Born to a New Zealand, jazz musician father and Hawaiian, hula dancer mother, Kody Nielson (Silicon) and his brother Ruban (Unknown Mortal Orchestra) have spent their lives immersed in music and art. The Mint Chicks, an infamous noise band they formed in 2001, released three albums and a swarm of vinyl EPs and singles over a period of nine years, predominantly for the Flying Nun label, attracting a significant cult following in the process.

After their departure, Kody collaborated with iconic chanteuse Bic Runga in 2012 to form Opossom, releasing Electric Hawaii, an album of hyper-vivid, psychedelia. The following year saw the digital self-release of Devils, a six track EP of fevered, resolutely modern funk with father Chris fulfilling a prominent role on horns.

Most recently, Kody took a significant role co-writing, co producing, playing keyboards and drumming on the highly lauded third album Multi-Love from brother Ruban’s Unknown Mortal Orchestra. As much as there are traces of all of the above to be found in the sounds of Silicon, ultimately this latest incarnation of Nielson’s genius goes some way to closing the loop on the music he made before the Mint Chicks came into existence.

Cultivating his own distinct sound, on his forthcoming release Personal Computer, Silicon has been introduced by the machinations of lead single “God Emoji” where electronics meet harmonized, vocal confections. The aesthetic solidifies and expands with “Burning Sugar”, a Stevie Wonder like development on the funk that Kody explored on Devils. The release of Personal Computer will be augmented by a series of twenty nine paintings of Kody’s ‘Emoji’ icon which adorn the artwork, and will subsequently be exhibited in New York and London, and made available for sale after the album’s release on August 28th via Weird World.