Filo & Peri Bio & Set

5Knuckle - The Story Thus Far. . .
By Dominic LeVoci, Scribe
Pronunciaton:
Listen, not only do we have two Doms in this story, we also have some last names that invite butchery when read for the first time, so lets start it out right. Here are the character's you'll read about:

Domenick Filopei - feel-o-pay
Bo Pericic - perr-uh-cheech
Dominic LeVoci - lee-vo-chi

And now, onwards. . .

Backstory: From Knuckleheads to 5Knuckles

syn�chro�nic�i�ty - n. pl. syn�chro�nic�i�ties
1) The state or fact of being synchronous or simultaneous; synchronism.
2) Coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related, conceived in Jungian theory as an explanatory principle on the same order as causality.

Synchronicity: its an occurence that has baffled and intruiged philosophers, religious scholars, and scientists for thousands of years. It is mentioned here because the story of 5Knuckle Studios is rooted in it. What started out as a hazy dream became more and more feasible over time, mostly through the occurance of some important and seemingly related events.

Our story begins with one Domenick Filopei. An energetic youth from the Morris Park section of The Bronx, Domenick was a child who always seemed destined for great things. An accomplished piano player by age 12, Domenick dreamed of someday making music his life; he wasn't sure how, but he had a feeling that something would come along and enlighten him.

Fast forward a few years to high school, and Domenick Filopei meets Dominic LeVoci. Although they lived in the same neighborhood their entire lives, they never met until then. The two quickly became friends, but at the time, LeVoci was thoroughly uninterested in music, bearing in mind tortuous childhood piano lessons that resulted in a mastery of old Italian folk tunes. Filopei's dreams continued to simmer.

Meanwhile, other events were happening to the north. Unbeknownst to the Doms, a young man named Bo Pericic of Ardsley, New York, was also experimenting with music. His father was an avid fan of early electronic acts, and Bo found himself listening to the likes of Jean Michelle Jarre and Tangerine Dream at a very young age. When he turned 6, his parents bought him The Miracle. The Miracle was the keyboard that you hooked up to your old 8-bit Nintendo which taught you how to play music through different games. Immediately hooked, Bo spent hours upon hours playing, trying to write his own songs instead of read notes. With the seed planted, Bo's interest grew over the years as he mined the catalogs of classic artists such as The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy. By the time Bo discovered the realm of trance, he had started to experiment with production, setting the stage for what would happen in the future. . .

By the year 2000, Dom and Dom had discovered the American rave scene and the glories of club culture. Finding their utopia in the form of dance music, they decided that this was their true calling. Their course was set. . .

After graduation, the guys scored jobs in the IT field. Filopei's bedroom studio had now reached living room sized proportions, and the decibel level threatened to have him disowned by his normally accommodating family. At the same time, LeVoci found himself at a crossroads; if he was going to get into electronic music, he would have to build himself a respectable setup, and fast.

With LeVoci unsure of his musical future, and Filopei about to be thrown out of his house, the two friends looked for a solution to their problems by combining them: what is to stop two ambitious kids from making loud music?

With their day jobs and all their savings, Filopei and LeVoci decided they were going to "go professional" - they would rent a commercial space where they could work undisturbed and focus on the difficult task they had set before them.

Their search for the perfect place came to a quick end when LeVoci remembered his old jujitsu dojo - the school had moved, and the vacated space had been cut in half, leaving behind a sizable room. After the requisite negotiations with the landlord, Filopei and LeVoci got to work. Enlisting the skills of their good friends, they set out to transform their newly acquired space from a bare room into a full-fledged production studio. The task proved to be daunting, as walls, soundproofing, and acoustical foam all had to be installed. Everyone who pitched in stepped up to the plate: Claudio Bertorelli, Lou Perri (no relation to Bo), Vinny Luccarelli and LeVoci's longtime friend Chris Napolitano all helped to build the studio from the walls to the equipment setups. In all, 5Knuckle was built with a lot of work and a lot of heart, for both Doms knew it was to be the vehicle by which their music could finally be recognized.

Construction went on for two months straight, and when it was done, there was much celebration. While LeVoci started down the long road of learning, Filopei resumed his production, which by this time was reaching new heights. It was then that the paths of Bo Pericic and Domenick Filopei first crossed. . .

Filopei had listened to a Pericic production off of Trance.nu, and admired Bo's playing style and orchestration. After a few conversations, he invited him to 5Knuckle. After just one week, the two had created a track entitled "Elevation". The production was so good that they decided to work on more projects as a team, something that neither committed to lightly. The change of pace was readily welcomed, as the naturally intense attitudes of the Doms were beginning to grate on each other, almost reaching the point of physical violence.

An industrious individual who could match Filopei's frenetic work pace as well as LeVoci's more relaxed vibe, Bo quickly became a fixture at the studio. While becoming increasingly creative in his playing, Bo displayed a keen knowledge of "the scene" as well as where he would like to take it. His grand visions sat well with 5Knuckle's mission statement, and the young producers dreamed of the day where they could rock floors with the very music they themselves had created. Days and then weeks passed, with Filopei and Bo clocking serious hours in front of the console. Even LeVoci, who had a habit of disappearing without explanation for days on end, found himself devoting more time to the mixing desk, spurred on by this resurgence of creativity. After two months of intense production, Bo and Filopei finally caught a break. After giving "Elevation" to Armin Van Buuren at the Roxy nightclub, they soon received an email from Armin himself (coincidentally on Bo's 18th birthday) stating that he would like to sign two of the tracks from the Filopei/Pericic collaboration, now known simply as "Filo & Peri". 5Knuckle Studios had finally reached the next level. . .

Present Day: The Clouds Burst

Arriving at the present, 5Knuckle Studios is now firing on all cylinders. Filo & Peri have virtually locked themselves in the studio, producing tracks that could easily rate as some of the best trance to ever come out of America. Meanwhile, LeVoci is coming into his own, refining his own unique sound that will soon be tested on the dancefloor.

With a steady schedule of releases and a mission to establish America on the trance scene, Filo & Peri have seen the industry take an increasing interest in their product. Be on the lookout for them, as you'll surely hear their tracks being hammered by a select group of renowned DJs, and soon by the boys themselves. With a sage blend of anticipation and determination, Filo & Peri look forward to the future as well as the opportunities it will bring. . .

5Knuckle - he's new kid on the block, and the message is in the name - delivering mind-rocking music to a dancefloor near you.