Born in Caracas (1972), Tony Funiciello, musician, Visual Artist and Multimedia Specialist, resides in San Francisco, California, since 1994, where he began his training as a DJ, producer, and designer of interactive installations. He studied Art at Federico Brandt Art School in Caracas (1994), at E.U.A at the San Academy of Art College (1997) and continued to develop new interactive multimedia art formats. Its multimedia installations have been exhibited worldwide in galleries, exhibitions and art festivals. His most recent international work "Elastic Horizon" was presented at the 2002 New Zealand International Art Festival, representing Venezuela as a guest artist and exhibiting an interactive audiovisual installation, with the use of sensors, 3D sound, interactive visuals, and sculpture. He began his musical training at the age of 8 with the acoustic guitar and the organ and then continue his development as a musician. His interest in electronic music is due to breakdance, which since his arrival in Venezuela in 1980 had caught his attention taking the Electro Beat as his biggest musical influence to date. He was guitarist and bassist of various bands of punk rock and Industrial music at the end of the '80s. In the early '90s, he continued his musical career merging and experimenting with Afro-Latin rhythms and experimental electronic music despite the lack of media, culture, and influence of electronic music in his country of origin. Subsequently, after his arrival in the city of San Francisco, he managed to focus his interest in electronic music as a DJ and Producer thanks to the great influence of the dance culture that resides in that city. Since 1995 he has performed at international festivals such as Burning Man in the Nevada desert, Earthdance, Tribal Massive and Fusion Festival in California, International Art Festival in New Zealand as well as Splore Festival and The Big Chill. He was also in 2000 touring eleven cities of E.U.A as a DJ and stage designer with FTT "Funkyteknotribe", one of the most recognized DJ's festivals on the western coasts of the United States and internationally. He has performed with renowned international artists such as Alex Petterson (The Orb), Mr.C, Daft Punks, Perry Farrel (Jane's Addiction), DJ Dan, Mark Farina, Freak Nasty, BLIM, Lee Coombs, Dj Rap, Dj Pierre, Meat Katie, X-Dream and Thievery Corporation, Stephane Sonpougnac among others. Dj Aureal has specialized in video editing, producing video arts for various brands that sponsor electronic music, art, and technology events. Its non-commercial video art installations have been exhibited at various special events, galleries, and museums. Recently he exhibited a work created in Venezuela for the contemporary art museum of Caracas (M.A.C.S.I.). This work was called "Urban Biology" and was part of an exhibition of M.AC.S.I. Called "Video art" in Nov. 2002. Today its purpose is to promote its music, art, and ideals with the intention of improving and developing new ways of understanding and communication as well as the social, technological and artistic aspect. Nowadays Tony is recognized in San Francisco after having represented in an arduous way the Nu Skool Break Beat style since his beginnings in that city ('97) and for his live shows where he demonstrates his versatility as a musician and multimedia artist combined performance, synchronized videos with audio and interactive stages both in San Francisco and other major cities in the US He is also recognized as one of the most important DJs in Venezuela for his extensive international career and as a precursor of the Dance culture movement, forming the first and most important productions of underground electronic music and DJs in Venezuela, giving way to a new era of music styles, fashion and ideas and that today has managed to reach massive levels of spectators and participants, forming various subcultures derived from the movement of electronic music.
Since 1995, Antonio Funiciello (AUREAL) had been working in the events and entertainment industries, creating stage designs and set decorations for special events, while developing his creative passions in interactive technologies and multimedia design.
In 2006, as a multimedia producer and art director, Antonio established Shuffle Media in Caracas, Venezuela as a multimedia art and entertainment technologies research group, servicing the needs for event marketing and advertising agencies.
Shuffle Media has expanded progressively and since 2008 operates from offices in Sydney, Australia, under its new brand ”Ethos Media” providing interactive art installations and audiovisual production facilities, advertising and marketing strategies.
Ethos Media has expanded its technological capabilities to include 3D Architectural Video Mapping, developing its own unique technology and simplifying the complex processes commonly used by other multimedia producers around the world.
