Photo credit: Roxi Abbott @Roxisound
Artist's Interpretation
Nick's pride and joy: The Satin-X double-neck guitar
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About Nick Standing & JabunAudioNick Standing, also known as Jabun and Better Than The Book.
Nick's journey as a musician started at age 6 learning piano and cello, which would lead to many performances in orchestras and choirs from 2001 - 2009 including on international tours. He formed his first band Crow's Wing in 2004 after receiving an acoustic guitar for his 14th birthday, and would be writing and performing gigs with them as a lead vocalist and guitarist before he turned 16. Seeking but unable to afford the tools he needed to express himself musically, he built his own double-neck guitar at age 15 with the help of his father and twin brother. At 16, Nick was already experimenting with recording and producing music (albeit haphazardly), and recorded a number of tracks with Crow's Wing, Lupus Atrum (again as lead vocalist and guitarist), as well as solo. At 18, Nick went to Durham University to study Physics and Mathematics (emerging in 2012 with a First Class Joint Honours Masters Degree), where he spent his free time playing open mic nights and studying music production and recording. He also joined the Anime Society which substantially developed his already huge passion for animation and film, experimented with playing pipe organ, and purchased his first bass guitar. After graduation, Nick spent the summer of 2012 working on his first EP as Better Than The Book - One Small Step, as well as his first electronic tracks as Jabun, both of which would be released by the end of the year. He also joined the established pop-punk quartet Lights, Camera, Attraction! as the bassist and backing vocals, gigging the Sussex punk scene and recording / producing the From The Ground Up EP with them before his departure in 2014. 2013 onwards would see numerous tracks released, international collaborations (notably World Beyond and Cyberdevil), and Nick's first animation post-production projects with creators such as Fun Station 4 Kids and Sif Savery. After much demand for his help and services, Nick founded his audio production business JabunAudio in 2014, which has assisted numerous musicians, animators and game developers (notably with APOTHEOSIS) around the globe with everything from music to UK broadcast television, and contributed to over 40 million views on YouTube to date! On February 6th 2016, Nick released his first full length solo album, Better Than The Book's - Two Years On, which earned him his first international radio play, interviews and web magazine / blog spots. Releasing a bonus instrumental version of the album exactly a year later, quickly followed by his debut album as Jabun - Daydream on May 4th 2017, Nick went on to receive his first spoken interviews on podcast shortly afterwards. After much hard work and preparation, Nick's 2nd full-length studio album as Better Than The Book, Hopes and Dreams was released on July 19th 2019. 10 tracks; 39+ minutes; one heartfelt ska punk adventure carrying straight on from where Two Years On left off. Since its release, Hopes and Dreams has received amazing acclaim worldwide, with 9/10 of the songs featured on radio shows all the way across the USA and UK to Australia including numerous programs on idobi Radio (USA), BBC Introducing (UK), and The Masita Ska Show with Beefy (Australia), the #1 rated ska music podcast in the world! Check out all of Better Than The Book's press features including radio, web magazines, interviews and more on the BTTB PRESS page! Following the amazing reception of Hopes and Dreams, Better Than The Book has finally gathered a team of musicians and is preparing to hit the stage for LIVE shows soon! Keep up to date with the latest gig info on the BTTB GIGS page! To celebrate one amazing year since the album's release, BTTB also released the Hopes and Dreams [Instrumentals] bonus album on July 19th 2020! Pick it up now on Bandcamp! On top of this, Jabun has launched a brand new metal side project: Jabun [Alternate Reality] which kicked off its discography on September 2nd 2020 with a Killswitch Engage & Slipknot inspired cover of Kesha's Warrior! Listen on YouTube and pick it up as an exclusive download when you become a supporter on Patreon! As of November 2019, Nick is back to composing chill and cinematic soundscapes as Jabun and on December 16th 2020 released his 2nd Jabun album 15-4-20, a 33+ minutes, 3 track live improvised ambient exploration! Check out the album on Bandcamp! Meanwhile, on January 30th 2021, Nick's ska punk project Better Than The Book received its first compilation album feature on the Save The Ska Show fundraiser album by The Ska Show with Beefy; 64 tracks donated from ska bands around the world to help keep the show on the air! Pick up a copy from bandcamp and let's save this amazing ska show together! Following 2020's ambient explorations, on April 15th 2021, the anniversary of the recording of 15-4-20, Jabun released its 3rd album Generation Supernova, a 37+ minute collection of 4 tracks exploring generative music methods in the studio! Listen, download, and read more about Generation Supernova on Bandcamp! On October 1st 2021, Better Than The Book & Jabun released a collaborative single 1314, the song Nick proposed to Eva with! Purchase the single on Bandcamp and read more on Patreon! And she said yes btw!!! On May 6th 2022, Jabun released its 4th album Tides, a 70+ minute, 9 track, live performed ambient sea journey! Listen, download, and read more about Tides on Bandcamp! And on March 3rd 2023, Jabun released the June22 EP, a 16+ minute collection of 2 electronic live performances inspired by the modular synthesizer works of Suzanne Ciani! Listen, download, and read more about Tides on Bandcamp! Get access to exclusive downloads, behinds the scenes peeks, the full Better Than The Book, Jabun, and Nick Standing discographies, covers, mashups, bonus tracks and more when you support Nick's music on Patreon! Nick and JabunAudio currently resides in the UK working on new music and animation projects on a weekly basis. Nick is always on the lookout for new animators, musicians and other creatives to work and collaborate with and spread his passion for making great sounding productions. Want to be a part of JabunAudio history? Don't hesitate to drop him a line. He'd love to hear from you! Contact Nick at JabunAudio Here If you want to dive even deeper into Nick's musical journey, head over to Patreon for exclusive downloads, behind the scenes peeks and more, and enjoy the adventure from a front row seat as it unfolds! |
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