Christian Fennesz (born 25 December 1962) is an Austrian producer and guitarist active in

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

since the 1990s, often credited

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

ously as Fennesz. His work utilizes

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

and

laptop computers A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a clamshell form factor with a flat-panel screen on the inside of the upper lid and an alph ...

to blend melody with treated samples and

glitch A glitch is a short-lived technical fault, such as a transient one that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among pl ...

production. He lives and works in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, and currently records on the UK label

Touch The somatosensory system, or somatic sensory system is a subset of the sensory nervous system. The main functions of the somatosensory system are the perception of external stimuli, the perception of internal stimuli, and the regulation of bo ...

. Fennesz first received widespread recognition for his 2001 album '' Endless Summer'', released on the Austrian label Mego. He has collaborated with a number of artists, including

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...

, Jim O'Rourke,

Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian Experimental electronic music, experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album ''Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler, Bergtatt'', ...

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan (band), Japan. During his time in Japan, Sylvia ...

, and King Midas Sound.

Biography

Fennesz was born and raised in Austria and studied music formally in

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...

. He started playing guitar around the age of 8 or 9. He initially performed as a member of the Austrian

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

band Maische before signing to

label Mego as a solo artist. The influence of

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

led him to begin composing with a

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

. In 1995 he released his first EP ''Instrument'', which explored electro-acoustic and ambient stylings. In 1997, Fennesz released his debut full-length album ''Hotel Paral.lel'', which saw him delve more explicitly into laptop production and early

aesthetics. He followed with the 1998 single ''Plays'', which contained near-unrecognizable covers of

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' "

Paint It Black "Paint It Black" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European influences and lyrics ...

" and

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

' " Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)". In the following years, he collaborated with a variety of artists, including Peter "Pita" Rehberg and Jim O'Rourke as part of

Fenn O'Berg Fenn O'Berg was an improvisational computer music trio made up of members Christian Fennesz, Peter Rehberg and Jim O'Rourke. Their existence began with a surprise appearance at the Nickelsdorf Festival in 1997. This was followed by extensive i ...

. In 2001, he released his third studio album '' Endless Summer'' to widespread critical praise and recognition. He collaborated with figures such as

, Keith Rowe, eRikm,

in the following years, and released the albums ''

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

'' (2004) and ''

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

'' (2007) to further critical praise. In 2009 Fennesz teamed up with Mark Linkous ( Sparklehorse) to create In the Fishtank 15. The following year Fennesz released ''Szampler'', a cassette containing his sample collection on the Tapeworm label. This release was later remixed by Stefan Goldmann and released as ''Goldmann vs. Fennesz: Remiksz''. In 2011, he appeared on the live

release '' The Norwegian National Opera'', contributing guitar and effects to "Not Saved." In November 2013, Fennesz played the final holiday camp edition of the

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released as the band's debut single in 1966. The song is from their 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the so ...

festival in Camber Sands, England. In 2014, he released the studio album '' Bécs''. In 2015, he collaborated with UK group King Midas Sound on the album '' Edition 1''. He then released ''

Agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...

'' (2019) and ''

Mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

'' (2024).

Recording techniques

Since the 1990s, Fennesz has worked with the programming software

Max/MSP Max, also known as Max/MSP/Jitter, is a visual programming language for music and multimedia developed and maintained by San Francisco-based software company Cycling '74. Over its more than thirty-year history, it has been used by composers, pe ...

and the free patch Ppooll, which he runs in conjunction with the workstation Logic 9. In both studio and live settings, he routes his guitar through

effects pedal An effects unit, effects processor, or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing. Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with el ...

s (including a custom distortion box) and into his computer. There, it is processed and combined with Ppooll software plugins and tools such as samplers,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s, effects, and

MIDI controllers A MIDI controller is any hardware or software that generates and transmits Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data to MIDI-enabled devices, typically to trigger sounds and control parameters of an electronic music performance. They mos ...

Discography

; Studio albums * (1997) ''Hotel Paral.lel'' (Mego) * (1999) ''Plus Forty Seven Degrees 56' 37" Minus Sixteen Degrees 51' 08"'' (

) * (2001) '' Endless Summer'' (Mego) * (2004) ''

'' (Touch) * (2008) ''

'' (Touch) * (2014) '' Bécs'' (Editions Mego) * (2019) ''

'' (Touch) * (2024) ''

'' (Touch) ; Collaboration albums * (2004) ''GRM Experience'' with

Mika Vainio Mika Tapio Vainio (May 15, 1963 – April 12, 2017) was a Finnish electronic musician. He was best known as a member of Pan Sonic. In addition to his real name, he recorded under the aliases Ø, Kentolevi, Philus, and Tekonivel. He has worked w ...

Christian Zanési Christian Zanési (born 22 May 1952) is a French people, French composer. Biography Born in Lourdes, Zanési studied with Guy Maneveau and Marie-Françoise Lacaze at the Pau University (South of France) (1974–1975), and with Pierre Schaeffer ...

(Signature) * (2005) ''Cloud'' with Keith Rowe, Toshimaru Nakamura and Oren Ambarchi (Erstwhile) * (2007) '' Cendre'' with Sakamoto (

) * (2008) ''Til the Old World's Blown Up and a New One Is Created'' with Martin Brandlmayr & Werner Dafeldecker (Mosz) * (2009) '' In the Fishtank 15'' with Sparklehorse ( Konkurrent) * (2010) ''Knoxville'' with David Daniell and Tony Buck (

Thrill Jockey Thrill Jockey is an American independent record label established by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards and based in Chicago. History Richards started the label in 1992 with $35,000 of family and personal capital, while ...

) * (2010) ''Remiksz'' with Stefan Goldmann (Tapeworm) * (2011) '' Flumina'' with Sakamoto (Commmons/

) * (2015) '' Edition 1'' with King Midas Sound (

Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an independent record label based in London, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1990 by musicians Matt Black and Jonathan More, known collectively as Coldcut. The label was established as an outlet for Col ...

) * (2015) ''AirEffect'' with OZmotic (

Folk Wisdom Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as tales, myths, legends, proverbs, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also includes ma ...

) * (2016) ''It's Hard For Me To Say I'm Sorry'' with Jim O'Rourke (Editions Mego) * (2023) ''Senzatempo'' with OZmotic (

) ; Compilations * (2002) ''Field Recordings: 1995–2002'' (

) * (2010) ''Szampler'' (Tapeworm) ; Live recordings * (2000) ''Live at Revolver, Melbourne'' live EP (

) * (2004) ''Live at the LU'' with Keith Rowe (Erstwhile) * (2005) '' Sala Santa Cecilia'' live EP with

(

) * (2005) ''Live in Japan'' CD (Headz/Touch, 2003) and LP (Autofact/

) * (2009) ''Live @ The V. Sessions'' streaming video recording
The V. Sessions
, 2009 * (2014) ''Mahler Remixed'' vinyl (

) ; Studio EPs * (1995) ''Instrument'' 12" vinyl ( Mego) * (1998) ''Il Libro Mio'' EP (Tanz Hotel) * (1998) ''Plays'' 7" ( Mego) * (1999) ''Plays'' CDEP (Moikai) * (2006) ''Plays'' 10" vinyl ( Editions Mego) * (2011) ''Seven Stars'' CDEP/10" vinyl (

) * (2025) ''The Last Days of May'' CDEP (Longform Editions) ; Singles, tracks, guest collaborations, etc. * (2002) "Wrapped Islands" with Polwechsel ( Erstwhile) * (2005) "Erstlive 004" with Peter Rehberg, Sachiko M and Otomo Yoshihide (Erstwhile) * (2007) "On a desolate shore a shadow passes by" (

) – download only * (2008) "Transition" (

) * (2008) "Saffron Revolution" (

) – download only * (2010) "Future Back" and "Impassive Skies" with Patrick Pulsinger, on Pulsinger's album ''Impassive Skies'' (Disko B) * (2011) "Fearless" (Thrill Jockey) – contribution for the ''Benefit for the Recovery in Japan'' compilation ; Remixes * (2001) "IVEND 00", based on material from ''Attention: Cats'' by Various Artists, on ''rkk13cd'' (Reckankreuzungsklankewerkzeuge) * (2003) Remixed "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "The Future Sound Of Music" (titled "Only the Poor have to Travel") by

on ''1993–2003: A Decade In The Machines ( Jester Records) * (2005) Remixed "Weight" by

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

on ''Oceanic Remixes Vol. 4'' (

Ipecac Syrup of ipecac (), or simply ipecac, is a drug that was once widely used as an expectorant (in low doses) and a rapid-acting emetic (in higher doses). It is obtained from the dried rhizome and roots of the ipecacuanha plant ('' Carapichea ipe ...

) * (2007) Remixed "In This Twilight" by

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

on ''

Year Zero Remixed ''Year Zero Remixed'' (stylized as ''Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D'') is the third remix album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released in the United States on November 20, 2007, and in the United Kingdom six days later. It features remix ...

'' (

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

) * (2010) Remixed "Returnal" by

Oneohtrix Point Never Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American Experimental music, experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer, and songwriter. His music has utilized wikt:trope, tropes from various ...

on '' Returnal Maxi Single 7"'' (Editions Mego) * (2011) Remixed "The Visitor" by Miracle on ''Fluid Window'' * (2011) Remixed "Shikaku Kakumei" (titled "QSMJAF") by Sōtaisei Riron on ''Tadashii Sōtaisei Riron'' ( Commmons/Mirai Records) ; Soundtracks * (1999) ''Beyond the Ocean'' (USA) * (2000) ''Gelbe Kirschen'' (Austria), directed by Leopold Lummerstorfer * (2002) ''

Blue Moon A blue moon refers either to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, to the third full moon in a season containing four, or to a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects. The calendrical meaning of "blue moon" is unc ...

'' (Austria), written and directed by Andrea Maria Dusl * (2005) ''Platform#09 Chicago'' (France) directed by Cedrick EymenierCedrick Eymenier website
/ref> * (2009) ''Film ist. a girl & a gun'' (Austria), directed by Gustav Deutsch, with Lucía Pulido, Martin Siewert, Burkhard Stangl (7", Interstellar Records, Austria 2009) * (2012) ''AUN: The Beginning and the End of All Things'' (Ash International) ; In Fenn O'Berg: * (1999) ''The Magic Sound of Fenn O'Berg'' (Mego) * (2002) ''The Return of Fenn O'Berg'' (Mego) * (2009) ''Magic & Return'' Double CD reissue (Editions Mego) * (2010) ''In Stereo'' (Mego) ; Tribute to Fennesz: * (2004) Tim Hecker "Mirages" (Alien8 Recordings) – Incurably optimistic * (2012) Lcoma "Fennesz" (Unsigned) – Musical influence ; With

Food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

*''Quiet Inlet'' (ECM, 2010) *''Mercurial Balm'' (ECM, 2012) *'' This Is Not a Miracle'' (ECM, 2015)

References

External links

Fennesz.com
– Official website *

biography at

Touch Music Touch (sometimes mistakenly written 'Touch Records' and sometimes written Touch Music, which is technically the publishing side of the company) is a British audio-visual organisation, operating the Touch label. Touch was founded in 1982 by Jon ...

Fennesz
at Mego {{DEFAULTSORT:Fennesz 1962 births Living people Austrian electronic musicians Austrian guitarists Electroacoustic improvisation Experimental musicians Free improvisation Drag City (record label) artists

Biography

Recording techniques

Discography

See also

References

Further reading

External links