Marcus Schmickler (born November 15, 1968, in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

) is a German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, musician, and producer. His music was also published under the Pluramon

moniker A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

Background

Schmickler merges computer music, ensemble composition, performance and scientific subjects. His multi-channel works have been performed internationally, creating unique auditory spaces. He explores techniques like Shepard tones and ring modulations, deepening his compositions through data sonification and otoacoustic emissions. In 1991, after spending a year in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, he started studying musicology at Cologne University and electronic music and composition Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with H.U. Humpert and Johannes Fritsch. The same year he became a member of the seminal collective Kontakta. 1992 his first solo release appeared with the French label Odd Size. In 1995, he was co-initiator of the DJ collective Brüsseler-Platz-10a-Musik, together with Georg Odijk and Jan St. Werner, associated with the A-Musik record store and label. Since 1995 he works as a composer, for film theater and radio play. In 1996 he released one of the first fully digitally produced post-rock albums under the pseudonym Pluramon on the German label Mille Plateaux. In 1998, he became a member of the 12-piece electro-acoustic ensemble MIMEO (Music in Movement Electronic Orchestra). In 1999, he completed his diploma in electronic music with Hans Ulrich Humpert and the composition with

Johannes Fritsch Johannes Georg Fritsch (27 July 1941 – 29 April 2010) was a German composer. At the age of seven, Fritsch found a violin in the attic of his uncle's house in Bensheim-Auerbach, Germany, and began lessons with a village music teacher named Kna ...

with a thesis on

Gottfried Michael Koenig Gottfried Michael Koenig (5 October 1926 – 30 December 2021)"In Memoriam Got ...

. In 2000 he published jointly with

Thomas Lehn Thomas Lehn (born 1958 in Fröndenberg) is a German piano and synthesizer player active in free improvisation and contemporary music. Lehn has recorded with Marcus Schmickler, Keith Rowe, John Butcher, Phil Minton, Phil Durrant, Radu Malf ...

the CD ''Bart'', which was reviewed to be one of the most impressive synth-improv performances ever. In September 2001 he recorded the Pluramon album ''Dreams Top Rock'' with American singer

Julee Cruise Julee Ann Cruise (December 1, 1956 – June 9, 2022) was an American singer and actress, known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She released four albums beg ...

and went on an extended tour through South America on the initiative of

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit German culture, cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and en ...

in 2003. Since 2004 he has been working on theater projects, with Felix Ensslin. He created numerous works of electronic music, and compositions for choir, chamber ensemble, and orchestra. In 2009 he composed ''Bonn Patternizationon'' on behalf of the

International Year of Astronomy The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) was a year-long celebration of astronomy that took place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei and the pu ...

2009 and the German Music Council, a sonification with projections based on astrophysical data. Since 2015, Schmickler has worked as faculty at

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

in Annandale-On-Hudson, at

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

in Los Angeles County, at Robert-Schumann Hochschul
Institute For Music and Media
in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

and at Institut für Elektronische Musik und Akustik (IEM) der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz. In 2016 he collaborated with

Gerhard Richter Gerhard Richter (; born 9 February 1932) is a German visual artist. Richter has produced Abstract art, abstract as well as photorealistic paintings, photographs and Glass art, glass pieces. He is widely regarded as one of the most important con ...

and

Corinna Belz Corinna Belz is a German documentary filmmaker. She is known for the films '' Gerhard Richter Painting'' (2011), '' Peter Handke: In the Woods, Might Be Late'' (2016) and '' Inside the Uffizi'' (2021). Life and career Corinna Belz studied philos ...

and

Ensemble Musikfabrik The Ensemble Musikfabrik (music factory ensemble) is an ensemble for contemporary classical music located in Cologne. Their official name is Ensemble Musikfabrik Landesensemble NRW e.V. (Ensemble Musikfabrik of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia ...

on ''Richters Patterns'', a chamber-music concerto with film based on a painting by Richter. In 2022 he premiered ''Entwurf einer Rheinlandschaft'', a large scale, long-distance performance for 60 musicians across the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

. Marcus Schmickler has received prizes and scholarships, including the Rome Prize of the German Academy

Villa Massimo Villa Massimo, short for Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo (), is a German cultural institution in Rome, established in 1910 and located in the Villa Massimo. The fellowship of the German Academy in Rome, often referred to as the German Rome P ...

Ars Electronica Ars Electronica Linz GmbH is an Austrian cultural, educational and scientific institute active in the field of new media art, founded in Linz in 1979. It is based at the Ars Electronica Center (AEC), which houses the Museum of the Future, in t ...

, from the state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

and curated festival programs in the

Academy of Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...

and the ZKM. He was a longtime member of the jury of the

Deutscher Musikrat The (DMR, ''German Music Council''; ) is an umbrella organization for music associations and the 16 music councils of the German federal states.musikrat.deÜberblick über Organisationsstruktur des DMR(retrieved on 10 May 2019) It represents over ...

(German Music Council, a member of the

International Music Council The International Music Council (IMC) was created in 1949 as UNESCO's advisory body on matters of music. The original request of the foundation of the IMC was under the Director of the UNESCO. It is based at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, France, ...

). As an author, he wrote articles on various topics of electronic music.
Ensslin, Blumenstein: ''zwischen zwei toden''

Partial discography

* Solo **''Bonner Durchmusterung'', etat, 2024 **''Sky Dice / Mapping the Studio'',

editions Mego Mego was an experimental electronic music independent record label based in Vienna, Austria. The label has been superseded by a new company, Editions Mego, which was set up both to keep Mego albums in print and to issue new albums, run by Peter ...

, 2021 **''Richters Patterns'', Tochnit Aleph, 2020 **''Particle/Matter-Wave/Energy'',

Kompakt Kompakt ( Labelcode: LC 12012) is a Cologne-based electronic music independent record label and vinyl/CD distributor, owned by Wolfgang Voigt, Michael Mayer and Jürgen Paape. They specialize in microhouse and minimal techno, and are known ...

, 2019 **''Rule of Inference'', a-Musik, 2011 **''Bari Workshop'', Presto?!, 2011 **''Palace of Marvels ueered pitch',

Editions Mego Mego was an experimental electronic music independent record label based in Vienna, Austria. The label has been superseded by a new company, Editions Mego, which was set up both to keep Mego albums in print and to issue new albums, run by Peter ...

, 2010 **''Altars of Science'', Editions Mego, 2007 **''DEMOS for Choir'', a-Musik, 2005 **''Param'', a-Musik, 2001 **''Sator Rotas'', a-Musik, 1999 **''Wabi Sabi'', a-Musik, 1996 **''Onea Gako'', Odd Size, 1993 * As Pluramon **''The Monstrous Surplus'', Karaoke Kalk, 2007 **''Dreams Top Rock'', Karaoke Kalk, 2003 **''Bitsand Riders'', Mille Plateaux, 2000 **''Render Bandits'', Mille Plateaux, 1998 **''Pickup Canyon'', Mille Plateaux, 1996 * With MIMEO **''Wigry'', Bolt Records, 2011 **''Sight'', Cathnor, 2008 **''Lifting Concrete Lightly'',

Serpentine Gallery The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens, Westminster, Greater London. Recently rebranded to just Serpentine, the organisation is split across Serpentine South, previously known as the Serpentine Galler ...

, 2004 **''The Hands of Caravaggio'', Erstwhile Records, 2001 **''Electric Table & Chair'', Grob, 2000 * Collaborations ** Marcus Schmickler/Jaki Liebezeit / Hayden Chisholm "Timekeepers II", a-Musik, 2023 ** Marcus Schmicker/Thomas Lehn "Neue Bilder",

Mikroton Recordings Mikroton Recordings is an independent record label for experimental electronic music, founded by Kurt Liedwart and based in Biel, Switzerland. Mikroton works with a wide range of musicians working in the field of electronic music like sound artist ...

, 2017 ** Marcus Schmickler John Tilbury "Timekeepers", A-Musik, 2015 ** Marcus Schmickler Julian Rohrhuber "Politiken der Frequenz", Tochnit Aleph / Editions Mego, 2014 ** Marcus Schmickler/Thomas Lehn ''Live Double Séance ntaa Kalojen Uida', Editions Mego, 2011 ** R/S ''USA'', Pan, 2011 ** Schmickler/ Gratkowski/ Nabatov ''Deployment'',

Leo Records Leo Records is a British record company and label, founded in 1979, which releases jazz from Russian, American and British musicians. It concentrates on free jazz. This label is different from the Leo Records that was formed by Edward Vesala i ...

, 2010 ** Marcus Schmickler/Thomas Lehn ''Navigation im Hypertext'', a-Musik, 2008 ** Marcus Schmickler/Thomas Lehn ''Kölner Kranz'', a-Musik, 2008 ** R/S One''(snow mud rain)'', Erstwhile Records, 2007 ** Marcus Schmickler with

Hayden Chisholm Hayden Chisholm (born 27 May 1975) is a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist from New Zealand. He performs jazz, improvised music, and contemporary classical music. Life and career Chisholm was raised in New Plymouth, New Zealand, by parents ...

''Amazing Daze'', Häpna, 2007 ** Marc Ushmi ''Doshhammer Mixes'' (without Label), 2007 ** Claudio Bohorquez, ''Solo and Accompaniment'',

Aulos An ''aulos'' (plural ''auloi''; , plural ) or ''tibia'' (Latin) was a wind instrument in ancient Greece, often depicted in art and also attested by archaeology. Though the word ''aulos'' is often translated as "flute" or as " double flute", ...

, 2006 ** Marcus Schmickler/

John Tilbury John Tilbury (born 1 February 1936) is a British pianist. He is considered one of the foremost interpreters of Morton Feldman's music, and since 1980 has been a member of the free improvisation group AMM. Early life and education Tilbury s ...

''Variety'', a-Musik, 2005 ** Schmickler/Lehn/Rowe/Nakamura ''Untitled'', Erstwhile Records, 2004 ** Schmickler/Lehn ''Amplify Balance'' 7 CD Box, Erstwhile Records, 2004 ** Marcus Schmickler/Thomas Lehn /

Keith Rowe Keith Rowe (born 16 March 1940 in Plymouth, England) is an English free improvisation tabletop guitarist and painter. Rowe is a founding member of both AMM in the mid-1960s and M.I.M.E.O. Having trained as a visual artist, his paintings hav ...

''Rabbit Run'', Erstwhile Records, 2003 ** Marc Ushmi meets Reverend Galloway ''Mein Kopf verlor ein Dach'', Whatness, 2003 ** ''Soundcultures'',

Suhrkamp Suhrkamp Verlag is a German publishing house, established in 1950 and is generally acknowledged as one of the leading European publishers of fine literature. Its roots go back to the "arianized" part of the S. Fischer Verlag. In January 2010, ...

, 2003 ** Marc Ushmi/Thomas Brinkmann ''Chevrolet Corvette'' Max Ernst, 2001 ** Marcus Schmickler/Thomas Lehn ''Bart'', Erstwhile Records, 2000 ** ''2:3

Oswald Wiener Oswald may refer to: People *Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name *Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbur ...

zum 65. Geburtstag'', Supposé, 2000 ** ''Prix Ars Electronica Cyber Arts 2000'' Ars Electronica Center, 2000 ** Brüsseler Platz-10a-Musik ''

Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik The Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik (Witten Days for New Chamber Music) is a music festival for contemporary chamber music, jointly organised by the town Witten in the Ruhr Area and the broadcasting station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). The con ...

'',

WDR WDR may refer to: * Waddell & Reed (stock ticker: WDR), an American asset management and financial planning company * Walt Disney Records, an American record label of the Disney Music Group * WDR neuron, a type of neuron involved in pain signalli ...

, 1998 ** Brüsseler Platz-10a-Musik ''sT'', Sieben, 1997 ** Brüsseler Platz-10a-Musik / Agentur Bilwet ''1000 Fehler'', Supposé, 1996 ** Pol ''Baby I Will Make You Sweat'' Odd Size, 1995 ** Pol ''Transomuba'', Odd Size, 1994 ** Kontakta ''s/T'', Odd Size, 1992

References

External links

* http://www.piethopraxis.org/ Official Site
Homepage of Pluramon

Faculty home page

Marcus Schmickler exclusive generative audio piece for the Composing with process series
on Ràdio Web MACBA
Marcus Schmickler's "Ontology of vibration: economics, music and number" podcast on Ràdio Web MACBA
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schmickler, Marcus 1968 births 21st-century German classical composers German electronic musicians Living people German male classical composers 21st-century German male musicians