Biography
Nico Leonard is a musician and producer from Charleroi, Belgium. He began playing music at the age of 12, exploring drums, percussion, vibraphone, marimba, and keyboards (piano, organ, and more). He studied classical and contemporary percussion at the academies of Châtelet and Brussels, continued higher education at Jazz Studio in Antwerp, and completed musicology studies at ULB (University of Brussels).
At 12, he formed his first punk rock band and performed his first concert just before turning 17. He later co-founded The Moon Invaders, one of Belgium’s most active ska-rocksteady bands of the 2000s. He is currently active with Reggae Workers of The World, The Utopians, The Bandulus, Gaïsha, and David Hillyard & The Rocksteady 7.
Over the years, Nico has performed with numerous groups, including The Moon Invaders, The Caroloregians, The Mighty Gordinis, Adolphe Sex et ses Machines, Proyecto Secreto, The Left Arm of Buddha, The Aggrolites, Victor Rice Sextet, and André Brasseur.
He has accompanied many Jamaican artists such as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Derrick Harriott, Doreen Shaffer, The Pioneers, Rico Rodriguez, Dave & Ansel Collins, Pat Kelly, Keith & Tex, Rudy Mills, Owen Gray, among others. Nico has toured extensively across Europe, the United States, Canada, and Brazil.
As a producer and sound engineer, he has run his own studio, Badasonic Studio, since 2008, participating in over 100 recordings with Jamaican, American, Brazilian, and European artists. He is also the founder of the label Badasonic Records.
In addition to live and studio work, Nico has composed music for films and short movies. His work is rooted in authenticity, groove, and respect for the musical traditions of Jamaican and Black American music from the 1950s to the 1970s.