Born in Japan, Nick Calingaert lived in various countries around the globe, spending several years living in Italy, England, and Belgium before finally settling in Chicago in 1996. While growing up, Nick studied violin and music theory before teaching himself to play guitar. An avid record collector and music enthusiast, Calingaert made his first appearance on vinyl in 1995, collaborating with Spencer Kincy (aka Gemini) on ‘7:15pm,’ a track on Gemini’s "Moments of Euphoria EP" released by Belgium’s SSR label. SSR was also where Nick’s Common Factor guise made its debut, recording two EPs, "The 1000" and "Motion/Transition."

Common Factor’s first two Planet E releases were surprise hits, featuring the tracks ‘Horizons’ and ‘Get Down,’ each grabbing Single Of The Month honors in Mixmag. Common Factor also earned the respect of the American dance music magazines – Urb Magazine named this rising domestic talent as one of the Top 100 artists to watch in 1999.

1998 also saw the birth of Retroflex, a collaborative project with Chris Nazuka, best known for his extensive production and remix work with the legendary Derrick Carter. The first two EPs were released by Soma at the end of 1998.

Common Factor returned in 1999 with "Dreams Of Elsewhere," the CD release of his vinyl-only gems (compiled with extra bonus tracks) and the "Pisces Groove EP" on Planet E. This was followed by live dates and an American tour with the Planet E family.

The new millenium was kicked off by dates in Australia. Since then, Nick has been busy preparing the next wave of releases. Spring 2000 will see the release of the new Retroflex EP on Soma, the beginning of a new collaboration with Paper Recordings (to be released as Nick Calingaert), and the return of Common Factor with two new vocal tracks. These feature John Redmond on vocals, best known for his ‘People Everyday’ release on Cajual Records.