T. AUSTIN REED

“MUSIC. IT’S WHAT I DO…IT’S WHAT I LOVE…IT’S WHO I AM. THERE IS NO OTHER STORY…” ~T. AUSTIN REED (AUSTIN MARNIER)

Biography

Though T. Austin Reed’s roots stem from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the essence of her music often features diversities of a worldwide flavor. From Electronica to Downtempo to R&B and Rock, this Producer/Engineer/Artist/Performer refuses to limit her creative ability within the confines of any one particular genre. She’ll be quick to say, “I don’t live in a box. Neither does my music.” With the ex
ception of brief training in classical piano by Monette Sudler and the late John Gilmore (of Sun Ra and His Arkestra), T. Austin is a self-taught composer who loves to defy stereotypical images that have overshadowed females within the Music Industry.

“I used to watch guys come into studios and walk past me like I didn’t exist,” she’ll admit. “Some even thought I was just another studio whore. But after I’d get pointed out as being a producer, I could see their attitudes change…And so would mine. I never enjoyed moments like those, but they happened all the time. Not anymore.”

T. Austin’s studio life began in 1996, when she was discovered by F.L.A. Records’ Holly Rob & Dr. Ray. After being signed as an artist and producer, she fell under the tutelage of Lead Engineer / Producer, Andre “Dre” Mott, who she credits as being “one of the best people that ever happened to me.” Months later, she went on to collaborate with another F.L.A. artist, Squirrel, who landed on the “Booty Call” soundtrack with his single, “Lemme See You Squirrel.”

After two years, however, T. Austin departed from F.L.A. Records. She went on to Miami, Florida, where she would eventually run into multi-platinum music producer, writer, and DJ, Sahpreem King. Though they would only end up collaborating on one project together, the two would establish musical ties that would last throughout T. Austin’s entire career. Her production skills also caught the attention of singer/songwriter, Aja Lorraine Smith (Ruff Ryder/Def Jam), and they would both move on to the island of St. Croix to work on a collaborative project in the summer of 1998. Unfortunately, the project never came to fruition, and T. Austin found herself back where she started – solo. Instead of returning the United States, however, she decided to make St. Croix her home for the next five years.

T. Austin used the few island resources she had for help; one being fellow musician, Ronnie Benjamin of Midnite Band. He, in turn, pointed her into the direction of long-time friend, Desmond Williams, based out of Washington, D.C.

The two met at ESL Music studios, where Williams worked as an artist, producer, and engineer. There, he quickly took T. Austin under his wing and gave her an intense crash course in engineering . Though their music styles were polar – in comparison – they merged together to collaborate on projects, including “High Speed Drift” (Desmond Williams – Delights in the Garden), which began as T. Austin’s introduction to 5/4 time. To her surprise, she also caught the attention of artist LouLou O. Ghelichkhani and guitarist Chris Vrenios, who both made musical contributions on two of T. Austin’s tracks, “Bahar” and “La Odela” (The 3 a.m. Sessions). Yet, things didn’t stop there. T. Austin teamed up with Desmond Williams and D.J. Farid for a remix of “Far Away” (ESL Records) which, this time, showcased her vocal abilities rather than production skills.

T. Austin’s musical journey continued to place her in the paths of other talented artists, such as Hip-Hop rapper, Mike West. In 2007, she was featured on two of Mike’s tracks, “I Can’t Wait” and “For The Streets,” which also featured previously unreleased vocals from legendary Rap Icon, Eazy-E.

In early 2010, T. Austin and Aja Lorraine reunited and formed WICKED CHICKS, a duo based upon the roles of their “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll-like” alter egos, Austin Marnier & Hennessy Raine. Aja’s incredibly alluring riffs and melodies, combined with amazingly manipulated lyrics, continuously add to the unpredictability of T. Austin’s genre-bending compositions.

T. Austin’s current collaborative projects include works with Indie artists Jayson “Kwayke” Smith, Marta Adele Allen, Aniscia Simone, and Denmark’s Gero Joshua (Execution Music).

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