Jody Lloyd

Jody Lloyd is a New Zealand electronica and hip-hop musician and record producer from Christchurch. He is the brother of Cloudboy vocalist Demarnia Lloyd, and the two siblings have frequently appeared on each other's recordings.

Biography

Lloyd was born in Takaka, Golden Bay, New Zealand. The son of Evelyn and David Lloyd. His father was a musician in the theatre/folk band Threepenny Folly (1976 - 1981). Lloyd grew up near Parnassus, North Canterbury, New Zealand and moved with his family to Christchurch, New Zealand in 1982.

In 1993 Lloyd formed the group Dark Tower, a two-piece featuring himself and Eli Foley (under the pseudonyms "The Earl" and "The Eel" respectively). Dark Tower released their first EP, "Real Zealmen" in 1995, followed by the critically acclaimed "Shadows on a Flat Land" in 1998 [ [http://www.thebigcity.co.nz/reviews/shadowsonaflatland review of Shadows on a Flat Land] ] , the first release on Lloyd's own She'll Be Right label. "Shadows on a Flat land" featured collaborations with a swag of Christchurch musicians including his father, sister, Jeremy Taylor, Mark Duff and Claire Falloon.

More Dark Tower albums followed, with "Canterbury Drafts" in 2001 (nominated for best New Zealand hip hop album of the year 2001, NZ Music Awards), and "The Dark World" and "The Pacific Scandal", both in 2005. Dark Tower produced an unexpectedly New Zealand voice in the local hip-hop scene, which had otherwise been dominated by an amalgam of American street styles and Polynesian influences known as Urban Pasifika. While Dark Tower's music had some Urban Pasifika influences, some critics claimed it reveled in kitsch kiwiana, defiantly presenting rap their own New Zealand accents and sampling such nostalgically New Zealand elements as old television theme music and folk music.

Lloyd has alternated Dark Tower's cut-up hip-hop in recent years with electronica and remix work under the pseudonym of Trillion, under which name he has released six albums [ [http://www.trillion.co.nz/ Trillion website] ] . These albums commenced with "Fresh Jams" in 2002, "at a lucid end" in 2003, this world and the sadvipra diversion" in 2004, "The gray between Shadow and Shade" 2005,"Audio Agriculture in the 21st Century"in 2006, and "SILENTinvisible", his masterpiece in 2008.

Lloyd formed the six piece Trillion Band in 2004 and in 2007 the band reduced to three members and took on the name "The Incredible Braking Wheel" releasing a five track EP.

Lloyd has also produced albums for Irish outfit Bazuki Joe, rapper Billy Wilson, Phil Johns, Le Mot Cafe, Catalyst Poetry Journals and Canadian writer and poet Jim Christy.

Lloyd is the founder of She'll Be Right Records, a Christchurch-based label specialising in natural accent New Zealand music including John White (mestar), Andy Gibson, Ragamuffin Children, Lindon Puffin, Phil Johns, Billy Wilson, Bazuki Joe, Jeremy Taylor, Delaney Davidson, Tono, Jim Christy, Le Mot Cafe and Mark Tupuhi.

References

* [http://www.muzic.net.nz/artists/1025.html Muzic.net.nz Trillion page]