Born in Lucca, he studied electronic music with Alfonso Belfiore, professor at the Florence Conservatory. Graduated in Computer Sciences at the University of Pisa with a thesis regarding systems for generating real-time audio, he has long collaborated with the Computer Art Lab of the National Research Council of Italy, now part of the Institute of Science and Information Technologies, where he currently carries out research activities in the Signals and Images Laboratory. Over the years his activity within the laboratory has involved the development of systems for the synthesis and processing of musical signals and the creation of gestural interfaces for performances and audio-visual installations in real-time. For some years at the CNR he has also been involved in the development of biofeedback systems based on sensors for the detection of movement and vital parameters (EEG, ECG, EMG), using them for artistic purposes and rehabilitation. Since 2018, his research has also involved the development of Augmented / Virtual reality systems, mainly for activities related to cultural heritage, within regional and national projects. Also active as a musician and electronic artist, in 1994 he created the multimedia project Bad Sector, releasing dozens of albums in different formats (CD / LP / MC) over the years, finding a considerable following in the underground music scene. His first work Ampos, from 1995, is still considered a fundamental work of dark ambient electronics, defining a genre and becoming a source of inspiration for many international artists. With this project, he continues to perform live throughout Europe. At the same time, he created the Olhon project, located on the border between sound documentaries and ambient music based on field recordings, releasing several albums. Olhon's work is based solely on the processing of environmental audio recordings made in extreme places (underwater, underground, etc.), obtained with special microphones and sensors of various kinds. Since 2008 he has been the artistic director of the Elettronica alla Spina electronic arts festival in Pisa. Since 2017 he teach Interaction Design at the Alma Artis Academy of Fine Arts in Pisa. In the private sector, he has collaborated as a consultant with various companies, designing and manufacturing systems for digital sound processing that are installed in many professional audio devices still currently on the market. He is co-author of Aria, a patented audio processing process for restoring sound dynamics in compressed audio recordings.
