Hey there. This is the bio section of my website. I’m not cool enough to have somebody else write this for me, and I’m also not going to pretend that I am by writing in the third person.
I just find it unbearably awkward when I read a third-person bio and have to think, “They obviously wrote this themselves. Did they think I wouldn’t notice?” So I’m getting ahead of it here. Now you know it’s me. This is my bio, and I wrote it.
I recently finished a Master’s degree in ‘Electroacoustic Music Composition’ at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. My compositions range from contemporary electroacoustic to some weird hybrid of electronica and multi-instrumental live-looping, but now after typing that I already feel like I put myself in too small of a box, so let’s just pretend I’m confident enough to say that I make whatever the f*ck I want. … Sigh. Look, I’m still figuring it out, ok?
Handpans are a big part of my ‘sound’, but I also rely heavily on synthesizers, drum machines, various hand-percussion and found-sounds, and of course – my computer. This isn’t product placement, but I would be nothing without Ableton Live, Max, and ClyphX; I use the three softwares together to do some wonky stuff. And I’m quite proud of this next bit: Ableton has even said some nice things about my music, calling it “airy” and “mesmerizing”! How cool is that, right?
See, I do this thing with live-looping where I don’t use any foot pedals or controllers, but things seemingly loop ‘on their own.’ It’s kind of like a magic trick, but in reality, I pre-program all the looping and audio effects ahead of time (using Max and ClyphX). Not having to worry about starting and stopping the loops frees up my hands and feet to make more music, and pre-programming the effects lets me add more detail and depth to my performances – so it’s more like a studio-recording, but only using live audio. Anywho, sorry for ruining the magic trick, but I still think it’s pretty cool, even if you know how it works.
In addition to performing my own music, I also sometimes write Acousmatic Music (music that’s specifically composed to be performed with loudspeakers) for the Berlin Loudspeaker Orchestra. It’s sort of like a sound installation with dozens of speakers placed around the room, but rather than people coming and going as they wish, it’s experienced like a live concert with an audience. You can check out some photos here.
I’m also very passionate about music technology – more specifically, any technology related to live electronic music. I’ve designed some plugins, which you can check out here.
For the last two years, I helped co-run a record label called Future Rust that focuses on innovative handpan music. We released some compilations that feature incredible artists like Manu Delago, David Kuckhermann, Lisa Gerrard, Nadishana, and many more.
Alright, I think that’s about it. See ya’ in five years when I remember to update this again.