In 1990 Eric Salazar got his hands on an Ensoniq EPS-16+ sampling workstation and proceeded to make bad music. The 1990s brought about rave culture and with it beats of all varieties. Eric would try out these beats and by 1997 was actually making some acceptable music. His efforts culminated in a CD EP entitled "Penitence" which he burned, and hand labeled to be sold in local record shops. The following year he did the same thing with a CD EP entitled "Voluptuous".  He sent it out and a copy ended up in the offices of Peter Gabriel’s record label, Real World.  The folks at Real World listened to it in the office while writing memos.

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The following year remixes for New Vision Recordings and other labels in the UK would solidify his reputation as a burgeoning producer. By 2000, Mercedes Automotive, Smirnoff Vodka and other companies licensed Eric's music to promote their products. Eric would launch “New Vision America”, a record label in 2002. After three singles were released, the label died a quiet death.  Despite this failure, Eric pressed on and would go on to score the best-selling video game, "Belle's Beauty Boutique”. What?  In 2008 Eric released the full-length CD, "ES: When I was Emptyhead - 1997-2007." The CD would garner airplay in major markets and commendations from the press, including publications like Knowledge and XLR8R. By 2010 Eric was remixing the works of major artists such as The B-52s, Summer Channel and Sasha.

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Mental illness took hold in 2012 and as therapy Eric started producing music influenced by the drum & bass scene.  Eric’s efforts culminated in the release of albums “170.1”, “170.2”, “170.3”,"170.4" and "170.5" under the moniker Phidippus.  Offerings from these albums have made their way onto Nahual Records, Full Send DnB and other labels.  

 

In 2024 Eric was seriously injured in a head on car crash. During his recovery in nursing homes, Eric met the renowned artist Jinxit who introduced him to AI, which he quickly incorporated into his music productions.  While recovering Eric had nothing better to do than produce music.  Since his injuries in 2024, he has produced half a dozen albums. Starting with the album "Arthurian Intelligence" Eric created a series of pop albums that featured prominent use of AI generated vocals. You see, Eric can't hold a tune and with AI, he found a tool to lend a voice to his music and express a different emotion. Eric works with a broad range of production tools.  Whether it be samples or synthesis, AI or sourcing audio from other artists, Eric always brings his talents as an arranger and composer to the forefront.

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Phidippus has been streamed millions of times and is heard around the world. Eric continues to explore new musical pathways and hold true to his vision of creating weirdly beautiful music.

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When asked what kind of music he makes,  Eric answers blithely, "music".