MOLI Roller

Phil Nicolo

Phil and twin brother Joe began their music careers as teenagers fixing speakers at a nearby drive-in theater, rewiring amplifiers and keeping the antiquated system running. After earning a B.S. in Science from Temple University, Phil returned to Philadelphia and the two brothers co-founded Studio 4, a state-of-the-art recording studio. Individually, and together as the "Butcher Bros," — a reference to their father's business — they quickly established themselves as a force in all genres of music production, from rock to R&B, mainstream to cutting edge. Phil has attained the most coveted form of success in music — he has succeeded in every musical genre he has tackled.

His early rock credits include the Hooters, the Nighthawks, and Willie Nile. At the same time, he was creating music with Kriss Kross, Teddy Pendergrass and Taj Mahal. Mixes of Billy Joel's "Life of Dreams," the Rolling Stones' "Love Is Strong," Aerosmith's "Falling In Love," and James Taylor's "A Little More Time" are all his work. He recently co-produced and mixed Sting's "When We Danced" and re-mixed "Message In A Bottle" for the Police. Other credits include John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Amy Grant, Nine Inch Nails, Luscious Jackson, Savage Garden, the Pretenders, and Jon Bon Jovi.

In 1989, Ruffhouse Records was launched out of Studio 4 operations with partner Chris Schwartz, and over the next ten years they moved more than 100 million units through Sony distribution. Responsible for the careers of Lauryn Hill, the Fugees, Cypress Hill, Kriss Kross, and Wyclef Jean, Ruffhouse accounted for 12 of Columbia Records' 39 Grammy nominations in 1990. To accommodate their busy production schedule, they renovated a warehouse in Conshohocken, PA, and turned it into a powerhouse of studios, digital editing rooms and offices. In 1993, Phil founded MasterVoice, a mastering lab.

While maintaining a busy stable of multi-platinum artists, Phil has continued to work with cutting edge talent. He produced the critically acclaimed Train for Aware/Columbia. He produced the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Dishwalla, Fig Dish, and Cibo Matto, a veritable who's who of cutting edge rock. His hard rock credits include Life of Agony, Dog Eat Dog, Urge Overkill, and Anthrax. He mixed the Butthole Surfers' "Pepper," the Cult's "Gone/Coming Down," and produced the Fugees' "Live Bootleg." Recent credits include Shades Apart, Depeche Mode and remixes for a John Lennon and Yoko Ono box set.

Courtesy of InfidelRecords.com.