James
“Bonzai” Caruso
is a six-time Grammy winning mix engineer, producer and songwriter who has worked with many of the world’s most iconic artists and has numerous platinum and gold certified records to his credit.
His body of work includes notable pop, reggae, hip-hop and electronic singles and albums.
Early career in New York City
Bonzai’s career started as a keen and wide-eyed teenager in the 1980’s New York City studio scene while attending the world-renowned Institute of Audio Research in Greenwich Village.
He found work as an intern at Secret Sound Studios and by his early 20’s had established himself as a freelance engineer, creating new sounds with artists like GrandMaster Flash, Melle Mel, Afrika Bambatta, and Ice T.
He mixed and engineered house and dance records with the likes of David Morales, Lil Louie Vega and Frankie Knuckles.
Mixing for iconic artists
Bonzai is one of the most sought after engineers and producers in the world for the genre of reggae with four Best Reggae Album Grammy wins to his name—twice with Stephen Marley and twice with Damian Marley, both sons of the late great Bob Marley.
Mixing for iconic artists
His mixing style eventually caught the ears of the right people and he found himself working with artists like Madonna, Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs, Mary J. Blidge, Notorious B.I.G., Jodeci, Missy Elliot, Faith Evans, C&C Music Factory, NAS and many others, recording and mixing at studios like The Hit Factory, Unique Recordings, Quad Studios and Right Track NYC.
His work on the seminal pop record “Shy Guy” by Diana King is still widely considered a masterclass in the art of mixing pop music. It was this work that led to a call from Stephen Marley, and a musical relationship formed that continues to this day.
Collaboration with Stephen & Damian Marley
Next up was Nas and Damian Marley’s “Distant Relatives” album, Stephen Marley’s ”Revelation”, Damian Marley’s “Stony Hill” album and many more. Bonzai has been honored to posthumously mix Bob Marley’s music and continues to work with many members of the Marley family.
Grammy-nominated Records
Bonzai’s work can be heard on the Grammy Nominated records like Chronixx ‘Chronology’ album, and on artists like Alicia Keys, Protoje, J Boog, Nattali Rize, Jah Cure, Katchafire, Mariah Carey, Mortimer, Gwen Stefani, Missy Elliot, The Green, Erykah Badu, Cher, and many more.
Music in Film and TV
In addition to producing and mixing for artists, Bonzai composes original music for film and TV. Recently he has written music for several independent films, and produced pieces for Phillip Morris, CMT, Adidas, and others.
The Hideout Recording Studio | Las Vegas
The studio features a variety of vintage analog outboard and Pro Tools HD systems offering an extensive selection of plugins and is designed to achieve the most precise acoustic properties.
Bonzai incorporates The Hideout as his base for Dolby Atmos Mixing, ensuring that his mixes achieve the highest level of sound quality possible.
Force Multiplier Collective
maris moon
Co-Founder & Producer
Producer, songwriter and former Dj with over two decades experience.
erik weiss
Co-Founder & Producer
Producer, Label Owner and Dj with hundreds of credits to this name.
FACUNDO APESTEGUIA
Co founder & geek guy
More than 20 years working in Marketing and building businesses.
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