active until 2003.

Over time, Sargasso Records began to focus on experimental modern music. It continued to release Daniel's own projects and also featured music from other composers.

Music for Film and Theatre

Daniel has composed music for many theatre and film projects. This includes the 2014 film Things of the Endless Wanderer, which was shown at the famous Sundance Film Festival. He has also worked for a long time with French director Olivier Sarrazin, a friend from high school. Daniel has scored many films for French TV with him.

Recent Projects and Collaborations

In 2007, Daniel's older brother Nicholas passed away. This sad event, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, inspired Daniel to perform a series of online concerts. These were called Synthropsections, where he played improvised solo keyboard music. He released ten recordings from these concerts between 2021 and 2023.

Daniel has a long-standing friendship with Colin Bass, the bassist and singer from the band Camel. They worked together on two song albums: Still (2020) and More (2024). The album More also features Andy Latimer, the leader of the band Camel, on guitar.

Daniel has also worked with artist David Breuer-Weil. David's art inspired Daniel's album Music For The Coviad (2022). This hour-long electronic music piece goes along with David Breuer-Weil's amazing drawings about the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, Daniel worked on a new solo album called Hotel Erika. This music is based on his childhood memories of family holidays in the beautiful Slovenian alps. It was released in March 2024.

Currently, Daniel is working on an album with Italian flautist Sara Minelli. It's called The Difficulty of Being and is planned for release in late 2024.

Musical Inspirations

Daniel Biro's early music influences from the 1970s include Motown artists like James Brown, The Temptations, and Stevie Wonder. He also liked West Coast rock bands such as Steely Dan and James Taylor.

He was inspired by progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, and Yes. He also enjoyed jazz-rock fusion groups like Chick Corea's Return to Forever, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Herbie Hancock, and Santana.

Later, he was influenced by the European ambient-jazz label ECM and minimalist composers like Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jon Hassell, and Brian Eno. He also enjoys listening to pop, rock, and dance music from artists like Peter Gabriel, New Order, David Sylvian, and Pet Shop Boys, as well as Italian and French songwriters. However, his main inspiration as a pianist is Keith Jarrett.

Private Life

Daniel Biro married Angela Bizzarri, who is a micro-biologist, in 2008. They live in London with their three children: Gabriel, Joel, and Eliana.

Discography

Solo Albums

• Soho Square (1993)
• The Comparative Anatomy of Angels (1996)
• Elegant Enigmas (1999)
• A Still, Thin Sound (2009)
• Songs Of Refuge (2012)
• Shir Hadash (2014)
• Things of the Aimless Wanderer (2015)
• 120 Onetwenty (2018)
• Synthrospections 1 to 4 (2021)
• Synthrospections 5 to 7 (2022)
• Music For The Coviad (2022)
• Synthrospections 8 to 10 (2023)
• Hotel Erika (2024)

Albums with Colin Bass

• Still (2020)
• More (2024)

Albums with Mysteries of the Revolution

• Mysteries Of The Revolution (2007)
• Longing For The Dawn (2022)

Albums with Echo Engine

• Windjammer (2014)
• I’ll Be Here (2019)

Album with Rob Palmer

• The Long Journey Home (2004)

Albums with L’Orange

• 2 People in a Room (2002)
• A Fruitful Past - Vol. 1 - The French Demos (2022)
• A Fruitful Past - Vol. 2 - The English Demos (2022)

Selected Film and TV Soundtracks

• In 2 Minds (BBC 1 - 2003)
• Sous La Barbe de St Nicholas (French TV - 2006)
• Bio-Attitude Sans Béatitude (French TV - 2006)
• Parce Que Vous Ne Valez Rien (French TV - 2008)
• Rêve de Sable (French TV - 2011)
• Carrément Cornichon (French TV - 2012)
• Chemins de Mémoire (French TV - 2012)
• Things of the Aimless Wanderer (Sundance - 2014)
• Auschwitz Untold (Channel 4 / The History Channel - 2019)
• Barack Obama Talks to David Olusoga (BBC 1 - 2020)
• De Gaulle - Une Genèse dans le Nord (French TV - 2021)