Nokwell, formerly Armonde Drakar, is a producer who originates from Oakland, CA. Born into a family of music connoisseurs, his early musical influences came from different genres such as R&B, Rock, Hip-Hop, and Jazz. He began making his own sounds since the age of 13. Using a Casio keyboard which could store custom-made patterns, he often crafted unique material which fused several categories. Seven years later, Nokwell (then using the moniker Armonde Drakar) upgraded his music tool to a Yamaha QY-70 beat machine. He used the following years to learn and perfect the art of arrangement, editing, and composition. In 2001, he finally had his first experience in a professional-grade recording studio. It was also at this time when he met two other aspiring producers and engineers: The One (then going by the name Tuch Tone) and N8. Shortly thereafter, the producers, along with MBZ, would join with several other musicians and artists for a project called “Abstract Frequencies”. Drakar retired the QY-70 and began using computer-orientated tools such as Cubase and Fruity Loops. He was also introduced to new genres such as Drum & Bass, Dubstep, and Trip Hop, which exposed him to more sounds to mix into his creations. Drakar began remixing songs from popular and Bay Area artists to further refine his sounds. The Abstract Frequencies project was beneficial to Drakar’s continuing growth as a producer and engineer, but the collective would shortly separate to pursue their own endeavors. Drakar remained connected with The One (formerly Tuch Tone), N8, and MBZ, who planned to join forces again under ideal circumstances. In 2004, Armonde Drakar became KontraDiction, and as the name changed, the style of music creation did not. He continued his production and remix work, leading him to collaborate with several upcoming Bay Area rappers, singers, and producers. Kontra relocated from Emeryville to Richmond in 2007 unable to make new material due to lack of resources. This was corrected in late 2008, when Kontra purchased project studio equipment. He also decided to use Nokwell as his official moniker at this time. In 2009, Nok was contacted by The One to begin laying the foundation for ManVSMachine Inc. Uniting with a new wave of genre-bending artists from Northern California, as well as N8 and MBZ, Nok is ready to expose his sound to the world. His first project contains two parts: The first (Best Case Scenario EP) is an introduction to the fusion sound, and the second (Worst Case Scenario LP) contains material made during sessions with several featured artists. Look out for these and more projects from Nokwell in late 2012 and beyond. Bio taken from The Official ManVsMachine Inc.website Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.