MonoNeon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dywane Thomas Jr.
Dywane Thomas Jr. ("MonoNeon", formerly known as "Polyneon")
Background information
Birth name	Dywane Eric Thomas Jr.
Also known as	MonoNeon Polyneon Dwayne Thomas DJ
Born	(1990-08-06) August 6, 1990 (age 34) Memphis, Tennessee
Genres	Jazz avant-funk experimental microtonal R&B
Occupations	Musician singer composer

Dywane Eric Thomas Jr. (born August 6, 1990), known professionally as MonoNeon, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is famous for playing the bass guitar in a very unique and experimental way. MonoNeon has worked with many artists, including the legendary musician Prince. He has also gained a lot of fans online because of his creative work.

MonoNeon was the last bass player Prince hired before Prince passed away in 2016. He also played bass on the song "Makin' A Movie" by American singer Ne-Yo in 2010. MonoNeon is also well-known for his online videos where he adds cool basslines to popular internet clips. He also creates music using microtonality, which means he uses musical notes that are "in between" the notes you usually hear. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee.

Early Life and Learning Music

MonoNeon grew up in a family that loved music. His dad was also a bass guitarist. MonoNeon started playing the bass when he was only four years old, and he taught himself how to play. He did not take formal lessons. When he was about 11 or 12, he even performed with a famous band called the Bar-Kays.

School and Early Performances

MonoNeon briefly attended Berklee College of Music, a well-known music school. There, he played alongside David Fiuczynski, another talented musician. After leaving Berklee in 2010, MonoNeon moved to Los Angeles. He continued to perform with Fiuczynski and drummer Alex Bailey at places like the Musicians Institute.

MonoNeon's Unique Music Style

How He Plays the Bass

MonoNeon is right-handed, but he plays a right-handed bass guitar upside down and left-handed! This special way of playing lets him bend the strings a lot, creating unique sounds. His "slapping" technique (where bass players hit the strings with their thumb and pull them with their fingers) is also very different because he does it all upside down.

He also uses his fingers and palm to gently mute the strings. This creates a warm, soft sound and helps him control how long the notes last. When he improvises, you might hear sounds that remind you of Indian music, including special musical decorations called gamakas. Another cool thing about MonoNeon is that he uses "mistakes" in his playing. If he accidentally plays something unexpected, he turns it into a new, intentional part of the music!

Many people describe MonoNeon's overall playing style as "funky with unusual characteristics." Famous bass player Marcus Miller has even praised his unique way of playing. MonoNeon's music is greatly influenced by Southern soul, blues, and funk music.

Early Career Highlights

In 2009, MonoNeon was part of a project called GospelChops Bass Sessionz Vol.1. He played alongside other great bassists like Andrew Gouche and Hadrien Feraud.

In 2010, he played bass on the Libra Scale album by Grammy Award-winning artist Ne-Yo. He was also featured in an article called "Bass to the Future" in the UK Bass Guitar magazine.

In 2012, MonoNeon joined David Fiuczynski's band, Planet Microjam. That same year, he released his first solo album, Down-to-Earth Art, under the name MonoNeon. His bass cover videos of the Green Hill Zone Theme from the Sonic The Hedgehog video game and the theme song to the Martin Lawrence Show were very popular online.

In 2013, he released another album called Southern Visionary, which featured several musicians who also use microtonal music. He also released an EP (a shorter album) called WEON with producer Kriswontwo.

Later Collaborations and Recognition

In July 2014, MonoNeon played his first show as the bassist for the band Screaming Headless Torsos in Mexico. In 2018, he performed with Joe Russo (musician) and Eric Krasno as a trio called (nO*sO*nO*). They played funk, jazz, and psychedelic rock music, often improvising and covering songs by artists like Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles.

MonoNeon was nominated for a Grammy Award at the 65th Grammys for his work on Cory Henry's album, "Operation Funk."

Experimental Art and Music

MonoNeon's experimental way of making music has been compared to the famous 20th-century composer John Cage. MonoNeon often uses ideas from conceptual art in his music. For example, in 2011, he started improvising (making up music on the spot) with an AM/FM radio. He would play bass along with whatever sounds came from the radio. Some of these recordings can be heard on his album Introspection of PolyNeon.

MonoNeon is also known for his "readymade bass." This idea comes from his love for Dadaism and other avant-garde art movements, which use everyday objects in art. His "readymade bass" often has an ordinary sock covering the headstock (the top part of the bass) and the name "Polyneon" on the body. He also uses colorful duct tape and other simple items to decorate his basses, which has become a recognizable part of his visual style.

In 2021, MonoNeon teamed up with Davy Nathan to release a full album called "Supermane." One song from the album, "Done with the B-S," which features Ledisi, was even mentioned in Rolling Stone magazine.

Working with Prince

In 2015, MonoNeon began playing bass with the legendary musician Prince and his student, Judith Hill. They performed live shows at Prince's famous studio, Paisley Park.

On January 11, 2016, a song called Ruff Enuff by MonoNeon was released on Tidal. Prince produced the song and played keyboards on it. The next day, a version with vocals by Adrian Crutchfield was released. The notes for the song mentioned that MonoNeon, along with Kirk A Johnson (drums) and Adrian Crutchfield (sax), were Prince's house band for his jam sessions at Paisley Park. Prince was producing their first album.

When Prince wasn't doing his solo piano shows, he was often practicing with this new band at Paisley Park, with MonoNeon as his new bass player.

Discography

Solo Albums

• "Polyneon" (2010)
• "Introspection of PolyNeon" (2011)
• "Noise Catharsis" (2011)
• "Johnnie Taylor and John Cage" (2011)
• "The Kitschy EP" (2011)
• "MonoNeon" (2012)
• "Ming Neon" (2012)
• "Down-to-Earth Art" (2012)
• "Southern Visionary" (2013)
• "Uncle Curtis Answered The Lobster Telephone" (2013)
• "John Cage on Soul Train" (2014)
• "MonoNeon Plays Speech" (2015)
• "Welcome 2 Whateva The Fyuck" (2017)
• A Place Called Fantasy (2017)
• "I Don't Care Today (Angels & Demons in Lo-Fi)" (2018)
• "My Feelings Be Peeling" (2019)
• "Toxic Wasteland 2 The Hills" (2020)
• "Banana Peel on Capitol Hill" (2021)
• "Gospel According to the Little Green Man - EP" (2021)
• "Supermane" (2021)
• "Basquiat & Skittles Album" (2021)
• "Put on Earth for You" (2022)
• "There Goes That Man Again Turning Water Into Gin & Juice" (2022)
• Jelly Belly Dirty Somebody (2023)
• Wonderland's Disaster Queen EP (2023)
• Quilted Stereo (2024)

Collaborations

• With Ne-Yo: "Libra Scale" (2010) - played bass on "Making A Movie"
• With Georgia Anne Muldrow: "Ms. One" (2014)
• With Prince: "RUFF ENUFF" single (2016)
• With WEON: "WEON" (2013), "Neon the Won" (2015)
• With Mac Miller: Circles (2020) - played bass on "Complicated"
• With Matt Johnson (Jamiroquai's keyboardist): "With The Music" (2020) - played bass on "With The Music" and "The Freedom"
• With Nas: King's Disease (2020) - played bass on "All Bad"
• With Knower: Knower Forever (2023)
• With Sudan Archives: Natural Brown Prom Queen (2022) - played bass, keyboard, drums, and helped produce/write "It's Already Done"