Biography
Nico Leonard is a musician, producer, and sound engineer from Charleroi, Belgium. He began playing music at the age of 12, exploring drums, percussion, vibraphone, marimba, and keyboards, including piano and organ. He studied classical and contemporary percussion at the academies of Châtelet and Brussels, continued his education at Jazz Studio in Antwerp, and also studied musicology at ULB (Université libre de Bruxelles).
At the age of 12, he formed his first punk rock band and played his first concert just before turning 17. He later co-founded The Moon Invaders, one of Belgium’s most active ska and rocksteady bands of the 2000s. He is currently involved in several projects, including 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 such as 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 also accompanied many Jamaican artists, including 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, Winston Francis, Stranger Cole, and Alpheus, among others. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, and Brazil.
As a producer and sound engineer, Nico has been running his own studio, Badasonic Studio, since 2008, contributing to over 100 recordings with Jamaican, American, Brazilian, and European artists. He is also the founder of the label Badasonic Records.
In addition to his work on stage and in the studio, he has composed music for films and short films. His work is deeply rooted in authenticity, groove, and a strong respect for the musical traditions of Jamaican and Black American music from the 1950s to the 1970s.