Co-founder & main composer of Zen Garden.Debut album "Ambion" out on 15th July by Cosmicleaf records.www.myspace.com/stefantortowww.cosmicleaf.comwww.myspace.com/zengardenofficialBio :Stefanos is the music composer and music producer of Zen Garden.
He was born in Athens in 1979. He started playing the guitar at the age of 10 and he is self-taught. At 15 he started playing electric guitar with ‘Vice Human’ and he participated in their live shows and CD- LP recordings.
Between 1995 & 1998 he played with several groups such as Glower, Agnoun, On-Off and others.Since 2001 he works on music technology (samplers, synthesizers, music production) and instrument learning and experimentation (percussion, strings, piano).
In 2003 Stefanos orchestrates and produces the “Mayas to the Atlantis” Record by Tm Baton Kee (native American flute Keeper).Between 22004 &2006 he participates in the IEK AKMI Music Technology competition and wins a contract with PLANETWORKS record company.
Collaborations with Dj Viton, Dallas, Mike& Stef, and others follow.In 2006, he works for the orchestration, the sampling and the sound design of the “Perses” production of the National Theatre of Greece, directed by Lydia Koniordou, music by Takis Farazis.
He then follows the play tour in Epidaurus ancient Theatre , and in the tour around Greece and New York, playing live samples, percussion and strings.In 2006-2007 he composes, orchestrates and produces in collaboration with Roxani Garefalaki the music for the “Deva” Dance Theatre performance, directed by Silvia Macchi, of the Synergion of Arts group.
Around the same time he starts collaborating with The Percussions of Taki music group and the Afro-Cretan Band by L. Grigoriou, doing sampling, production, and playing guitar and keyboards in their live shows at open-air festivals and clubs.
Moreover he participates in the making of commercials, and short-films (soundtracks, mixing)Ιn 2008 he composed the music for the dance theatre group Fygein Adynaton, production: “Facts and Faculties” choreographed by Natasa Aretha.
In 2009 he cooperates with Takis Farazis for the music of the short film “of memory” concerning the work of sculptor Venia Dimitrakopoulou, directed by F. Koutsaftis.The same year he works for the Athens and Epidaurus Festival in the production “Ornithes” ( directed by S.
Xatzakis, music by Minos Matsas) in sound engineering and sampling.
